La Joya High has a special player. It is as simple as that.
Coyotes pitcher Arlette Hernandez has solidified herself as not only one of the best players in the Valley, but in the state of Texas. Hernandez received Texas Sport Writers’ All-State first-team honors and was the Texas High School Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year for the Class 6A Super Elite Team.
Hernandez, as a sophomore, hit 11 home runs with a .530 batting average, struck out 285 batters from the circle and did it with an ERA of 0.78.
Hernandez is The Monitor’s All-Area Softball Player of the Year for the 2023 softball season.
“I tried to be stronger than I was last year,” Hernandez said. “I worked hard all summer, and I am still trying to get better.”
As a freshman, Hernandez finished with more strikeouts, but she had more help in the rotation in 2023 compared to 2022. Hernandez was grateful for having that help, she said. Hernandez pitched nearly 40 fewer innings in 2023 compared to 2o22 and finished 38 strikeouts short of her freshman total of 323.
Hernandez won 17 games for the co-District 31-6A champions. Hernandez tossed four perfect games during the season and struck out double-digit batters 17 times. La Joya High was eliminated in the playoffs by Harlingen High.
“We all went down together,” Hernandez said. “There was no pointing fingers, we went down as a team.”
Hernandez pitched the entire series against Harlingen High, all three games, and her pitching turns heads, but offensively Hernandez is happy about the gains she made.
“It was a big surprise to me,” Hernandez said. “I have been working all summer for it, and it paid off during the season.”
Hernandez’s 11 home runs is five more than her freshman season, and she also nearly doubled the number of RBIs as well with 54 as a sophomore compared to 29 as a freshman.
“It was such a great season, even though we did not get the outcome we wanted,” Hernandez said. “We just have to keep working and going for the next two years.”