Hubbs' Confidence Pays Off -- Former Kentridge Baseball Star Finds Success As Walk-On At Usc

KENT - Dan Hubbs has a message for area baseball players who think they can play Division I baseball:

Give yourself a chance.

Nobody was really willing to take a chance on Hubbs coming out of Kentridge High School in 1989. His three-year pitching career was impressive - including a 21-4 record - but dotted with injuries. A broken foot his junior year. A blown-out elbow at the end of his senior year.

The University of Southern California didn't call. So, Hubbs, full of self-confidence, called USC.

"I was confident in my abilities," he said earlier this week while home from California on Christmas break. "I knew I could pitch at that level. They gave me a chance."

For the Trojans, it wasn't that risky. Mike Gillespie, the USC baseball coach, told Hubbs he'd give him a look - as a walk-on, of course. Hubbs took the challenge, with the help of an academic scholarship. He not only was a good athlete, but a good student, graduating with a 3.92 grade-point average.

The chance paid off for both Hubbs and nationally ranked USC. As a sophomore last spring, Hubbs fashioned a 7-2 record with three saves, a 3.61 earned-run average and 66 strikeouts. He earned honorable-mention recognition from the Pacific-10 Southern Division. He expects to get his degree in business in 1993, unless he's lured into a professional baseball contract after another solid season.

Hubbs considers that unlikely.

"People say I have a good shot at getting drafted, but if it happens I'll cross that point when it comes," he said. "There's a possibility I could get drafted this year (1992), but it would take a lot more money than I think I'm worth to sign this year. I'm on schedule to get my degree on time. Right now, that's more important to me than the other things. Obviously, being drafted will be important to me, but getting my degree is first and foremost in my mind."

Hubbs said he only occasionally is bothered by tendinitis in his right (pitching) elbow. He first injured it pitching in an American Legion game just before the end of his senior year in high school. His once-dominant fastball was no longer his big weapon.

"That actually made me a better pitcher," said Hubbs, who missed the last part of his junior season with a broken foot. "I had to spot the ball more than I did in the past. In high school, I could rely on my fastball. That made it so I had to use all my pitches."

When Hubbs went to his first USC baseball tryout in the fall of 1989, his confidence was shaken.

"Coach said he wasn't going to keep very many people (walk-ons) and that he basically had the squad set," he said. "I thought, `Oh, geez. Maybe I made a mistake.' "

But when the 1990 season rolled around, Hubbs made the 27-man cut. When the pitching staff struggled, he got a start against Cal State-Fullerton.

"I was petrified," he said.

He pitched 4 2/3 innings and left the game with a lead, but came away with a no-decision. He was promised more time on the mound, but got very little, finishing with just over seven innings.

But Hubbs was encouraged. He came home for the summer and played with the Pacific Lutheran University squad, building his fastball back up.

"I started to get back where I was in high school, where I could overpower people," he said. "It was a real confidence booster to me."

Hubbs went back to USC in the fall of 1990 and was tabbed the No. 1 reliever on a staff that included two pitchers invited to the Olympic Trials and another named Pac-10 pitcher of the year.

"I had fun," Hubbs said. "Obviously, starting is a lot more prestigious, but I was willing to take what I could get. I wasn't about to be greedy."

He spent last summer pitching in Alaska and helped his team win the National Baseball Congress World Series. He was 7-2 with a 1.60 ERA and averaged more than one strikeout per inning.

He expects to see a lot of work out of the USC bullpen this spring, with possibly a few starts.

"Coach said I came out of fall ball as the No. 1 pitcher on the team, but that I'm more valuable as a reliever, because I can pitch all the time." Hubbs said. "The other three pitchers don't have the ability to come back as soon as I do. He said he feels most confident with me having the ball with the game on the line. He wants me to be the stopper."

He's glad he didn't let his doubters stop him from pursuing a baseball career.

"I kind of persevered," he said. "I was confident in my abilities. I went out and asked for a chance and I took advantage of the opportunity when I got it."

Hubbs said others he played against in high school had the ability to compete at the upper Division I level, too, but needed to sell themselves, since Northwest weather often inhibits heavy recruiting.

"If someone has enough confidence in their ability, they should go out and try it," he said. "The worst someone can say is, `I can't use you.' "

Hubbs intends to give pro baseball a try eventually.

"I just want to be able to say I gave it a shot," he said.