Latest news with #AndyWise
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB draft: Pitcher Seth Hernandez goes No. 6 to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Seth Hernandez has imagined his name being announced for years at the MLB amateur draft. It finally happened Sunday. The Gatorade national player of the year and two-time L.A. Times player of the year from Corona High School was chosen No. 6 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates have been successful with Southern California pitchers, having drafted Gerrit Cole (Orange Lutheran), Paul Skenes (El Toro) and Jared Jones (La Mirada) in the past. Hernandez was considered the best right-handed high school pitcher in the draft after a sensational senior season in which he struck out 105 batters in 53 1/3 innings while walking only seven using a 99-mph fastball. His ERA was 0.39. All signs indicate he'll become the latest from a long list of outstanding pitchers groomed in sunny Southern California to make it to the majors. That includes Cy Young Award winners Jack McDowell (Sherman Oaks Notre Dame), Cole (Orange Lutheran) and Bret Saberhagen (Cleveland) and current standouts Skenes, Hunter Greene (Sherman Oaks Notre Dame) and Max Fried (Harvard-Westlake). He's also a top athlete having hit two three-run home runs in a playoff game this year. Advertisement His coach at Corona, Andy Wise, said he has coached no one better. Hernandez missed his first two years of high school being home schooled. The last two seasons his pitching record was 18-1. He has a very good slider and changeup. He's uniquely ready for the pressure and exposure ahead, having been watched closely for years by scouts and interviewed over and over. High school shortstop Eli Willits from Oklahoma was taken No. 1 by the Washington Nationals. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Times' baseball player of the year: Seth Hernandez of Corona
Years from now, when Seth Hernandez is pitching in the major leagues and pro baseball commentators are debating just how good he might become, those who saw him throw during his two years of high school baseball at Corona High will gladly offer their fondest memories. The statistics are impressive enough: In 53 1/3 innings this season, he struck out 105, gave up 19 hits and three earned runs for an ERA of 0.39. The most impressive statistic was walking only seven batters while using a 99-mph fastball. It showed his pinpoint control and how much he had improved over his junior season, when he walked 15 in 56 innings. 'That was his goal,' coach Andy Wise said. 'What are we going to do to get better?" Advertisement His pitching mechanics became more consistent, generating the kind of power and accuracy to cause people to repeatedly use the word 'special' in describing him on the mound. There also was the time he hit two three-run homers in the Panthers' Southern Section Division 1 playoff victory over Los Osos. He wasn't perfect, though, losing 2-0 to St. John Bosco in the Division 1 semifinals, finishing his high school career with an 18-1 pitching record for two seasons. He didn't mope. He didn't make excuses afterward. He knew there would be more challenges ahead. "I'm still a kid," he said. For a season of excellence, Hernandez has been named The Times' baseball player of the year for the second consecutive season. He's expected to be a high pick in next month's amateur draft. He also was named the Gatorade national player of the year. Advertisement One of his strengths for years has been his ability to perform while being watched by scouts, fans and opponents. He's comfortable in his environment, used to the attention and is particularly ready to begin his pro career and keep on a path toward pitching in the big leagues. Read more: The Times' 2025 All-Star baseball and softball coverage With Southern California having produced first-round draft picks such as Paul Skenes (El Toro), Gerrit Cole (Orange Lutheran), Trevor Bauer (Hart), Max Fried (Harvard-Westlake) and Jack Flaherty (Harvard-Westlake) in recent years, it's pretty clear that Hernandez's resume fits in well and offers confidence in his abilities. He's also glad he decided to play high school baseball after being home-schooled. Advertisement 'At the end of the day, I have brothers for life and I'll never forget the memories I spent with them,' he said of his high school days. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Corona's Seth Hernandez is set to become next great pitcher from Southern California
Through 48 years of covering high school baseball in Southern California, watching so many prolific pitchers develop into legendary pro players has been one of the funnest parts of being a prep sportswriter. I've learned to always look for someone who can throw strikes. There was Jack McDowell of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Bret Saberhagen of Cleveland in the 1980s. They became Cy Young Award winners for the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals, respectively. Advertisement In the 1990s, there was Jeff Suppan of Crespi, Russ Ortiz of Montclair Prep and Randy Wolf of El Camino Real. In the 21st century, there were Cy Young winners Gerrit Cole (Orange Lutheran), Shane Bieber (Laguna Hills) and Trevor Bauer (Hart); and standouts Paul Skenes (El Toro), Hunter Greene (Notre Dame), Jack Flaherty (Harvard-Westlake) and Max Fried (Harvard-Westlake). Bringing up these names is to remind everyone how stunningly good Seth Hernandez of Corona has been this season as he prepares for the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs and heads off to be the next great pitcher from the Southland. In 42 1/3 innings, he has struck out 88 batters while walking only three. Never has there been someone throwing a 98 mph fastball as a teenager with so much pinpoint control. In fact, he's only hit one batter all season. Teenagers who throw in the 90s normally hit and walk lots of batters. Not Hernandez. His command is freakishly good. Advertisement 'That was his goal,' coach Andy Wise said of improving over his junior season. 