Vasquez to Represent SFA in 2019 Southland Conference Home Run Derby
5/20/2019 10:30:00 AM | Baseball
Senior to participate in second-annual event at Constellation Field on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.
SUGAR LAND, Texas - By punching its ticket to the 2019 Southland Conference Tournament, the SFA baseball team will be pursuing the program's first NCAA Tournament berth once the four-day tournament begins Wednesday morning.
One of the individuals among the Lumberjacks' ranks, however, will be stepping to the plate at Constellation Field prior to Wednesday to try and claim a belt.
Senior infielder Manny Vasquez has been selected to participate in the Southland's second-annual home run derby - the event which kicks off the 2019 Southland Conference Tournament - at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night from Constellation Field.
The home run derby will feature one select player from each of the eight participating tournament teams. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with the eighth-seeded team's batter stepping in the box at 6:35 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the gate, and admission is free for students attending Southland Conference institutions (all schools, even those not competing) and children under the age of five. Fireworks will accompany each home run and the final trophy presentation. The winner will receive a custom Southland championship belt.
Vasquez, a product of Naco, Ariz., has served as the 'Jacks' best power hitter this season as he leads the club in extra-base hits (18), doubles (13) and, of course, home runs (five). Additionally, Vasquez ranks atop the team charts in slugging percentage (.395) and has totaled 10 homers through his two seasons in an SFA uniform.
Constellation Field, home of the Atlantic League's Sugar Land Skeeters, is a 7,500-seat park which opened in 2012. The dimensions are 325 feet to left field, 348 feet to right field and 405 feet to center. It was the home of the 2013 and 2015-18 Southland tournaments and will serve as the host site through 2019.
The home run derby will provide opportunities for local youth players to participate and interact with college student-athletes, as teams will be allowed on the field to shag balls. Youth baseball groups interested in being a part of the event may contact Emily Honeycutt in the Southland Conference office (972-422-9500, ext. 100).
-SFA-
