Hermsen back home, ready to face Kernels

Here's a quick shout out to Jeremy Elliott.

The Mount Vernon baseball coach was kind enough to agree to push back his team's double-header with West Delaware a day. It might not sound like that big a deal, but it means the world to the Hawks.

This way they all can make it to Cedar Rapids on Thursday night to watch one of their own pitch professionally.

"Jeremy's a good guy," said West Delaware Coach Mike Morrison. "We'd have done the same for them. To me, it's what high school athletics (in Iowa) is all about."

Former West Delaware all-stater and Gazette Male Athlete of the Year B.J. Hermsen is in town with the Beloit Snappers and is scheduled to be the starting pitcher Thursday against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. There are a lot of people really looking forward to it.

"It's going to be pretty special," Morrison said. "It's going to be special for the whole (Manchester) community to see a guy who came through our program pitch professionally in our own back yard."

Needless to say, Hermsen is excited, too. He hopes not overly.

"Coming back here ... I've been to showcases for Perfect Game and stuff when I was in high school," he said. "Things that got me here. It's kind of like coming full circle.

"Surreal. Exciting. All those words you can use. Being too pumped up, that's what I'm going to have to deal with out there. I'm going to have to calm myself down a little. Just go out and pitch my game."

Hermsen, 20, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Twins in 2008, eschewing a college scholarship to Oregon State and signing for a well-above-slot $650,000 bonus. He began his pro career last season with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Twins, going 6-1 with a 1.35 earned run average.

Hermsen began this season in extended spring training but joined Beloit on May 12 and is 3-1 in six starts with a 4.29 ERA.

"I've had a couple of good (starts), a couple of rough ones," Hermsen said. "That's just part of the learning process. The hitters are much more advanced here. You've got to hit your spots much more often than you did (in rookie ball). If you make a mistake up here, they're usually going to get a base hit or a home run off you. That's been the biggest thing I've noticed."

Beloit Manager Nelson Prada said the Twins are pleased with Hermsen's development. While his fastball velocity has been only between 86 and 91 miles per hour, the right-hander throws the ball over the plate.

That's a trait the Twins put a premium on.

"We're happy for him," Prada said. "He's kind of taken a step further quicker (than expected). He was supposed to be a guy that was going to pitch in Elizabethton in the (Rookie) Appalachian League. But he's here, and he really fits well with our club.

"He's got good pitch-ability. He throws a lot of strikes, dominates the zone. Sometimes you don't need to throw so many strikes."

That means the Twins would like to see Hermsen get guys to chase more when he's ahead in the count. But that'll come with more innings, more experience.

As Prada said, he isn't even supposed to be pitching in the Midwest League, yet. Let alone at home.

"I expected to be in E-Town," Hermsen said. "But I got the call early, and it's been pretty fun so far."