Former Major League player Blake Hawksworth is in his second season as Oregon’s pitching coach after joining the staff in July 2023.
Hawksworth came to Oregon after spending the previous 20-plus years playing and working in a variety of roles in both professional and college baseball. A former big leaguer, Major League Baseball agent and collegiate pitching coach who helped lead his team to the College World Series, Hawksworth joined Mark Wasikowski’s staff after stints at Cal State Fullerton, Grand Canyon and UC Irvine.
Oregon (2024-present)
In Hawksworth’s first season with the Ducks, he blended a depleted group of experienced returners with 12 newcomers and built a solid group of hurlers who combined to win the fifth most games in school history while also setting a school record for strikeouts.
Of the 12 pitchers who returned from the 2023 staff that advanced to the Eugene Super Regional, six did not make an appearance in 2024, including projected weekend starter Isaac Ayon and preseason All-American Austin Anderson. Of the six who had experience in a Ducks’ uniform who did take the mound, one tossed just 5.1 innings, and another projected starter finished the year with just 13.1 innings pitched.
Oregon’s pitching staff combined to fan 550 batters over 535.1 innings of work, averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings which was the third most in program history. The 550 punch outs were 37 more than both the 2021 and 2010 teams struck out, while the 9.2 Ks per nine innings trailed only the 13.2 by the 1950 team and the 9.3 by the 2021 squad. Oregon’s 40 wins trailed only the 2013 (48), 2012 (46), 2014 (44) and 2023 (41) teams.
Individually under Hawksworth’s guidance, four Ducks’ pitchers earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 Conference honors with two working as starters and two coming out of the bullpen.
Sophomore starter Grayson Grinsell led Oregon finishing with 99 strikeouts, the fifth most in school history, in 79.1 innings while finishing 7-2 with a 4.08 ERA. Friday night starter RJ Gordon returned from missing the 2023 season to earn all-league recognition while starting a team-best 17 games.
Seniors Logan Mercado and Bradley Mulland locked down the back end of the bullpen and joined Gordon and Grinsell as all-conference selections. Mercado had eight saves, tied for the 10th most in program history, while Mullan boasted a team-best 1.66 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .203 batting average.
Among Pac-12 Conference teams, Oregon’s pitching staff ranked in the top four in a number of categories, The Ducks’ staff led the league in innings pitched (535.1), while ranking second in wins, saves, strikeouts, batting average against (.244) and fewest hits allowed per game (8.1). Oregon finished third in fewest runs allowed per game (5.3) and fourth in ERA (4.88).
Following the season, three of Hawksworth’s pitchers were selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft. The Seattle Mariners made Brock Moore their seventh-round pick (213 overall), before the New York Mets selected Gordon in the 13th round (283 overall) and the Los Angeles Dodgers picked Ayon in the 18th round (550 overall).
UC Irvine (2023)
Hawksworth returned to collegiate baseball as the director of baseball operations at UC Irvine. He helped the Anteaters to a 38-17 record, including a 19-11 record in the Big West Conference.
JSerra High School (2021-2022)
Between stints in collegiate baseball, Hawksworth spent two seasons as the pitching coach at JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., where he helped lead the Lions to a pair of appearances in the postseason title game, including the school’s first CIF championship in school history.
The 2022 team claimed the CIF Southern Section Baseball Division I championship with a 3-1 win over Notre Dame in the title game before finishing as the CIF SoCal Division 1 Regional runner-up. The 2021 team advanced to the Southern Section Baseball Division 1 championship game before losing 2-0 to Huntington Beach.
Grand Canyon (2020)
Hawksworth spent a year as the pitching coach at Grand Canyon during the 2020 season. In 18 games, Hawksworth oversaw a pitching staff that posted a 3.44 ERA, the best by a Lopes team since 1982 (3.07). GCU ranked 22nd nationally with a 2.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio, led by Pierson Ohl’s No. 3 mark nationally of 0.32.
Four pitchers on Hawksworth’s staff at GCU were eventually selected in the Major League Baseball Draft with one Lope selected in the 2020 draft, two in the 2021 draft and one in the 2022 draft. The Chicago White Sox selected Kade Mechals in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, while Frankie Scalzo (Chicago Cubs - 14th round) and Ohl (Minnesota Twins – 14th Round) went in the 2021 draft, and Nick Hull (Chicago Cubs – 7th round) got picked in the 2022 draft.
Boras Corporation (2014-17; 2018-19)
Hawksworth had a pair of stints working for the Scott Boras Corporation as a MLB certified player agent where he actively recruited top MLB and amateur prospects, signed the first overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft and captured over $20 million in draft revenue in four years.
Cal State Fullerton (2017)
After spending 10 years playing professional baseball and later working as an agent in the Boras Corporation, Hawksworth landed his first collegiate job as the pitching coach at Cal State Fullerton in 2017 and immediately helped lead the Titans to the College World Series.
The Titans’ pitching staff posted a 3.64 team ERA that ranked 29th in the nation and was noted for its control, ranking among the nation’s best in strikeout-to-walk ratio (17th, 2.94), WHIP (19th, 1.25) and walks per nine innings (6th, 2.55). Cal State Fullerton finished 39-24, a record that included regional and super regional wins and a trip to Omaha.
Three of Hawksworth’s pitchers earned All-Big West honors following the season with two claiming All-America honors. Starting pitcher Connor Seabold, an eventual big leaguer, earned second-team Collegiate Baseball All-America recognition while relief pitcher Brett Conine was a third-team pick. Both claimed first-team All-Big West recognition and were joined by relief pitcher Blake Workman, a second-team pick on the all-league team.
Five members of Hawksworth’s pitching staff were eventually selected in the MLB Draft with two picked following the 2017 season and three more going in 2018. The Philadelphia Phillies made Seabold their third-round pick in 2017, while the San Francisco Giants claimed John Gavin in the eighth round. The following year, the Phillies added Colton Eastman as their fourth-round selection while Erik Cha went to the Twins in the 17th round and Workman was a 22nd-round pick by the Cubs.
Playing Career
As a right-handed pitcher, Hawksworth was drafted in the 28th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent his first seven professional seasons rising through the organization as a minor leaguer, earning the billing as the organization’s No. 1 prospect in 2004.
In his eighth season in the organization, Hawksworth made his big-league debut on June 6, 2009. He made 30 appearances spanning 40 innings during his rookie season, going 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA. He made a one-inning relief appearance in the 2009 NLDS. Hawksworth spent the 2010 season with the Cardinals going 4-8 with a 4.98 ERA over 40 games and 90.1 innings.
After an offseason trade following the 2010 season, Hawksworth spent his final pro season as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made a career-high 29 appearances including 12 starts, posting a 2-5 record with a 4.08 ERA. After dealing with injuries, Hawksworth officially retired from baseball in 2014.
In between his draft selection in 2001 and pro debut in 2002, Hawksworth played one season at Bellevue (Wash.) Community College as a draft-and follow selection. He left no doubt to his professional abilities by going 8-0 with a 0.18 ERA while earning recognition as both the Bellevue College Most Valuable Player and the NWAAC’s Most Valuable Player.
Personal
A native of Vancouver, B.C., Hawksworth attended Eastlake High School in Sammamish, Wash. He and his wife Amie have a daughter, Madison, and two sons, Jaxon and Luke.
