Nic Ready To Participate In 2018 College Home Run Derby
6/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
***June 30 Update***
***(Due to Inclement weather, the Home Run Derby was postponed to Sunday, July 1. The derby takes place at 7 pm CT and will still be aired live on ESPN2.)***
Air Force's Nic Ready has been selected to the roster for the ninth annual Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans College Home Run Derby at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Neb. on Saturday, June 30, Intersport announced. Ready is one of six men's college baseball players selected for the event that will air live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. CT. He was invited to take part in the College Home Run Derby after being recognized as one of the top power hitters in college baseball.
Ready, who has racked up a number of accolades this season, is coming off a banner junior season where he led the Mountain West with 20 home runs and 74 RBIs. Both totals rank second all-time in a season at Air Force. Ready earned All-American Honors by Collegiate Baseball News and Perfect Game. In addition, Ready is the 2018 NCBWA District 8 Player of the Year. Ready currently ranks in the NCAA Top 10 in six categories.
The Dallas, Texas, native batted .341 on the season. He also led the conference with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs in conference play, both of which are school MW season records. Ready also had a team-best 30 game hitting streak and 38-game reached base streak. The junior ranked first in the MW in seven categories overall and in conference play.
The annual College Home Run Derby showcases some of college baseball's premier sluggers, all of whom have ranked among the nation's home run leaders during the 2018 season. This is Omaha's chance to see baseball's stars of tomorrow. Former champions include current New York Yankees superstar and 2017 American League Rookie of the Year winner Aaron Judge, who led the AL with 52 home runs in 2017.
Ready is joined in competition by Wil Dalton of Florida, Logan Davidson of Clemson, Thomas Dillard of Ole Miss, Kyle McCann of Georgia Tech and Parker Phillips of Austin Peay.
The College Home Run Derby includes three rounds of play: Round 1 featuring all contestants, Round 2 featuring the hitters with the top four scores after Round 1, and Round 3 featuring the top two sluggers after Round 2.
Contestants in each round will have a timed period of four minutes to hit as many home runs as they can, rather than the traditional 10-out method. Once the timed period concludes, contestants will have one final opportunity to hit a home run with the "Bonus Ball." If successful, two additional home runs will be added to the contestant's total score. The new timed format, rather than the traditional 10-out method, has produced record-breaking action and drama since it was introduced to the competition in 2016. A record 185 home runs were hit in 2016 when this timed format was used for the first time, shattering the previous record of 128, and the competition has been decided by the final pitch each of the last two years.
Individual tickets for the 2018 Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans College Home Run Derby & Omaha World-Herald Fireworks are $8 for children (ages 3-12), $12 for adults, or a 'Family Four-Pack' for $36, and are now on sale. Tickets may be purchased in-person from the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, or online at Ticketmaster.com. Service fees will apply to those tickets purchased over the phone or online, but not to those purchased in-person. For groups of 20 or more, visit http://www.collegehomerunderby.com.
Nic Ready 2018 Accolades
-Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans College Home Run Derby Participant
-Collegiate Baseball News Div. I All-American Team - Third Team First Base
-Perfect Game/Rawlings All-America - Honorable Mention First Base
-NCBWA District 8 Player of the Year
-ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-Midwest Region - Second Team First Base
-All-Mountain West First Team First Base
-Collegiate Baseball News Div. I Preseason All-American Team - Second Team First Base
