Alex Hernandez came into his freshman season with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets looking for one thing: playing time. Seeing where exactly he fit in on a young team that showed a ton of promise last season and looked to expand on it. Yellow Jackets head coach Danny Hall called Hernandez’s number on opening day to play in the outfield, and he never looked back from there.
Hernandez would play in 59 of the 60 games that the Yellow Jackets played this season, and made the most of every opportunity that was given to him. Being so opportunistic landed Hernandez on the All-Freshman First Team put out by Perfect Game yesterday, and it was an award that was much deserved for the Cumming, Ga. native.
Hernandez would make his presence known early in the season, as he recorded a hit in each of the Yellow Jackets first five games, including his first multi-hit game in the team’ fifth game of the season. In the postseason, Hernandez would put up a heroic stat line in game one of the regional round, as he went 4-5 with two three run home runs against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, leading the Yellow Jackets to a 9-2 victory.
Over the course of the season, Hernandez would hit 16 home runs, good for second on the team, trailing only Drew Burress, who was named to the Perfect Game First Team All-American team yesterday as well. Hernandez’ .335 batting average was the third highest on the team.
While we wait for his sophomore season to begin next season, it is great to know that Hernandez was recognized for his hard work over the course of the season.