VIDALIA, La. &045; After a year away from baseball, Tony Hawkins has arrived more focused and maybe just more mature.

At least that’s how veteran Vidalia head coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir described the school’s do-it-all athlete. A standout in football and in basketball for the Vikings, Hawkins sat out last spring and played sparingly as a sophomore, often times coming off the bench as a pinch-runner.

But even as basketball was winding down, Hawkins ducked away from the gym prior to the start of basketball practice to throw in the pen.

On Monday &045; three days removed from playing his final basketball game &045; Hawkins tossed a one-hit shutout in the Vikings’ five-inning 11-0 win over Class 4A Bolton.

&uot;Tony can help us, no doubt,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;He’s a good control pitcher. He’s got a good curve &045; a slurve-type curve. That’s his out pitch, and he can set it up with his little ol’ fastball. Tony has matured a lot. Tony is ready to play the game of baseball. I was impressed with him. I think he’s ready to play a season of baseball, and he’s a good athlete.&uot;

The five-inning contest was Hawkins’ first varsity outing of his career. He displayed what kind of arm strength he has as quarterback in football, and he spent last summer pitching in the summer league in Vidalia.

But he admitted there weren’t any nerves before he took the mound on Monday.

&uot;I just wanted to come out, and I just pitched,&uot; said Hawkins, who didn’t walk any and struck out seven. &uot;I’ve got a good defense behind me, and they backed me up. I just threw strikes. I just tried to stay ahead, and I didn’t throw all that bad. It’s a good curveball &045; that’s what everybody says, anyway.&uot;

Hawkins could be a diamond in the rough for the Vikings, who are having to fill the void left by dominant right-hander Barry Bowden following last season. The team’s two top starters so far have been Mac Ware and Brett Hinson, and Hawkins could end up being a surprise No. 3 starter as a senior.

At least on Monday he showed signs he could claim a permanent spot on the staff. The Bears struggled hitting the ball and didn’t get a hit until James Webb led off with single in the gap after Hawkins had fanned five of the last six batters and hadn’t let a ball get out of the infield.

&uot;He had us off balance with his curveball a little bit,&uot; Bolton head coach Keith Hood said. &uot;He did a good job of throwing strikes. He got his curveball over. We’ve got a bunch of first-year players and first-year starters, and it’s still early.&uot;

The Vikings, in turn, gave Hawkins plenty of room to work by swinging the bat well off two Bolton pitchers. They broke it open in the third off reliever Henry Jackson with six runs after holding a 1-0 lead after two.

The Bears had a little trouble in the field &045; Hawkins struck out but reached on a passed ball and scored when catcher Mede Palmer overthrew third on a double-steal attempt. Chris Williams reached on an error, Brett Hinson walked and Graham Roberts doubled in three runs for a 6-0 lead.

Jeremy Butler’s infield single moved Roberts to third, and he scored on a wild pitch for a 7-0 lead.

&uot;We cleaned the bases a couple of times,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;We were a little impatient, especially with the first (pitcher). That shows we hadn’t had much practice with the bats. With what we’ve worked on, we’re OK. We’re just not consistent. But I thought we swung the bats pretty good throughout the order.&uot;

The biggest shot of the game came in the fifth when Chris Williams launched a bomb to dead center for a two-run homer and a 9-0 lead. In the sixth Roberts doubled again to move Jeffrey Anderson to third, and Butler’s double brought both runners home to end the game.

In the first two innings the Vikings scored just one run off left-handed starter Jacob Luttgeharm, who struck out three and allowed one hit before exiting.