Tampa- On Jan. 30, 2014, the city of Tampa looked as if it had swapped its geographical location with Seattle. Visibility was so poor that when a day long fog sat on the city, the skyline was nearly nonexistent.

  The temperature never left the 50s and the sun was attempting to push through the bleak, overcast sky with little to no success. None of this mattered to the Hillsborough Community College baseball team.

  The HCC Hawks found themselves in a predicament that forced them to be outdoors and in the elements that day. The day before the 30th was similar in description, but brought a daylong downpour.

  The players and coaches knew that Jan. 30 was no-where near ideal weather conditions to play baseball, but knew that this was going to be their only window of opportunity to keep the flow of their offseason rhythm in tempo.

  Players were completing drills in their team hoodies and even full winter gear, some wearing masks. The day comprised of some hitting drills in the batting cages and some light throwing to keep the pitchers’ arms loose and ready for the next day.

  Jan. 31 finally came around and the Hawks were chomping at the bit to start the season and ready to bust out of the gate against the Lake Sumter State College Lakehawks.

  HCC had to wait until the next day to play because, once again, the Florida weather reared its ugly head and brought a day full of rain, thunder and wind.

  The second attempt at a season opener proved to be fruitful for players and fans. Feb. 1 proved why Florida is known as the Sunshine State. As one fan said, “It is an immaculate day for baseball.”

  The season had kicked off against Pensacola State College and the Hawks took full advantage of a 7-3 come-from-behind win. The Hawks had charged ahead to a 7-3 record. The 7-3 record has given the Hawks an early lead in the highly competitive Suncoast Conference. The Hawks built a 18-11-1 overall record and a 7-5 conference record, third in the Suncoast Conference. They will need to win more games in the Suncoast Conference in order to make a tournament push.

  So far, the Hawks display a well-balanced team that shows off a talented starting rotation that allows the offense to create the runs necessary to compete against any team, and a bullpen that has the ability to hold off the opposition to complete the win. Additionally, the team has an offense that has put some impressive numbers.

  One leader of the offense is Dexture McCall, a sophomore who transferred from St. Pete College. He is a monster with the bat, who has also shown athleticism at 1st base; able to stretch his body as an extension of the base to guarantee the putout.

  McCall is the first to give credit to the team saying, “We have a really strong pitching staff,” but he also understands how the offense is key to the success of the team, adding, “We also have tremendous hitting. We can go up there and hit doubles back-to-back, get the runners in.”

  While the Hawks have a history of success, they have gone through a drought when it comes to making appearances in the state tournament.

  They snapped the skid in 2013. The opened with a win and were the toast of the tournament when they shutout the number one team in the nation, the Tallahassee Community College Eagles.

  The Hawks were eventually knocked out of contention by Palm Beach State and the State College of Florida, respectively.

  This year’s team plans to build off the success of last season and push the Hawks to a second consecutive appearance in the tournament.

  As Tino Mention, a freshman playing in right field, said when asked to make a prediction, “I’m going to hold back but I see us going a long way.” Mention continued to emphasize the importance that the cohesion of the team saying, “So far, so good. We’re a good team that plays together, we have no selfish people. We play as one, instead of selfish teammates.”

  The Hawks are primed and ready for another winning season, out to prove that their successful triumph over the number one team in the nation was no fluke. If Mention’s prediction is right, look for the Hawks to be playing beyond April.