FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State's Aaron Judge will participate in the third annual TD Ameritrade College Baseball Home Run Derby on July 3 at 5:30 p.m. PT at Omaha's TD Ameritrade Park. The event will air tape-delayed on CBS on Saturday, July 7 at 11 a.m. PT.
Judge was one of eight individuals from across the nation selected to compete at the event and will be the second Bulldog to slug away in the three-year-old contest. In 2010, former Bulldog Jordan Ribera finished second in the inaugural derby, which was held as the final event at Rosenblatt Stadium.
"We are proud to have another Bulldog participate in the Home Run Derby," Fresno State head baseball coach Mike Batesole said. "It was a great experience for Jordy after he led the nation in home runs. Aaron is off to the Cape and will take a quick break for a fun day in Omaha. He will take Ryan Overland as his batting practice pitcher, which will also be a lot of fun for Ryan to get back to Omaha where he caught the National Championship game in Rosenblatt Stadium. Now he will get to experience the new ballpark."
This will mark the first athletic contest for any Bulldog male student-athlete as a representative of the Mountain West, which Fresno State will join officially on Sunday. Fresno State swimmer Dani Yoho will be the school's first tudent-athlete to compete in any competition after the 'Dogs join the MW when she swims the 50-meter freestyle on Sunday at the Olympic Trials, also held in Omaha.
Of extra note, Judge is the only student-athlete from the West picked to participate, as he joins players from the ACC (3), SEC (2), Southern (1) and Ohio Valley (1).
"It's a great opportunity to participate in such a prestigious event," Judge said. "We can't wait to go out there and see how many times Coach Overland can hit my bat. This wouldn't be possible without our great coaching staff and team at Fresno State."
In 2012, Judge launched four home runs, including two off Stanford ace pitcher and the Pittsburgh Pirates' top draft pick (No. 8 overall) Mark Appel, in leading Fresno State to its seventh-straight conference championship and the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
Judge, a two-time first-team all-conference honoree and a 2011 Freshman All-American, also posted 27 RBI, went 13-for-15 in stolen base attempts, scored 47 runs and had 14 doubles. He recorded a season batting average of .332.
Judge and Overland, who just finished his first season as a volunteer assistant coach on Batesole's staff, will fly to Omaha on Monday before participating in the derby on Tuesday night. Immediately after the competition concludes, there will be a short concert by Cowboy Mouth on the field, which will be followed by a 30-minute Fourth of July fireworks show.
Follow the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby on Facebook and Twitter for the latest event updates and information, including live updates from Tuesday night's competition.
2012 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby Participants
• Daniel Aldrich - College of Charleston, Redshirt Sophomore
• LB Dantzler - South Carolina, Junior
• Derek Fisher - Virginia, Freshman
• Tyler Horan - Virginia Tech, Redshirt Sophomore
• Aaron Judge - Fresno State, Sophomore
• Mason Katz - LSU, Junior
• Daniel Palka - Georgia Tech, Sophomore
• Zach Stephens - Tennessee Tech, Sophomore
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