LA JOYA — La Joya High’s Arlette Hernandez set the tone for her freshman campaign during her first career district game. Facing off against Mission High, the first-year pitcher led the Coyotes to a 4-0 victory in 10 innings, racking up 23 strikeouts and allowing just two hits.
Her debut was a sign of things to come, with Hernandez finishing district play with 192 strikeouts in 110 innings pitched, averaging 1.74 strikeouts per inning. Behind Hernandez, the Coyotes finished second in District 31-6A with a 13-3 record.
For her breakout campaign, Hernandez is The Monitor’s 2022 All-Area Softball Newcomer of the Year.
“I had a lot of doubts this year for myself,” Hernandez said. “I had to get myself mentally and physically prepared for the game. Of course, my teammates helped me throughout the whole year. … My catcher, Laila Vega, she called the pitches every single game, so she was key. She knew every single batter, what to call, just everything. That was the key to my success, my teammates and coaches. They always pushed me.”
Hernandez’s contributions didn’t end in the circle. The Coyotes’ freshman ranked No. 1 on the team in batting average (.500), on-base percentage (.556), hits (51) and RBIs (29). She also ranked second in home runs with six.
Hernandez carried her regular season success into the postseason. Her playoff debut was similar to her first career district contest, recording 19 strikeouts during a 1-0 victory over Harlingen South.
She tallied 30 strikeouts in 18 innings during the playoffs, averaging 1.66 strikeouts per inning.
“First playoff game was a crazy game,” she said. “Pitching out there was crazy trying to keep myself composed and knowing what to pitch. But I was very confident out there. I kept telling myself we were going to win this. I just had to keep telling myself all year to stay confident, composed and leave it all on the field.”
Hernandez wrapped up her first year with a 1.31 ERA en route to a 23-4 record. She finished with 323 strikeouts in 181.2 innings pitched.
After bowing out of the postseason during the opening round, falling to Harlingen South 2-1 in a best-of-three series, Hernandez has her eyes set on getting her team to the next level.
“I’m just going to keep on working hard and learn from what I was able to do this last year and hopefully improve,” Hernandez said.
