Virginia sophomore infielder Kenny Towns (Burke, Va.) has been selected to participate in the 2013 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby in Omaha, Neb. The fourth-annual event will feature college baseball’s top sluggers competing under the lights of TD Ameritrade Park Omaha at 8:30 p.m. on July 3 and will air nationally on ESPN at 8 p.m. on July 4.
Towns is the second Virginia player to compete in the event. Derek Fisher was a participant in 2012. The full list of eight competitors will be announced over the next few days.
Towns batted .290 with seven home runs and 44 runs batted in during the 2013 season. He also hit 11 doubles and ranked third in the ACC with five triples as he finished third on the team in extra-base hits.
He hit two grand slams in Virginia’s season opener at East Carolina on Feb. 15. Towns clubbed a walkoff, three-run homer on May 25 against Florida State in the ACC tournament and also was named to the NCAA Charlottesville Regional All-Tournament Team. He played some of his best baseball down the stretch run, posting team highs in batting (.367), extra-base hits (7), hits (11) and RBI (11) in the Cavaliers’ eight postseason games.
The TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby includes three rounds of play: Round 1 featuring all contestants, Round 2 featuring the top four after Round 1 and Round 3 featuring the top two after Round 2. In each round, contestants will be challenged to hit as many home runs as they can before logging 10 “outs,” or hits that do not result in a home run. Balls reaching the warning track will not count as an “out,” giving players another opportunity at bat. Additionally, following the 10th and final out of each “at bat,” contestants will have an opportunity to hit a home run with the ‘Bonus Ball.’ If successful, the special ball will tack two additional home runs onto the contestant’s total score.
Tickets are $8 for children, $12 for adults or $35 for a ‘Family Four-Pack’ and may be purchased in-person from the CenturyLink Center arena box offices, by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, or online at
www.collegehomerunderby.com. Handling fees will apply to those tickets purchased over the phone or online.
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