Hernandez finds groove as Round Rock’s ‘Hairy Trojan’
On a recent road trip, Ryan Hernandez and a group of teammates went shopping at an Amarillo mall.
An item sitting on a shelf in the top left corner of a sword shop immediately caught Hernandez’s eye.
“Yes, that’s what we need,” Hernandez said, pointing to a black Trojan-like helmet.
The helmet looks like something out of the movie “Gladiator” and comes with “a ton of hair like a mohawk,” perfect when your baseball team is called the Round Rock Hairy Men, who play in the 10-team Texas Collegiate League.
“Yes, the Hairy Trojan,” Hernandez, a junior first baseman for the University of Houston, said by phone Wednesday afternoon.
Much like the stainless steel “Thor” hammer that is passed around after every UH home run, Hernandez said members of the baseball summer league team wanted to find “a symbol of unity and team camaraderie” to showcase during the 30-game season that includes teams from Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Total cost of the helmet: $200. “We all chipped in to get it,” Hernandez said. “It’s a team bonding experience. When (a player) hits a home run, you get to put it on, but we also get to put it on you. It’s a fun way to celebrate.”
Since the helmet made its debut earlier this month, Hernandez has taken semi-ownership.
He entered Wednesday night with five home runs, tops in the Texas Collegiate League.
It’s the same type of power display Hernandez provided a glimpse at in his first season with the Cougars — he led the team in every major statistical category — before the season was halted after 15 games because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“After playing a few months with the Houston Cougars you get shut down and you don’t know when you are going to play baseball again,” said Hernandez, who began his career at Albany and played one season at San Jacinto College before transferring to UH. “It’s a big opportunity I was able to take advantage of.”
Shortly after the shutdown, UH teammate Luke Almendarez, a freshman shortstop whose father, Chris, is president of the Class AAA Round Rock Express, gave Hernandez a tip that a woodenbat league of active college players was in the works.
“Yep, sign me up,” Hernandez said. “I didn’t let him finish.”
A week later, the Texas Collegiate League was formed, with Texas-based teams in Amarillo (two), San Antonio, Frisco, Victoria, Bryan and Texarkana in addition to Round Rock. There are also teams in Tulsa, Okla., and Youngsville, La.
Roughly one-third through the league schedule, Hernandez is fourth in hits (18) and tied for fifth in batting average (.400) and RBI (11). The right-handed hitter blasted all five of his home runs during a recent six-game stretch and was named the league’s player of the week.
“I definitely feel as I was growing up, I was always seen as a big power hitter and I’m seen as a power hitter now,” said Hernandez, who was batting a team-best .300 with five home runs and 14 RBIs before the UH season was canceled. “Honestly, freshman and sophomore year at San Jac, I knew I had power and good contact, but it wasn’t really being displayed the way I wanted it to be.”
Hernandez said he has spent the summer working on the mental aspect of his game, relaxing in the batter’s box and “hunting for pitches.”
“What I’ve been telling everybody is what I’m working on is not missing pitches,” Hernandez said. “You’re not supposed to hit a pitcher’s pitch. You’re supposed to hit their mistakes. That’s all I’ve been working on. I haven’t seen my stats or anything so far this summer because I’m not here for that. I’m here for development and working on not missing pitches and (taking advantage of ) pitcher’s mistakes.”
Take, for instance, the 2-0 fastball that Hernandez crushed in a July 8 game against Victoria.
The ball cleared the top of the home run porch in deep left field at Dell Diamond, a feat accomplished most recently by current major leaguers Yordan Alvarez and Joey Gallo.
“If (a pitcher) throws me a pitch that they weren’t supposed to throw, middle-inside fastball on any count, then I’m taking advantage of it,” Hernandez said. “Or if they throw a hanging curveball, I’m taking advantage of it. Because the difference between a college player and a pro is pros don’t miss their pitches.”
Other than some early safety concerns due to COVID-19 and a transition to wood bats, Hernandez said the summer league has been a perfect fit. He tested negative for COVID-19 and each league team follows daily safety protocols.
“Once that cleared up that I was safe and everyone else was safe on the team it was smooth sailing from there,” Hernandez said.
As for the Hairy Men, the team is reportedly named in honor of an urban legend that roamed the Williamson County wilderness. One legend was revived. Another was born with the Trojan helmet, which has undergone some minor changes with the team’s logo placed on both sides.
“It’s a really interesting part of our team,” Hernandez said. “We absolutely go crazy when someone gets to put it on.”