DAILY PILOT HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:

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Sometimes Dan Hurley goes by “Dan the Man.”

Coming into his junior season with the Newport Harbor High baseball team, Hurley was far from being the man. More like the utility guy, who comes in to run the bases because of his speed.

Hurley made the best of the limited role. A chance to contribute is all he yearned for when he showed up to play every day. Some days, if he was lucky, he cracked the lineup, late in the game, a swing or two.

The next day in practice, Hurley returned swinging harder than ever.

Coaches sometimes reward those who are tireless workers, even if they might not be the most talented on the team. Sometimes they never receive a chance to start if the team is loaded.

At Newport Harbor, the team hasn’t showed much in recent years, the last playoff appearance came in 1990. The Sailors are a better bunch this season. Hurley is a big reason why.

Hurley helped Newport Harbor to a runner-up finish at the Beach Pit Classic last week. Hurley’s attitude embodies a team currently in third place in the competitive Sunset League.

Another of Hurley’s nicknames explains how dedicated he is on the field.

“They call me, ‘Dirty Dan,’ ” Hurley said. “They gave me a name. I’ve got to live up to it.”

Hurley doesn’t just work with his hands. The brain works just as hard, on and off the field.

He’s smart, saying he has a grade-point average above 4.0 and he’s taking advance placement courses in calculus, U.S. History, psychology, Spanish, English and physics.

The day is hectic well before Hurley steps on the field. Baseball is not only a game to him, but a field to learn, dream.

Two things stood out to Hurley when he made the leap from junior varsity to varsity this season. Both involved Coach Evan Chalmers.

“Coach said he would give everybody an opportunity to play,” said Hurley, making sense to him and probably anyone following the Sailors and their combined 5-25 record in their first two years since returning to the Sunset League in 2007.

“[Coach is] an inspiration to us all. He has words of wisdom every single day. He’s a teacher.”

Hurley said he has never taken one of Chalmers’ social studies classes. Yet, Hurley learned something very valuable from Chalmers, who’s in his fourth year as Newport Harbor’s baseball coach.

“He just taught me the game,” Hurley said.

It was time to show Chalmers how well. Earning the right took some time, the 12th game of the season. Well worth the wait to Hurley.

When Chalmers decided to go with Hurley in center field on April 4 in the Beach Pit Classic opener, it helped the usual starter, Dillan Freiberg, dealt with a setback. Hurley stepped in and in no way hindered the Sailors.

For the first time, Hurley played the entire game. The only thing he failed to finish was hitting for the cycle.

Hurley sparked Newport Harbor to an 11-6 victory against San Juan Hills. Hurley singled, doubled and tripled, driving in four runs.

Two games later, in the semifinals, Hurley came up huge again. He singled, allowing the Sailors to break a tie in the fifth inning before beating South Hills of West Covina, 7-4, to advance to the championship.

Chalmers praised Hurley for his efforts during the four-day, 16-team tournament,

“The guy does everything right,” said Chalmers, so maybe now “Dan the Man” fits Dan Hurley.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].