The decision was always going to be a no-brainer for Corbin Hawkins. It was just of matter of when.
"When" came Thursday, when the Millard West pitcher announced his commitment to the Nebraska baseball team.
"Since Day 1 I've always wanted to wear the 'N,'" Hawkins said. "The opportunity bloomed kind of late, but it was always in the back of my head to go there someday, whether it was through juco or just to go there right away out of high school. I've always wanted to wear the scarlet and white."
Hawkins will don the new color scheme starting next year as the 12th member of the Huskers' 2021 recruiting class. He is the seventh member of the class from the state of Nebraska.
"It's cool to be some of his first (in-state recruits)," Hawkins said of NU head coach Will Bolt. "And all of the guys from the Elkhorn area (that have committed) I grew up playing with, and I know they're excited to get in there with Bolt, too. We've got a good group of guys coming in that should give us a good run."
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Nebraska already has a pair of Elkhorn natives in the 2021 class in pitcher Drew Christo and outfielder Luke Jessen.Â
The addition of Hawkins will give the Huskers three Millard West products on the same roster, with Colby Gomes already an established pitcher and Max Anderson joining the team this fall.
Hawkins will come to Nebraska as a walk-on, and he said a summer disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic has helped him develop a mentality that should suit him well when he arrives in Lincoln.
"You miss a big spring coming off a state championship, and you get that taken away right away. So you kind of bear down early and get down to it, because you've only got a handful of games and time goes fast," Hawkins explained. "Walking into my senior year and I only have two-and-a-half seasons under my belt now, so you've got to anchor down and focus on the games you had this summer."
Hawkins seemed to do a good job of that. Among his outings during this summer's season was a five-inning no-hitter against Creighton Prep when he had nine strikeouts.
"Mentally I felt like it was easier to lock in and be ready to go every single game," Hawkins said. "I noticed a focus difference in everyone when you only have 20-30 games. And you just had so much taken away, you kind of don't have a choice but to focus in and really live in the moment."
Hawkins currently throws three pitches — a fastball, a slider, and a change-up — with the slider as his put-away pitch. He doesn't have the velocity of a Colby Gomes, so he said being able to work his breaking pitches is key.
"I'm not in the 90s (with velocity) yet, so I've got to try and break that slider and change-up off," Hawkins said. "I think that makes my fastball look a little harder."
Hawkins first got on Nebraska's radar in the fall of 2019, when he attended a camp at NU shortly after Bolt and his staff were hired. Earlier this year he sent the staff some video, and recruiting coordinator Lance Harvell and pitching coach Jeff Christy then started the recruiting pitch.
"Christy, as a pitching guy, has told me and preached a little bit on the mentality he likes to have in guys, and the first aspect of that is guys that want to be Huskers," Hawkins said. "I think Bolt and all of them have done a good job of that so far, getting dudes that want to wear red, and grew up here and have been around here."