June 10, 2008
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech shortstop Derek Dietrich and Miami starting pitcher Chris Hernandez have been named the inaugural Pro-Line Athletic National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Freshman Hitter and Pitcher of the Year recipients, as announced by the organization Tuesday.
Dietrich, a 6-1 shortstop, led the Yellow Jackets with 66 RBIs, while hitting .332 with 14 home runs and 16 doubles in his first season at Georgia Tech. The Parma, Ohio native started every game at shortstop in 2008 and made one appearance off the mound in relief. He was named the All-ACC second team shortstop after concluding the regular season ranked in the top-10 in the league in home runs, RBI and total bases and led all freshmen in the conference in the three categories.
Dietrich helped lead Georgia Tech to a 41-21 record and an appearance in the NCAA Athens Regional.
Hernandez is 11-0 with a 2.62 ERA in 106.1 inning pitched his season. The Miami, Fla., native struck out 112 batters, walked only 17 and opponents hit just .218 against him. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and earned first team ACC All-Conference recognition.
Hernandez helped lead the Hurricanes to a 52-9 record, a No. 1 national ranking and advance to this week’s College World Series in Omaha, Neb. He was named as one of four finalists for The Rogers Clemens Award, given to the nation’s top pitcher, marking the first-ever freshman to be named a finalist for the award.
Pro-Line Athletic is in its fourth year as a sponsor of the NCBWA. It produces and distributes plaques for National Hitter and Pitchers of the Week during the regular season and extends its award production to include plaques for each member of the Pro-Line/NCBWA All-American team.
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