Looking at his accomplishments on the mound, it's hard to believe that junior Alex Hassan contemplated giving up pitching altogether after an up-and-down freshman season in the starting rotation for the Blue Devils.
But fate gave him an opportunity for redemption. The next season, Duke's closer, Michael Seander, suffered an elbow injury and the coaching staff offered Hassan-who also plays in the outfield-the job of finishing out games on the hill. The new role rejuvenated his passion for pitching, and the two-way player has thrived under the pressure ever since.
"After freshman year, I was honestly just exhausted," said Hassan, who went 2-6 with a 5.80 ERA in his first season. "I just thought, 'You know what, I don't think pitching's for me.' But ever since I made that transition to closer, it's made my arm fresher-I haven't thrown as many innings-but also it just completely changed my outlook toward pitching, and it's something that now I really love doing."
Hassan has been a two-way player throughout his baseball career because the teams he has played on have always needed him to be versatile.
Things were no different when he became a Blue Devil. Two-way players are not uncommon in college baseball, especially at schools with smaller rosters like Duke's. But it takes a certain mentality to be able to perform at a high level in both areas, head coach Sean McNally said.
"I think what separates him is just how hard he's worked at both," McNally said. "I think there are a number of guys, period, around the country who maybe have the ability to do both, but to have the work ethic and the drive and the determination to succeed at both is rare, and he certainly has that."
Hassan's statistics this season reflect the level of dedication he devotes to his multiple roles. His eight saves as a closer, good for second-best in the ACC, move him into a tie for the school's career record. His 57 hits, 44 runs and .375 batting average are all team-highs. He also boasts a perfect fielding percentage, picking up where he left off at the end of last season, when he became the first-ever Blue Devil to receive the Rawlings Gold Glove award-an honor that only nine Division-I players receive each year.
For Hassan, being a great baseball player means understanding how every position works. Always learning more is not burdensome for him, but rather something he enjoys.
"Even when Coach Mac's doing an infield session with his infielders, I don't even play infield, but I still want to understand what they're trying to do, or what their footwork is like, or what are the techniques to field a ground ball, just so I have that knowledge," Hassan said. "I feel like I've taken a lot of pride in trying to be a complete baseball player, and being a threat in all phases of the game."
Becoming a complete player, however, involves more than understanding the various skill sets involved in the game. Hitting, fielding and pitching all in the same game exacts a physical toll that could wear many people out. If Hassan comes up to bat in the eighth inning, he usually has no time to warm up in the bullpen prior to pitching the ninth. On one occasion, he threw only four practice pitches before taking the mound.
But McNally said Hassan's management of the mental differences between positions might be more impressive than his ability to overcome the physical challenges of playing both ways.
"As a pitcher, you make a mistake, get the ball back and make your next pitch immediately," McNally said. "Whereas as a hitter, you take a bad swing and pop up, you have to wait 20 minutes before you get a chance to hit again. That's really difficult, and most people are really suited to do one or the other, mentally."
Hassan has learned to separate his performance at the plate from his work on the hill, not letting a bad hitting night shake him or a great one go to his head. This mentality of playing in the moment seems to be especially important at this juncture in the season, as Duke looks to make the ACC tournament for the first time in McNally's four-year tenure. A series win this weekend over Maryland, the last-place team in the ACC, could go a long way in helping the Blue Devils solidify their place in the conference.
"Once my name's called to go in the game to pitch, I just forget about everything that's happened up to that point," Hassan said. "Whether I'm 0-for-4 or if I'm 4-for-4, I just forget about it, because now my job is just to close the game out. I think why I've been successful at it is because... I can just go out there and give them everything I have."
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