Austin Herrera

Profile Views: 331
Sport: Boy's Baseball
HS Grad Year: 2019
Recruitment Status: Signed
Position 1: First Base
Position 2: Center Field
Ht. / Wt.: 5' 10'' / 165 lbs.
School Jersey #: 23
Club Jersey #: 23
School: Skyline
Location: Mesa, AZ
Club Team: Athletics
Other Sports:
GPA: 4.5
SAT:
ACT: 25
Transcript: Yes
Notes:
PERSONAL STATEMENT
The son of a successful high school baseball coach, I’ve literally grown up on a baseball field. I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by some of Arizona’s best players like Jake Barret and Riley Unroe as I was growing up. I got to hold my first state championship trophy as a bat boy when I was 9 years old. I love everything about baseball and spend almost all my time perfecting my game. I’ve seen the hard work and long hours it takes to be great, and I’m committed to that goal. My best quality is my work ethic and team mentality. Having two parents as teachers has also taught me that nothing happens without an education. I enjoy learning new things, especially History, and I hope to someday bridge my education and love of baseball into a career as a sports writer or analyst. .

REFERENCES		  

Alan McKinley
Title: Honors Biology Teacher
Organization / School: Mesa Public Schools
Phone Number: 4804729400
Email: almckinley@mpsaz.org
Recommendation:

Faculty Recommendation for Austin “AJ” Herrera

I am pleased to write in enthusiastic support of Austin “AJ” Herrera. I first met AJ in the Fall of 2016 when he entered one of my sections as an advanced student in Honors Biology at Skyline High School. He quickly distinguished himself as an exceptionally hard working and determined young man. I was very impressed by his dedication to his studies and his maturity level that far exceeds the norm for a high school student. Throughout this year-long advanced biology course, I really appreciated AJ’s ability to be a positive leader in the classroom. He consistently took the lead in lab groups, produced high quality work, demonstrated superior performance on assessments, and actively participated in class discussions. I was so impressed with AJ’s exemplary performance in Honors Biology that I awarded him with the Legacy of Excellence in Biology award. This award is given to the top three performing students, chosen from a group of nearly 130 students, as recognition of the highest possible achievement in honors biology throughout the year.

AJ is more than a distinguished biology student however, he is also a fine example of what hard work, superior time management, and a commitment to excellence can accomplish. During his freshman year, for example, he was a member of the Coyote Connection Leaders which is an exclusive group of students who help welcome and introduce incoming students to the culture and infrastructure of Skyline High School. Coyote Connection Leaders must be nominated by teachers and membership is very selective. AJ was also a member of Paw Pals, a group of volunteers who help meet the needs of students with special needs on our campus. His commitment to excellence continued into his sophomore year when he was a recipient of the extraordinarily selective HOBY Leadership award, and a year-long honor roll member, in addition to his continuing work in Paw Pals and volunteering at his church.

In addition to succeeding scholastically, AJ exhibits motivation in other areas. He has clear-cut goals, and he puts his “all” into achieving them. For example, he has volunteered his time at his church throughout his high school career and is on pace to amass over 100 community service hours and to ultimately earn a service learning diploma from Mesa Public Schools upon graduation. As impressive as his commitment to volunteering is, AJ is also an accomplished and talented athlete. He has been a three-year starter on the Skyline High School varsity baseball team where he earned First Team All-Region selection as a sophomore 1st baseman,

In closing, I am pleased to give AJ Herrera my highest recommendation and encourage you to spend time getting to know him for yourself. It is time that I am certain you will not regret. He is genuinely an extraordinary young man.

Sincerely,

Alan L. McKinley


Honors and AP Biology Teacher Skyline High School
480-472-9614
almckinley@mpsaz.org
 

Patrick Herrera
Title: Head Baseball Coach
Organization / School: Skyline High School
Phone Number: 480-296-1397
Email: pdherrera@mpsaz.org
Recommendation: December 11, 2018

This is a letter of recommendation for Austin (AJ) Herrera. AJ has started on my varsity team for 3 years. He is also my son which is not always the easiest situation for him, but for me it has been a very easy decision to start him as a baseball player and the hardest worked on our team.

He has primarily played 1st base. He is one of the best I have ever coached there in 20 years. He has great hands, good footwork and a great understanding of situations at that position. He also plays the outfield. Due to an injury on our team we played him almost 20 games in center field last season. AJ gets the best reads on balls off the bat, and his quick release of the ball is very impressive.

As a hitter, he has great control of the strike zone. He has shown the ability to extend at-bats and put the ball in play. He has lead off for us the last 2 years and is a very unselfish hitter. He has dedicated a lot of time to the weight room and has developed his bat speed. Over the summer he showed the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the ball park with power.

As a leader on our team he is always the 1st one to practice and the last one to leave. His enthusiasm for the game is unprecedented. So many other coaches comment on how he carries himself on the field. He is a joy to watch play. He is very driven to succeed.

I have coached varsity baseball for 20 years and I can confidently say that he will be a solid college baseball player.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.



Patrick Herrera
Head Baseball Coach Skyline High School
480-296-1397
 

Rex Gonzales
Title: Head Coach
Organization / School: T Rex Baseball
Phone Number: 813-546-6787
Email: rex@trexbaseball.com
Recommendation: Coaches,



I have had the pleasure of A.J. Herrera playing on my T-Rex Club Ball Team. It is without hesitation or reservation that I write this letter. This young man is a “ball player”, he will leave it all out on the field. He is a left-hand hitting gap to gap hitter with an outstanding eye at the plate. Very aware on defense and has a smooth glove. He is always communicating to his teammates throughout the game. Coaches may be able to measure his height and weight, but his heart is unmeasurable. Great team player and extremely unselfish.



