Hawkins returns to college home

Photo: Missouri State Athletics

July 3, 2021

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Joey Hawkins was the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2015.

He also holds the Missouri State University record for sacrifice hits (62) and he accomplished this while starting his final 157 collegiate games for the Bears at shortstop and serving as the team’s captain for two seasons.

Every team needs someone like Joey Hawkins. The Whitby, Ont., native is a fearless competitor, a hard worker and a selfless leader, one that led largely by example.

That’s why it should come as no surprise that long-time coach Keith Guttin and MSU came knocking on Hawkins’ door when they were looking for a new hitting coach and recruiting coordinator.

The well-respected Canuck accepted the position and joined the staff in June. It’s just the latest on a long list of impressive jobs he’s held in his baseball career.

Whether it was playing in the Ontario Elimination tournament with the Whitby Chiefs as a youngster, with the Ontario Blue Jays in pressure-packed U.S. tournaments, or in a Super Regional in Fayetteville, Ark., in front of the rowdy Arkansas Razorback faithful, the determined Canadian is not easily intimidated.

“We were the hardnosed underdog at Missouri State,” Hawkins said “I loved walking into Power 5 conference stadiums and competing and not backing down.”

Following his collegiate career, he was selected in the 40th round of the 2015 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and played two seasons in their system, advancing to the double-A level, before he turned to coaching.

He has since made coaching stops at Jefferson College, Saint Louis University, where the Billikens won an Atlantic 10 title, and most recently in Cardinals’ minor league system.

Now he’s returned to his college baseball roots.

“One of the first things that drew me to Missouri State as a player was the loyalty of the coaching staff,” Hawkins said. “The coaches have been there a long time. They gave a kid from Canada an opportunity and they kept their word. The togetherness of the program is unbelievable. I still keep in touch with some of my teammates from when I played there.”

Speaking to Hawkins from Atlanta, where he was already out on the recruiting trail looking to bolster the Bears’ roster, you could hear the pride when he spoke about the people who have supported him in his baseball journey.

“My mom and dad are my biggest fans,” he said. “They really pushed me and gave me opportunities. I couldn't have done any of it without them.”

He also reflects fondly on his time with the Ontario Blue Jays and the relationships he has built with his coaches in that organization. He points to Sean Travers and Geoff Whent, whom he played for in high school, as some of his mentors.

Those coaches helped prepare him for his collegiate playing career. Some of Hawkins’ best memories come from the 2015 season, his last at MSU. The Bears were good that year, like 49-12 good. They finished 18-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference and swept their way through the conference tournament, and with that, they were named a Regional host, a huge achievement for the program.

They disposed of Canisius in the Springfield Regional opener. Then beat Iowa in back-to-back games to move on to the Super Regionals as a No. 8 national seed.

Their opponent would be the Arkansas Razorbacks. After getting handled in Game 1, 18-4, the Bears clawed their way back to win Game 2 by a 3-1 score, a true hard hat, lunch bucket bounce back effort. Unfortunately they lost a heartbreaker 3-2 in Game 3 to see their season come to an end. But it was nothing to hang their head about.

“We were on cloud nine during that Super Regional run,” Hawkins said. “We dog-piled three times and were writing our own story.”

As noted earlier, after that season, he spent two seasons as an infielder in the Cardinals’ organization before he got into coaching. Hawkins says one of the biggest highlights of his coaching career was working at the Cardinals’ alternate site last year and working with some of the top prospects in the team’s system, as well as with some big leaguers who were shuttled up and down from St. Louis.

Among the players he worked with were left-hander and No. 27 MLB prospect Matthew Liberatore and third baseman and No. 28 prospect Nolan Gorman.

Some would’ve been intimidated being surrounded by that much talent, but not Hawkins.

“You realize quickly that guys just want to get better, guys want to listen,” he said. “The fact that that kind of talent trusted me meant a lot. It was a great experience.”

Most youngsters who ever pick up a ball dream of playing in the major leagues.

While that was the case for Hawkins, the coaching seeds began to sprout in the early days of his career.

“I knew I couldn’t play forever,” Hawkins said. “I knew I wanted to take my experiences and get into coaching. I was reliable as a captain, an extension of the coaching staff. I had to have hard conversations sometimes which has helped me in my transition to coaching. As long as you do it in the right way guys will respect it.”

Now he will try to return MSU to the heights he saw as a player.

“Coaching is all about motivation and preparation,” he said. “This program has had a lot of success, but respect from others needs to be continually earned.”

The Bears took another big step in the respect department when they hired Hawkins and don’t be surprised if you see them swinging among college baseball’s elite in the near future.