Tech baseball's Home Run Derby fundraiser set for Nov. 8

Jason Hinchman

Photo by Thomas Corhern

 The Tennessee Tech baseball team will host its annual Home Run Derby fundraiser on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2:00 p.m. CT at Quillen Field and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.

Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, the event will NOT be open to the public, however, fans can watch all the action with the day's action set to be streamed live on YouTube. Golden Eagle broadcaster Dylan Vazzano will be on the call with Tech head coach Steve Smith joining for analysis. To watch the event, follow this link.

Alumni are encouraged to participate and should contact assistant coach Mitchell Wright at mwright@tntech.edu or at 931-372-3853. Participating alumni will be distributed among the two teams.

The format for the TTU Home Run Derby is as follows:

• Two teams drafted prior to the event – Purple Team and Gold Team
• Three rounds total
• Round 1 = 90 seconds per player to hit as many home runs as he can
• Top three players from each team will advance to Round 2
• Round 2 = 2 minutes per player to hit as many home runs as he can
• Top player from each team after Round 2 will advance to Round 3 for a head-to-head showdown
• Round 3 = 2 minutes per player to hit as many home runs as he can, each player will have a 30-second timeout at his disposal
• In the event of tie deciding who advances to the next round, there will be a swing off featuring five swings for each player tied (those home runs hit during the swing off will be counted towards the individual's and team's totals)
• There will be one team winner, one student-athlete winner and one alumni winner based on the total number of home runs hit on the day

Want to participate and support a player in the home run derby? You can download a roster and pledge sheet here or go online and donate via this link. Just enter your gift amount and select 'Men's Baseball Program' under the 'Gift Designation' drop-down menu. Those donating are asked to please indicate the name of the student-athlete for whom the gift is in support of in the 'Tribute' box just under the 'Gift Designation' drop-down menu.

Please mail your pledge and gifts to TTU Athletics, Attn: Home Run Derby, PO Box 5057, Cookeville, TN 38505. Checks should be made payable to TTU Foundation with TTU Baseball in the memo line. Gifts can also be made online by visiting this link. For questions, please reach out to Kristie Phillips at kphillips@tntech.edu or at 931-372-6857.