All my best,


Rex Gonzalez

AZ T-Rex Easton BBC
813-546-6787 rex@trexbaseball.com
 

Scott Cain
Title: Varsity Asst. Coach
Organization / School: Skyline Baseball
Phone Number: 602-399-0122
Email: smajcain@hotmail.com
Recommendation: January 18, 2018

My name is Scott Cain and I am a varsity baseball coach at Skyline High School in Mesa, AZ. I am writing this in regard to Austin Herrera (AJ), who plays on the varsity baseball team at Skyline.

I have been coaching AJ since he was 12 years old. He has always been the hardest working player on the team. I was not sure how he would adjust to the High School game, but when he arrived as a freshman, he did the only thing he knew and that was to work harder than everybody. His hard work paid off, he was our starting first baseman as a freshman. He always caught the attention of the coaches that we played against; I would here all the time “Who’s that kid playing 1st? He never stops hustling. I just love the way he plays.” He was rewarded with the honor of all district 2nd team as a freshman.

As a sophomore, he took his game to a new level. He was no longer the “little kid” instead he began to take a leadership role. Not always easy as a sophomore, but with his drive he continued to press on. He had an even better sophomore year, expanding his game to other positions on the field. He became a very valuable outfielder, but he was such a good 1st baseman, it was hard to take him off that position. More importantly for our team, he became our leadoff hitter, which was such an important role in our success. Every hitter benefitted from his ability to make the opposing pitcher throw all of his pitches early in the game. His defense improved as much as offense. He was rewarded with 1st team all-district as a sophomore.

He showed up for his junior year bigger and stronger than I have ever seen him. We have now expanded his role and he has now become a pitcher for us. Like everything else he does, he wants to be the best so he decided to work harder than the other pitchers. After 2 very successful years, he has gained the respect of his team mates, so the other pitchers took notice and as a team our work ethic has improved greatly. He has now become the leader of the team by leading by example, as a junior. I am looking forward to having him lead our team this year.

More importantly to me is the person AJ has become. He is always respectful of all team mates, coaches, teachers and anybody that he comes across. His work ethic carries over to everything that he does. He is in the top of his class academically, and believes school is just as important, if not more important, than baseball.

As a coach, it is an honor to be around AJ every day to watch him grow not only as a player but also as a person. He is that player; every coach wishes he had a whole team of AJ’s.

Scott Cain
602-399-0122
 

Andrew Wischmann
Title: Honors Math Teacher
Organization / School: Mesa Public Schools
Phone Number: 4804729400
Email: ajwischmann@mpsaz.org
Recommendation: It is with great honor that I write this recommendation for Austin Hererra. I have had the pleasure of teaching Austin in geometry, honors geometry, and algebra II.


Austin is a one of a kind individual--I have never encountered a student so mature and self-disciplined. He is also a young man of many interests and talents. For example, among the many awards that Austin has received during his time at Skyline High School, he was chosen each year to receive the Legacy of Excellence award in English, Science, and History--an award reserved for the top three students in each discipline. It is an achievement for a student to be nominated for just one of these awards; to receive as many as Austin has, across so many disciplines, is a rare accomplishment indeed. Austin only won the Legacy of Excellence award in mathematics once, and the teacher who failed to nominate him during his sophomore year is now writing this letter with the most respect and conviction that one could have.


Austin Hererra is consistent. He approaches every day with a positive attitude, growth mindset, successful habits, and a legendary work ethic. He is patient and veracious. In math class, Austin intently follows instruction, asks questions, and explores concepts independently. Austin optimizes his use of class time; he patiently grapples with the semantics of material until he is content in his understanding. Furthermore, he attends to precision with the maturity of an adult. He checks his work, re-reads information and instructions, references notes and text, and even stays after class to ask a question for clarity. Austin never missed an assignment and rarely missed a test question, despite selfless proclamations that math is not his strong suit. Austin is the prototypical leader by example. His classmates trust him and ask him questions, and they admire his consistent work ethic and discipline. Austin is a great teammate; he is humble, polite, helpful, and respectful of his peers and teachers.


Austin’s interests extend beyond the classroom; he loves baseball and has twice made the 6A East Valley Region first team as a varsity baseball player at Skyline High School. On the baseball field, Austin rarely ‘swings for the fences,’ he is a team player, precision hitter, and smart base runner. Austin is consistent; he brings the same comprehensive approach that he has in the classroom to all of his endeavors. He leads the varsity baseball team in runs scored, batting average, and on base percentage. As a junior, Austin was awarded the Kai Hamik award for the team’s hardest worker. In baseball and in the classroom, Austin works tirelessly honing his skill and turning weakness into strength.


When he is not studying academic material or baseball analytics, Austin engages selflessly in the community. He is on pace to earn a service-learning diploma with over 150 hours of community service. Austin Hererra is a one of a kind individual who has made a lasting impact on our school, our community, and myself and I am sure that he will bring the same consistent, positive energy to your program. Austin Hererra doesn’t hit many home runs, but he always gets on base and is always willing to do what is best for the team; a true leader indeed.

Sincerely,

Andrew Wischmann