Hall of Fame Insider: Kevin Hawkins

Story by Mike Gore

Thanks to the sharp eye of an umpire and a friend's advice, Kevin Hawkins enjoyed a Hall of Fame baseball career at UNC Asheville.

Kevin will be inducted into the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Feb. 16, in the Blue Ridge Room in the Highsmith Student Union Building. He will be inducted along with contributor Pete McDaniel and soccer standout Larry Cook.

Hawkins' journey to UNC Asheville ironically began with a game in the mountains.

"I was playing for Crest High School and we played a third-round state playoff game at T.C. Roberson," Kevin remembered recently. "I guess I had a pretty good game and umpire Mike Gaddy was talking to me afterwards. He wanted to know if I was going anywhere to play college baseball, and I told him at the time that I didn't have any college plans.

"He relayed to me about the new baseball program at UNC Asheville and how he knew Ken Bagwell (UNC Asheville's first ever coach)," said Hawkins. "Mike Gaddy said he was going to call Coach Bagwell on my behalf."

Coach Bagwell went down and saw Kevin play some American Legion games and was impressed.

"He came down and saw me play a few times and offered me a chance to come play at UNC Asheville," stated Hawkins.

But Kevin wasn't quite ready to commit to college anywhere.

"I was working at my grandfather's gas station and had a whole summer of playing American Legion ball ahead of me. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do," he said. "I just wasn't sure about leaving home and playing college baseball."

The American Legion season ended and Kevin began working six days a week at the gas station. He also enrolled at a community college. This is where a friend spoke to Kevin.

"My uncle had a friend named Mal Compas who worked at the community college," said Hawkins. "He talked to me and told me that I needed to think about my decision not to play college baseball. Mal told me that if I didn't go play college baseball, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

"And I was also working six days a week at the gas station. I liked helping my grandfather but thought I might want to at least give college a try," he added.

Kevin called Coach Bagwell and asked if they still had room for him on the roster.

"Coach Bagwell told me they could still use me. I didn't get there until the spring semester in 1986, but thankfully, I got a chance to play right away," he said.

These were the early days of the Bulldog baseball program. Asheville didn't have a home field yet. They played some home games at McCormick Field and practiced at Erwin HS. Sometimes interesting things would just happen.

"One day, we got to Erwin and couldn't practice because the field was locked," said Hawkins. "So went over to Coach Bagwell's farm and practiced there. We took batting practice by using axes and cutting down trees. It was an intense workout."

Home games or not, Kevin was a starter and key player for the Bulldogs right from the start. He was Asheville's starting shortstop for the 1986 and 1987 seasons. The Dogs didn't have much success in wins and losses, but Hawkins proved to be a great player.

He sat out the 1988 season but returned to play the 1989 and 1990 seasons and enjoyed great success under new coach Steve Pope. When he came back, the Bulldogs were playing actual home games at Greenwood Field, a field Kevin helped build along with other Asheville players during that time.

"Coach Pope changed expectations for us. He got us to believe in ourselves and we were good as anybody we played," said Hawkins.

The Bulldogs ended the 1989 season on a tear as they won their final eight games of the season, including a first-time win over SEC foe Tennessee. Asheville finished in third place in the Big South Conference, but sadly, there was no tournament that year.

Hawkins had a great senior season as he earned All-Conference honors for the second straight year and helped lead Asheville to a school-record 25 wins. The Dogs earned wins over Duke and Tennessee and once again finished in third place in the Big South.

A former teammate of Kevin's is San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt. The two played together for three of Hawkins' seasons at Asheville. Shildt is a member of the UNC Asheville Hall of Fame and he is delighted that Kevin will be joining him later this month.

"I am so happy for Kevin Hawkins to make the UNC Asheville Hall of Fame. It is well-deserved and long overdue," stated Shildt recently from his office in Arizona, where the Padres are preparing for Spring Training.

"Kevin was the kind of player who could beat an opponent in a lot of different ways. He could beat you with his bat and had some power, as well," remembered Shildt. "But Kevin could also beat you on defense as he was an outstanding shortstop. And he could steal a base. He had great speed.

"I think it speaks volumes that some of the career records he set still stand almost 40 years after he played," added Shildt. "Kevin was a consistent player who was a fantastic competitor and an awesome teammate."

Kevin enjoyed his baseball career but is very proud of the education he received at UNC Asheville.

"Everything in my life, I owe to a UNC Asheville education and the fact I played baseball there," said Hawkins. "UNC Asheville was the right place for me at the right time in my life. I was so blessed to go there."

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

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