FULLERTON, Calif. – Former Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Blake Hawksworth will bring his talents to Cal State Fullerton as he joins the Titans Baseball program as a pitching coach, it was announced Friday by fifth-year head coach Rick Vanderhook.
In his role as pitching coach for Cal State Fullerton, Hawksworth will help develop, mentor and coach the Titans both on and off the field as well as assist in recruiting.
"We are excited to add Blake Hawksworth to our coaching staff," Coach Vanderhook said. "With what he has learned from his playing days with the Cardinals and Dodgers along with his experience as an advisor he will be an asset to our program.
"He will be able to jump right into recruiting with a good feel for the type of student-athlete we are looking for," Vanderhook continued. "On the pitching side, he will bring a new energy and teaching style that will excite our pitchers. We are very fortunate to have Blake join the Titan family."
Hawksworth comes to the Titans after working for the Boras Corporation as an MLB Certified Player Agent for the past two years.
Prior to his work at the Boras Corporation, Hawksworth played two years for the Los Angeles Dodgers where he posted a 4.08 ERA and appeared in 49 games in relief. As a Dodger, he recorded a career-best seven holds, fanned an average of 7.30 batters per nine innings, walked 2.89 batters per game and logged a total of 12 games finished.
Having played professional baseball for 10 years, Hawksworth spent the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals organization where he pitched for eight years. While with the Cardinals, Hawksworth made his Major League debut in 2009 and was a key contributor to the National League Central Division title.
Hawksworth signed with the Cardinals after being selected in the 28th round of the 2001 MLB amateur draft and went on to be rated the No. 1 prospect in the Cardinals organization in 2004.
His Major League Baseball career came to an end after an injury and he concluded his three-year MLB tenure with a 4.07 ERA in 75 appearances. Hawksworth, who was primarily a reliever, recorded eight wins in eight starts, while pitching 130.1 innings pitched and striking out 81 batters against 50 walks.
Hawksworth played one year at Bellevue Community College in Washington where he posted a 0.18 ERA and an 8-0 record en route to helping the Bulldogs to the NWAAC Championship game. He finished the year named Bellevue College Most Valuable Pitcher and the NWAAC's Most Valuable Player.
Hawksworth will complete Vanderhook's coaching staff following the departure of former pitching coach Jason Deitrich who is now working in the same capacity at Oregon.