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<p>They had been trading messages for months. But especially on Saturday. The two Hazleton Area left-handers knew this was going to be the day.</p><p>When their names were called in the MLB draft, Tony Hernandez was out grabbing a bite to eat with a friend and Dante Biasi was on his couch as friends and family celebrated the news.</p><p>Hernandez played in 2016 for Monroe College in the Bronx and was fittingly taken in the 15th round by the New York Yankees. Biasi, who just graduated high school on Thursday, was selected in the 22nd round by the Chicago Cubs, who are managed by none other than Hazleton native Joe Maddon.</p><p>A memorable day for not just the two pitchers, but for Hazleton Area and Wyoming Valley Conference baseball as a whole.</p><p>&#8220;I texted (Hernandez) in the morning,&#8221; Biasi said. &#8220;Just, &#8216;Hey man, you hear anything yet?&#8217; Then I think literally 10 minutes later, we heard that he got the call.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I was just talking to him,&#8221; Hernandez said. &#8220;Just saying, &#8216;Hey Dante, how you feeling? Isn&#8217;t this crazy? This feels like a dream. This doesn&#8217;t happen to everyone.&#8217;</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re fortunate enough to be getting this opportunity.&#8221;</p><p>Hernandez and Biasi will get to build on the area&#8217;s longest draft list. The southpaws join fellow Hazleton Area alums Justin Gutsie (2008), Kyle Landis (2007), and Russ Canzler (2004) to get the call in the draft. Jeff Antolick (1992) played for the pre-merger Hazleton High School, as did players like Maddon and 1960 National League All-Star Norm Larker.</p><p>Canzler was the last Cougars player to be drafted out of high school before Biasi. Since the former Major Leaguer and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRider was selected, the WVC has had an alum drafted in 10 out of the last 13 years.</p><p>Gino Cara, who coached both Hernandez and Biasi with the Cougars, was following the draft and got to hear both of their names called in the same hour.</p><p>&#8220;It was pretty incredible,&#8221; Cara said. &#8220;Just listening to it and hearing their names across &#8212; for the longest time I had tears in my eyes. I didn&#8217;t even talk. It&#8217;s just an incredible feeling to see two guys &#8212; two really, really nice young men &#8212; that have worked really hard (be rewarded).&#8221;</p><p>Both players have dealt with their share of adversity.</p><p>A former WVC MVP, Biasi had his senior season halted just as it was starting. He underwent Tommy John surgery last month which will keep him out of action for the next year and change.</p><p>&#8220;Things have been really going well,&#8221; Biasi said. &#8220;I started the rehab and that&#8217;s been going good, working on range of motion. My arm is, I think, 10 degrees from being straight. So that&#8217;s moving quicker than we expected.&#8221;</p><p>Hernandez has bounced around since leaving Hazleton. Originally at Division I Maryland-Eastern Shore, he said the fit wasn&#8217;t right for him there, leading him to Lackawanna College in 2015. But the staff at Lackawanna was replaced and Hernandez followed his former pitching coach to Monroe.</p><p>That&#8217;s where things really took off.</p><p>&#8220;That first day, I was at 94 on the gun,&#8221; Hernandez said. &#8220;From that day on, I knew I had to keep working hard. Once scout day came around, there were probably over 15 scouts there from Major League teams. I tapped out at 95 that day and everyone went crazy. They were calling me, reaching out to me pretty much from that day on.&#8221;</p><p>During the 2016 season, Hernandez went 10-1 for the Mustangs, also leading the team in ERA (1.91) and strikeouts (77) while issuing 22 walks in 73 innings.</p><p>It was an extra bit of joy for Hernandez that the Yankees drafted him. Before playing at Monroe, he was born in the Bronx and lived there until moving to Hazleton at age 5.</p><p>&#8220;To be honest, it means everything,&#8221; Hernandez said. &#8220;I feel like God put me in this position. &#8230; I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s hit me yet. It was such a surreal moment that I don&#8217;t feel like it happened.&#8221;</p><p>Biasi said he had a similar feeling after the initial cheering died down.</p><p>&#8220;Probably the first five or 10 minutes it was just, &#8216;Wow, I can&#8217;t really believe that happened,&#8217; &#8221; Biasi said. &#8220;Especially after the kind of year that it&#8217;s been.&#8221;</p><p>Had he not been injured, Biasi could very well have been drafted on Friday in the top 10 rounds. But ending up with the Cubs organization was a plus for Biasi, who still has an autograph from Maddon from his childhood.</p><p>The decision now for both players is whether to ink their pro contracts. Biasi signed to play at Penn State with his brother, Sal, and Hernandez would be set to continue his college career at Pitt.</p><p>Though nothing has been finalized for either of them, both sounded enthusiastic about starting their pro careers soon.</p><p>For Biasi, that would also mean having his lengthy rehab overseen by a Major League system.</p><p>&#8220;We knew coming into (the surgery) that if there was a shot at the draft, obviously the pro team is the best of the best,&#8221; Biasi said.</p><p>All of that will come later. For now, it was a time for Biasi and Hernandez to reflect and enjoy the moment.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m blessed to have this opportunity, humbled to have this opportunity,&#8221; Hernandez said. &#8220;I&#8217;m thankful to have my whole city behind me, everyone from Hazleton Area. A lot of calls, a lot of texts with congratulations on this accomplishment.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m extremely grateful for this. Kids like me don&#8217;t end up getting drafted by the Yankees. For kids like me, it&#8217;s unexpected. I&#8217;m so happy I&#8217;m here.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Notes</strong>: Elsewhere in District 2, Valley View ace Max Kranick was taken in the 11th round Saturday by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The star pitcher can either sign with the Pirates or play in college for Virginia.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dante Biasi was selected in the 22nd round by the Chicago Cubs, who are managed by fellow Hazleton native Joe Maddon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_hazletonberwick01-13.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dante Biasi was selected in the 22nd round by the Chicago Cubs, who are managed by fellow Hazleton native Joe Maddon. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox file photo | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL040414HazletonWVWbb_1201661116912934-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hard-throwing lefty Tony Hernandez was drafted in the 15th round by the New York Yankees out of Monroe College in the Bronx. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL040414HazletonWVWbb_1201661116912934-5.jpg</photo1><caption1>Hard-throwing lefty Tony Hernandez was drafted in the 15th round by the New York Yankees out of Monroe College in the Bronx. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis file photo | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Pitchers Hernandez, Biasi go to Yanks, Cubs</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Derek Levarse</p><p>dlevarse@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>WVC TO MLB</strong></p><p>&#8226; Since Russ Canzler was selected out of Hazleton Area in 2004, the Wyoming Valley Conference has had an alum taken in 10 out of the last 13 MLB drafts.</p><p><strong>2004</strong>: Russ Canzler, Hazleton Area</p><p><strong>2005</strong>: Paul Chmiel, Pittston Area</p><p><strong>2007</strong>: Kyle Landis, Hazleton Area</p><p><strong>2008</strong>: Justin Gutsie, Hazleton Area</p><p><strong>2009</strong>: Chris Sedon, Coughlin</p><p><strong>2011</strong>: Ray Black, Coughlin</p><p><strong>2013</strong>: Matt Wotherspoon, Crestwood</p><p><strong>2014</strong>: Mike Papi, Tunkhannock</p><p><strong>2015</strong>: Rich Condeelis, Tunkhannock</p><p><strong>2016</strong>: Tony Hernandez/Dante Biasi, Hazleton Area</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hazleton Area’s Dante Biasi, Tony Hernandez selected in MLB draft