CF Tommy Hawke:
We're officially in single digits!
Coming in at number nine is the biggest fan favorite of them all, Tommy Hawke. It was so difficult putting Hawke here after his magnificent year, but I think the next two guys just barely edge him out for this spot.
Hawke was the table setter for the Deacs the whole season, slashing .349 with 19 doubles and seven home runs to go along with 35 RBI. He carried an astonishing .453 on base-percentage and stole 14 bags. Not bad for your lead-off guy. While he didn't lead the team in average, he did lead the team in hits and stolen bases.
Hawke took social media by storm with his performances in the two games versus Alabama in the super regional and his hilarious stomping of a beach ball in the College World Series. Hawke led off the super regional for the Deacs in game 1 with a first pitch blast off of the right field scoreboard in the bottom of the first. It was one of the louder reactions we received from the Demon Deacon crowd all season. In the following game 2, Hawke wrapped a two-run home run around the right field foul pole to help Wake pull away in their blowout victory over the Crimson Tide. In the first game versus LSU in the CWS, Hawke drove in two runs in the top of the second with a 2-run single to put the Deacs on the board.
It was an absolute joy watching Tommy Hawke play baseball for this team the past two years. He's the type of guy you need on the team if you want to go big places. He brings unmatched energy but mixes in grit and electric performances. He was selected in the sixth round of the MLB Draft with the 188th overall pick by the Cleveland Guardians, and deservedly so.
Hawke was selected to the 2022 All-Freshman Team and 2022 Baseball America Second Team Freshman All-American. This year, he was a 2023 Second Team All-ACC selection and a 2023 Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team selection.
I can't wait to watch him when he makes it to the big leagues!