BATTLE CREEK - Alex Fernandes can't remember if he ever made an All-Star team in his baseball career. But after a memorable first half of the season this summer in Battle Creek, he knows he is for sure an All-Star now.
Fernandes and teammates Mason Hamlin and Adrian Rubio have each been named as Northwoods League All-Stars as representatives of the Battle Creek Battle Jacks.
The Northwoods League announced the rosters for the 2024 Northwoods League All-Star Game, which will be played July 23 at ISG Field in Mankato, Minnesota.
The Battle Jacks trio were named to the Great Lakes Division team after Battle Creek finished the first half in second place in the division with a 19-17 record in the summer collegiate baseball league.
"I was just here to get some good reps this summer," Fernandes said. "The All-Star Game wasn't really in my sites at the beginning of the summer. But, I was playing really well, and about the halfway point, I was thinking this was something that could happen.
"I'm not really even sure I've ever been on an All-Star team, so it's great that it happened."
Hamlin, an infielder, played at University of Texas of the Permian Basin last year - a Division II school. Hamlin finished the first half of the season as one of the top hitters in the Northwoods League, sitting at a team-high 45 hits in 35 games. That hit total was third in the entire league after the first half ended on July 2, just a few knocks behind the 47 hits by Andrew Sojka of the Willman Stingers. Currently, Hamlin is batting .330 with 35 walks, 22 RBI and 41 runs scored.
Fernandes, a second baseman from the University of Memphis, finished a close second behind Hamlin for most hits on the team in the first half, with 44. He is currently hitting .335 with 45 walks and 21 RBI and 44 runs scored.
Adrian Rubio, from Eastern New Mexico University, was the top pitcher for the Battle Jacks in the first half with 47 strikeouts in 35 innings and an ERA of 2.02.
"It's a great accomplishment to make the team," Hamlin said. "It's a credit to the team and the coaches in believing in us and getting us to where we are.
"It will be super awesome to be at the All-Star Game, playing with a bunch of guys who are playing at the highest level in the highest summer collegiate league in the nation."
All-Stars a Reflection of the Team's Progress
Having a winning record in the first half of the season certainly helped the Battle Jacks to be well-represented at the All-Star Game with three players selected.
It is also a reflection of the recruiting done by first-year head coach Ben Harley, who brought in the new talent.
"Really proud of Alex, Adrian and Mason for being selected. All three have been a huge part of our team this season and have been great teammates on and off of the field," Harley said. "As we continue to build the Battle Jacks program, we are looking for more players like these three, who embody what we look for in our players - good people, good players and someone the community can be proud of.
"Down the stretch, as we are in the heart of the playoff race, we will look to these three to lead us, hopefully, to a playoff berth."
Slow Start to Second Half
After an impressive first half of the Northwoods League season, Battle Creek has had a slow start in the second half. The Battle Jacks were 3-8 to begin the second half, before winning two games over the weekend to get to 5-8.
The schedule sets up for the Jacks to get back to .500 before the All-Star break with three home games this week (Monday-Wednesday), plus four games in-state with a road trip to Royal Oak and Kalamazoo.
Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @billbroderick.
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