WESTON, FLA. (WSVN) – – Talk about starting off 2026 with a bang! Some of South Florida’s young heavy hitters stepped up to the plate in a home run derby.
Youth heavy hitters showcased their penchant for power in Weston for the inaugural National Home Run Derby on Sunday.
“It’s very fun meeting new people, making friends, hitting bombs,” said 11U derby champ Jonathan Lawrence.
Boys and girls from ages 8 to 13 were swinging for the fences to be called the first ever SoFlo Ding King and Queen.
“A lot of fun,” said 9U derby finalist Kingsley Campbell.
“And what was the best part about it?” asked 7Sports’ Donovan Campbell.
“Playing against the boys and making it to the championship,” answered Kingsley.
Former big leaguer and National Home Run Derby founder Ed Kerli got Major League scouts and Major League players to make this event a grand stage for many future ballers.
“We’ve been working on this for probably six months or so, and it’s definitely worked out amazingly well, I think,” said Kerli. “I hope all the kids had a good time, I hope the parents had a good time, but it definitely turned out good for us.”
“Ed put this event together, you know, if you are a winner, you have a chance to go to another city in March or something like that; it is special,” said former three-time MLB All-Star Carlos Baerga. “I think the National Home Run Derby is meant to stay. The fans love it, the families love it, and the kids love it, too.”
Another cool thing about the Derby, which was set up similar to the one during the MLB All-Star Game, was that it made these young ballers feel like big leaguers, at least for a day.
“It’s a big blessing to have these opportunities and have this nice field and all these players and scouts with us and having great competition; it’s a good vibe,” said 12U derby champ Jaiden Walker.
In every home run derby, someone comes out on top. Donovan caught up with a few of the champion heavy hitters.
“Yeah, it feels amazing, but you know, it’s just like any other day, and tomorrow I’m going to come out and work even harder, so that’s my plan,” said 13U derby champ Christopher Domenech.
“It’s a lot of adrenaline coming out on top with all this great competition,” said Walker.
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