'What are we going to do to get better and that was his No. 1 thing to do.' Hernandez has never suffered a pitching defeat since he started playing high school baseball. He went 9-0 and had 15 walks in 56 innings last season. This season he's 8-0 with an 0.17 ERA. Showing off his athleticism, he has also hit five home runs. As comparison, probably the pitcher closest to having a season with this much control was Flaherty in 2013, when he walked 10 in 89 innings, struck out 112 and went 13-0 as a junior. But he didn't come close to Hernandez's velocity. Greene was throwing 101 mph fastballs and had 10 walks in 55 2/3 innings in 2016, his junior season. Advertisement Greene's coach at Notre Dame, Tom Dill, said of Hernandez, "You take an arm like that with the ability to throw strikes and the upside is fantastic." The Washington Nationals have the first pick in this summer's amateur draft. Their general manager attended a Corona game to see Hernandez pitch. Attending high school baseball games is free, so the best ticket around might be going to watch Hernandez pitch when he's expected to be on the mound next Tuesday in Corona's playoff opener. The pairings will be released on Monday, and Corona is expected to have a first-round bye when the playoffs begin on Thursday. It's not only his control and fastball that are impressive, it's his poise and his breaking pitches. He really does have all the qualities scouts want in a pitching prospect, from work ethic to competitiveness to the ability to deal with pressure situations. Advertisement If opponents want him to autograph a ball during the playoffs, that wouldn't be acting silly. That would be someone understanding they are in the presence of someone they'll be watching from their living room one day pitching at a major league stadium. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prep talk: Can Corona baseball stay unbeaten in North Carolina?
The Dodgers have lost. Will unbeaten Corona High be next? The 14-0 Panthers are traveling to Cary, N.C., to begin competition on Wednesday at the National High School Invitational. Huntington Beach and La Mirada are joining them. Advertisement With 12 shutouts in 14 games and champions of the Boras Classic South, Corona gets to unleash its pitching depth once again. Coach Andy Wise plans to use the same rotation that won the Boras Classic, starting sophomore Mason Sims on the mound for their opener on Wednesday. Huntington Beach (12-1) is in the opposite bracket of Corona. La Mirada (13-2) is in Corona's bracket and could face the Panthers for a third time this season. Corona continues to resemble a super team with pitchers Seth Hernandez and Ethin Bingaman, shortstop Billy Carlson and third baseman Brady Ebel and outfielder Anthony Murphy, who has hit six of the team's 26 home runs. The championship game will be played on Saturday morning. . . . Palm Desert's baseball team is 12-4 and showing off a formidable one-two pitching punch in 6-foot-7 junior Jake Brande (4-1, 1.54 ERA) and Zach Gibbs (5-0, 1.47). . . . Advertisement West Valley League softball begins this week with Granada Hills a clear favorite. . . . The Champions Invitational in golf takes place Monday and Tuesday at Tahquitz Creek in Rancho Mirage as the postseason tournaments move closer. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep talk: Can Corona baseball stay unbeaten in North Carolina?
The Dodgers have lost. Will unbeaten Corona High be next? The 14-0 Panthers are traveling to Cary, N.C., to begin competition on Wednesday at the National High School Invitational. Huntington Beach and La Mirada are joining them. With 12 shutouts in 14 games and champions of the Boras Classic South, Corona gets to unleash its pitching depth once again. Coach Andy Wise plans to use the same rotation that won the Boras Classic, starting sophomore Mason Sims on the mound for their opener on Wednesday. Huntington Beach (12-1) is in the opposite bracket of Corona. La Mirada (13-2) is in Corona's bracket and could face the Panthers for a third time this season. Corona continues to resemble a super team with pitchers Seth Hernandez and Ethin Bingaman, shortstop Billy Carlson and third baseman Brady Ebel and outfielder Anthony Murphy, who has hit six of the team's 26 home runs. The championship game will be played on Saturday morning. . . . Palm Desert's baseball team is 12-4 and showing off a formidable one-two pitching punch in 6-foot-7 junior Jake Brande (4-1, 1.54 ERA) and Zach Gibbs (5-0, 1.47). . . . West Valley League softball begins this week with Granada Hills a clear favorite. . . . The Champions Invitational in golf takes place Monday and Tuesday at Tahquitz Creek in Rancho Mirage as the postseason tournaments move closer. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email
