Mario Hernandez has been hired as an assistant coach at Valparaiso, sources confirmed to JWOS on Friday.
This summer, Hernandez served as the head coach of the Manatee Squeeze in the Florida Gulf Coast League. He led the Squeeze to a 17-6 overall record during the summer season, and his team played in the league championship game. Hernandez also coached one of the league’s All-Star teams, and was part of the coaching staff for the 3-game series that pitted a group of league All-Stars against the USSSA Pride.
On the collegiate side, Hernandez most recently spent the 2020 season as the volunteer assistant coach at Jacksonville. He also spent several years as a coach and president of operations of a travel ball organization, and played collegiate baseball at the University of Saint Francis and Moraine Valley Community College.
Valparaiso finished the 2020 season with a 9-10 overall record, including a pair of wins over Fordham. The Crusaders’ offense ended the abbreviated campaign with a stat line of .220/.322/.334.
