Softball

Everywhere Mario Hernandez has served as a coach, improvement has followed. As the 2022 season stands before the Tennessee Tech softball team, Hernandez’s work ethic and passion for the sport looks to be tremendous assets as Golden Eagle head coach Michelle DePolo added him to her staff.

A young coach with plenty of experience both as a head coach and an assistant, Hernandez brings an impressive resume to Cookeville.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have Mario Hernandez join our staff this year,” DePolo said. “He is a well-respected coach on the softball circuit. He is a passionate and knowledgeable coach who brings a high level of energy each day. His knowledge of the game and recruiting expertise will have an immediate – and positive – impact on the program.”

Hernandez comes to Cookeville after a stint at Valparaiso as an assistant.

“I’d like to first thank Kate Stake and Valparaiso University for giving me an opportunity to grow my career and get closer to my family,” Hernandez said. “When Coach DePolo and I first started talking, I knew right away that she was a head coach that I wanted to work for. Her winning mentality, passion for the game and vision for this program aligns exactly with what matters to me.

“Coach DePolo is a very well-respected coach around the game, and I couldn’t be happier to join her staff and call Tennessee Tech home. I’m looking forward to all of the players getting back to campus and getting to work.”

During his playing days at Moraine Valley (Ill.) Community College and St. Francis, he served as the head coach for the South Side Rage baseball team, then became the 18U head coach and president of softball for the Illinois Hawks Organization for five years.

In 2018 and 2019, he was the assistant coach for the Plainfield North High School team, working with the Tigers’ infielders and outfielders on defense and assisting on offensive efforts.

He made the jump to the collegiate level in 2019 as he worked as a volunteer assistant at Jacksonville University in the Atlantic Sun Conference. While the 2020 spring campaign was cut short from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dolphins did make a significant improvement. JU made a 130-spot increase on the NCAA’s Ratings Percentage Index, while collecting 15 wins before the season was cut short. In that span, the Dolphins saw 81 RBI, 66 walks and 32 stolen bases to their credit.

Hernandez then served as a head coach in the Florida Gulf Coast Summer Collegiate League, overseeing a program that had seven Power 5 players and seven mid-major players. His team reached the league championship, then was one of three coaches selected to coach against the USSSA Pride professional team.

This past spring, Hernandez was the assistant coach at Valparaiso. While there, the team dropped its strikeout totals to its lowest levels in 10 years, putting together an offensive strategy that helped the batters at the plate.