Despite finishing with as many points as eventual league champion Fort Washington, Huntingdon Valley lost the head-to-head tiebreaker and finished second overall in the Lower Montco American Legion standings last season.
It was an occurrence with which Valley was familiar, as the team, currently coached by Evan Horn, has never – not once – finished first overall in the standings since starting in the league in 1963.
Valley won the league championship in 1980 and 1992, but still, the team has not been able to reach the top of the standings when the regular season came to a close.
So when Horn and his team look at the current standings, one which has Valley all alone in first place with 16 points and a 7-3-2 overall record, it’s a pretty big deal for them.
And one of the main reasons that Valley has been able to have so much success this season is the play of Rafael Fernandez, the recent Cheltenham High School graduate and current team captain who leads off for Valley while quarterbacking the defense from the shortstop position.
“Rafael is such a great kid,” said Horn, who is also an assistant coach for the William Tennent High baseball team. “He’s a great leadoff hitter, a great team leader, a great and slick fielder and I wish that every player I have every year would give an effort like he does. He gets to every groundball and he busts his ass out of the batter’s box every single time.”
Fernandez, standing at only 5-foot-5, will be playing baseball at Chestnut Hill Academy next season, and his current play at the mid-point of the summer legion season has only continued to get better since he played his final game at Cheltenham.
Fernandez, who was named team captain before what is only his second year with Valley, has an offensive line that most coaches could only dream of having from their leadoff hitter.
As of Tuesday, the starting shortstop was batting a remarkable .405 with three triples, seven stolen bases, seven runs scored and seven RBI. He has struck out only two times all season, while also committing only two errors in the field through his team’s first 12 games.
Perhaps the most impressive feat is Fernandez’ on-base percentage, which sits at .450, helped by the fact that he has reached base safely to lead off every single game this season.
And with Valley’s 3-4-5 hitters – Matt Meyers, Ryan Killian and Jordan Pocrass – featuring possibly the best middle-of-the-lineup in the league, Fernandez’ ability to get on base has been a huge reason for Valley’s ability to produce offense this season.
“With Rafael always on base, our other guys can be more selective at the plate knowing that he’s generally already in scoring position by the time they come up to bat,” Horn said.
“Our guys have a lot of talent and it’s nice to know that there are a lot of guys behind me in the lineup who know how to put the ball in play when we need to come up with hits,” Fernandez said. “Those three guys are some of the strongest guys I know and when we need a hit, any one of them can do it. It’s comforting to know that all the guys are putting the ball in play and doing what we have to do in the lineup.”
While Fernandez has only been with the team for two years, he is very aware of Valley’s history of never finishing atop the standings, and he said that it would be a huge victory for him and his team if they were able to accomplish such a feat.
“It would be kind of like a win for us,” he said. “We’ve never really had a great record in years past from what I’ve heard and so far, we’ve been doing very well since I got here last year and it has carried over into this season. Last year, we fell just short of Roslyn and this year, we’re kind of ready for that championship win.”
Fernandez, who has been playing baseball since he was five, has also gotten plenty of recognition from other coaches in the league.
Roslyn coach Jim Brett told Horn of Fernandez: “I can’t believe how much better he has gotten after just one season. He’s like a mini Hercules.”
Warminster coach Rick Penecale told Horn: “He’s probably one of the best players in the league. I cannot believe how good this kid is.”
And while Fernandez is enjoying the success he has achieved individually and with his team, he does realize that it does come with pressure and he will never take any of it lightly.
“It’s really difficult to be that guy. As a captain, you take a lot of responsibility and sometimes, you try to keep your guys in check from getting upset after striking out or making errors, even when we’re ahead in a 10-run game,” Fernandez said. “You still have to stay focused and there’s still a job to be done. It’s tough, but I just keep my head up and do what I have to do and the rest is up to my teammates whether to listen or not.”
It appears that Fernandez’ teammates have been listening, as Valley is now in the driver’s seat toward what it hopes to be its first championship in more than two decades.
“I am getting very good individual performances from everyone on my team,” Horn said. “And Raf is basically the leader of the team. We’re winning games, we’re playing baseball the right way and I contribute it to the way that (Raf) plays. He’s almost like Jake Madnick, who was my captain the last few years. He may not always be the very best player on the team, but he’s someone who will absolutely go through a wall for you. He has big shoes to fill, but he’s doing a great job of filling them.”
