Dogs' Aaron Judge Wins 2012 Home Run Derby

 
(July 5, 2012) -- Fresno State junior outfielder Aaron Judge won the 2012 TD Ameritrade College Baseball Home Run Derby in front of 22,403 people on Tuesday night at Omaha's TD Ameritrade Park.
 
Judge launched 16 home runs in three rounds, including four straight and the bonus ball when down to his final out for a total of eight home runs in the deciding round.  He brought Bulldogs' volunteer assistant coach Ryan Overland to Omaha to be his pitcher for the event.
 

"I'm so excited for both Aaron and OV," Fresno State head baseball coach Mike Batesole said of the win by Judge and Overland.  "What a fun day of baseball. 'Dogs everywhere are fired up!"

 Judge qualified for the finals with a total of eight home runs through the first two sessions before erupting for eight home runs to best LSU's Mason Katz and Virginia Tech's Tyler Horan for the championship.

"Words really can't describe it," Judge said of the experience. "Going into this competition, I was just excited about going and being able to experience everything and get a chance to meet some awesome ball players and take a few swings at a great ball park. But going there and winning it with all the great guys there is amazing. I really just got to thank OV -- he really helped me stay focused and have some fun, so I'm glad he was there."

 Judge became the second Bulldog to reach the Derby's finals.  In 2010, former Bulldog Jordan Ribera finished second in the inaugural derby, which was held as the final event at Rosenblatt Stadium.

 The event will air tape-delayed on CBS on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT.  Judge was one of eight individuals from across the nation selected to compete at the event.

Judge was the only student-athlete from the West picked to participate, as he joined players from the ACC (3), SEC (2), Southern (1) and Ohio Valley (1). Judge was the first male Fresno State student-athlete to represent the Mountain West Conference in a competition.

Swimmer Dani Yoho was the first Fresno State student-athlete to compete for the Mountain West in any competition when she swam the 50-meter freestyle last Sunday at the Olympic Trials, also held in Omaha.

 In 2012, Judge launched four home runs, including two off Stanford ace pitcher and the Pittsburgh Pirates' top draft pick (No. 8 overall) Mark Appel, in leading Fresno State to its seventh-straight conference championship and the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

 Judge, a two-time first-team all-conference honoree and a 2011 Freshman All-American, also posted 27 RBI, went 13-for-15 in stolen-base attempts, scored 47 runs and had 14 doubles. He recorded a season batting average of .332.

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