Nicholas Hernandez (11) steps up on the mound, puts his toes on the rubber, and begins his windup. His team responds with a sense of confidence that elevates their defense to the next level.

Leading his team with 29 strikeouts, Hernandez’s presence on the mound has been key for the success of SJHHS baseball this season.

Throughout high school, Hernandez has had to overcome a number of obstacles in order to develop into the baseball player that he is today.

A natural-born athlete, Hernandez had been a vital asset of both the basketball and baseball team up until this year but in order to reach his full potential, it was necessary for him to pick just one sport to focus on.

Spoiler alert: he picked baseball.

“Quitting basketball and really focusing on baseball has really helped out my game,” said Hernandez.

Being a student-athlete has been difficult for Hernandez throughout high school, but it has provided him with a chance to learn how to prioritize and balance two critical elements of his life––academics and sports.

“When I come home from school I have to do all of my homework and I won’t be able to hit up the batting cages or anything, but it’s a real life experience,” said Hernandez.

While on the field, Hernandez only has one goal in mind––winning. Despite varsity baseball’s rough start this season, Hernandez is optimistic and hopes to make a CIF run.

“I want to play out the rest of the season for my seniors,” said Hernandez.

His freshman year, Nick pitched a no-hitter in which the opposing team was not able to record a single hit against him. This is a rare accomplishment in the baseball community and it proved that Hernandez had what it took to play at the varsity level.

Pitching is not the only aspect of baseball that he excels at. Hernandez is dependable on the plate with a .339 batting average and leading his team with 19 hits and 12 RBIs.

His stand-out moment this season has been hitting a home run against Laguna Hills.

“I think Nick has helped tremendously for our team throughout the season, not only with his offense, but with his pitching as well. He is a dominant hitter and a lights-out pitcher and has been nothing but positive for the team,” said Varsity Captain, Trent Cresap (12).

Despite Hernandez’s superior performance on the field, he stays humble and continues to take the advice of his coach, Jeremy Wooten, to play each game inning by inning.