MIDLAND, Texas — The Midland RockHounds have plenty of familiar faces returning to the Tall City for the 2023 season, with veteran fan favorites littering the roster.
But the team's youngest player is new to the squad, and at just 21 years old, Darell Hernaiz is ready to make an impression here in the Permian Basin.
"It's awesome, they take me under their wing, they help out and at the end of the day it's the same game so I don't feel like the youngest. I've played this game my whole life, I've played with older people my whole life so I feel comfortable but it's awesome having their experience and getting to pick their brains all the time," Hernaiz said.
Hernaiz is no stranger to West Texas, as the El Paso native continues to represent the region, only this season he'll be putting on a RockHounds jersey as well. In fact it's a bit of a homecoming.
"So I went to high school at Americas High School in El Paso and I was committed to Texas Tech, ended up getting drafted out of high school," Hernaiz said. "It's awesome, it's kind of like a full circle because I played a couple of tournaments here in the Midland RockHounds stadium so it's awesome I never thought I would actually play for the RockHounds so to actually be here it's awesome."
The young infielder brings an infectious brand of baseball to this veteran squad, according to the team's manager, Bobby Crosby.
"Well he's the nicest kid ever so he brings his personality, he brings his energy. I'm looking forward to seeing how he's gonna do this year. I know he can swing the bat and defensively he's looked really good," Crosby said. "So the first time you go to Double-A you could have tough times and knowing his personality now I think he's gonna handle it fine, so we'll see what he does but I'm very optimistic on what he's gonna do for us."
Hernaiz and the Hounds are locked in and ready for the long season ahead, and youthful energy is always a good thing during those long summer road trips.