Troy's Joe Hernandez Named Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week
By: Josh Rultenberg
Updated: May 7, 2012
From Troy Media Relations:
NEW ORLEANS - Troy junior Joe Hernandez has been named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week following his four-hit, complete game performance at Louisiana-Lafayette this past Saturday, the league office announced Monday.
The native of Mobile, Ala., held the Cajuns scoreless over the game's final 8.2 innings and helped preserve a thin bullpen for the series finale that Troy won 10-8. This is Hernandez's second Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week honor this season; he earned the award following his performance against Middle Tennessee back on April 14.
He is the just the second player in the Sun Belt to win the weekly pitcher award twice this season; ULM's Randy Zeigler received the honor in back-to-back weeks back in March. Hernandez is only the second Trojan to earn the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week honor twice in a season and just the fourth Troy pitcher to earn the award; Andrew Dickinson was twice named the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week during the 2010 season.
Hernandez needed just two strikeouts to work his masterpiece as he effectively used his fastball on both sides of the plate. The right-hander got the Cajuns to hit into four double plays as the Trojans went on to win the game 8-1.
The Trojans will take the mid-week off before hosting ULM in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series over the weekend at Riddle-Pace Field. Six of Troy's final seven regular season games are at home; the Trojans travel to Alabama on May 15 before closing the regular season at home against South Alabama on May 17-19.
