High School students from New Jersey and Pennsylvania are set to compete in the first Philadelphia Friends of the Jimmy V Foundation Penn-Jersey Home Run Derby at Arm and Hammer Park.
The derby is scheduled to take place following a Trenton Thunder game July 13. A ticket to the Thunder game is required to attend the home run derby.
Philadelphia Friends of the Jimmy V Foundation raises money for cancer research in honor of basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, who gave the famous “Don’t Give Up Speech” at the 1993 ESPY Awards eight weeks before he died.
The home run derby feature some of the best high school sluggers from New Jersey taking on top hitters from Pennsylvania in a home run derby style competition. Points will be awarded for home runs as well as wall balls and outfield hits that reach the wall.
Scholarships and bragging rights are up for grabs in this team and individual competition.
Area coaches nominated players for consideration by a board of local baseball officials who then selected the top power hitters to participate. The selection board included many of the top names in youth baseball such as Jeff Manto, Dave Gallagher, Dave Amaro, Jim Peto, and Mike Gossner.
Team New Jersey includes Hal Shaw (Allentown), Bobby Gramer (Allentown High School), Joseph Craig (Camden Catholic), Jordan Gonzalez (Colts Neck High School), Nick Payesko (Holy Ghost Prep), Raffaele Balestrieri (Lawrence), Adam Quaranta (Moorestown Friends School), Austin Lindsay (New Egypt High School), Ryan Shinn (Northern Burlington), Michael Milazzo (Notre Dame), Franco Esposito (Nottingham High School), Patrick Nelson (Pennington School), JP Radvany (Princeton Day School), Stephen Dranoff (Robbinsville High School), Anthony Brocato (Rutgers Prep), James Smiegocki, Jr., (South Hunterdon) and Dan Wondrack (Wall).
The Thunder is set to take on Akron at 1:05 p.m., the game features a Thunder Lanyard giveaway for the first 1,000 fans age five to 15. In addition, the game features the third annual Car Club display in the lot in front of the stadium prior to the game.
More information is online at phillyfriendsofv.org.
