Baseball Southern Conference

Western Carolina Announces Signing

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina head baseball coach Todd Raleigh announced that Derrick Hawk (Sylva, N.C./Smoky Mountain HS) signed a National Letter of Intent.

Hawk, a 6-1, 175 right-handed pitcher, played one season (2001) at Spartanburg Methodist College before redshirting last season due to an injury. (He will have three years of eligibility at Western.) In his freshman season, he helped SMC win conference and regional titles in reaching the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series. Hawk posted a 2-1 record in 27 innings at SMC with a 2.28 ERA and 33 strikeouts.

At Smoky Mountain High, Hawk was a two-time all-conference pick, while earning All-State honors as a senior. In his final year at Smoky Mountain, he had a 7-4 record with a 2.20 ERA in 54 innings pitched. He additionally set a school mark with 93 strikeouts that season. Prior to his senior season, he participated in the state games.

Hawk will try to help fill the void left by Jared Burton, who was an eighth-round pick by the Oakland A's this past spring. Burton, who left WCU after his junior season, is 0-3 in 10 games with the Vancouver Canadians - Oakland's single-A farm team in the Northwest League. However, he has an impressive 2.56 ERA with 30 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 31.2 innings pitched.