The CBB continues our countdown to the 2009 College Baseball season with our Top 50 players to watch. We will be providing one player each day (Monday-Saturday) until we reach number 1.
We continue our list with sophomore lefthanded pitcher Chris Hernandez of Miami (FL). He appeared in 18 games with 17 starts making an immediate impact in the Hurricanes rotation which led them to Omaha for the College World Series.
Hernandez started the season as the number 2 starter behind Eric Erickson but was moved into the number 1 spot in the rotation by midseason. He had a perfect record of 11-0 with an ERA of 2.72 in 112.2 innings. He was able to accumulate 117 strikeouts while holding his opponents to a batting average of .223.
He spent the summer of 2008 as a member of the USA Collegiate National Team which went a perfect 24-0. Hernandez ended up getting action in five games with three starts as he had a perfect 2-0 record with a 1.69 ERA which was actually the worst on the strong USA squad. He ended up striking out 22 batters in only 16 innings.
Hernandez needs to step up his game this season as Eric Erickson has had an operation on his pitching elbow which will cause him to miss the 2009 season. This means that Chris will be expected to take over the number 1 role on a consistent basis and facing the other team’s best pitcher. We will have a full report on the Hurricanes when they visit Boston College for the first time in the spring.
You can check out the full top 50 by clicking here.
