West Delaware folks heading to Cedar Rapids to see Hermsen pitch tonight

Here's a quick shout out to Jeremy Elliott.

The Mount Vernon baseball coach was kind enough to push back his team's doubleheader 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 can make it to Cedar Rapids 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 tonight against the Kernels. A lot of people are 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 backyard.”

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.”

Hermsen, 20, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Twins in 2008, eschewing a college scholarship to Oregon State and signing for a $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 ERA.

He began this season in extended spring training, then joined Beloit in May and is 3-1 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.”

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

“He's kind of taken a step further quicker (than expected),” Prada said. “He was supposed to ... pitch in Elizabethton in the (Rookie) Appalachian League. But he's here, and he really fits well with our club.

“He throws a lot of strikes, dominates the zone. Sometimes you don't need to throw so many strikes.”

The Twins would like to see him get batters to chase more when he's ahead in the count. That will come with experience.

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