BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University baseball program held its 10th-annual Media Home Run Derby Thursday at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
Participating in this year's event were Blake Gardner from Samford Broadcasting, Jonathan Hoppe from Fox 6, Dee Jackson from CBS 42, Damian Mitchell from WJOX and Ethan Lowe from Samford Creative Services.
 
Each contestant got to take five practice swings before the official competition began. In the first round, with each competitor taking 10 swings, Gardner and Jackson were the top two finishers, advancing to the championship round.
 
In the final round those two competitors took 10 more swings to determine the champion. Jackson hit two home runs to Gardner's one to give Jackson this year's championship.
 
Following the competition, a meal from Whataburger was provided for all competitors.
 
The Samford baseball team is in the middle of its Southern Conference season and currently sits at 22-18 overall and 8-4 in Southern Conference play. This weekend the Bulldogs will play host to Western Carolina in a three-game SoCon series. The teams are set to play Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Joe Lee Griffin Field.
 
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