BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University baseball program held its ninth-annual Media Home Run Derby Thursday at Joe Lee Griffin Field.

Participating in this year's event were Johnny Congdon from ABC 33/40, Blake Gardner from Samford Broadcasting, Ryan Hennessy from NBC 13, Dee Jackson from CBS 42, Arielle Schafer from CBS 42 and Jake Stansell from Fox 6

Each contestant got to take five practice swings before the official competition began. In the first round, with each competitor taking 10 swings, Gardner, Jackson and Stansell were the top three finishers, advancing to the championship round.

In the final round those three competitors took 10 more swings to determine the champion. Stansell hit five homers to edge out Gardner with four to win the championship.

Following the competition, a meal from Jimmy John's was provided for all competitors.

The Samford baseball team is in the middle of its Southern Conference season and currently sits atop the league standings with a 10-2 record in conference games. This weekend, the Bulldogs will play host to Mercer in a three-game SoCon series, with games scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

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