2018 REMAX Home Run Derby Was a Success

For our second edition of the REMAX Home Run Derby we tried a couple tweaks to the event. Many of them paid off for a smooth running event and a good time by all.

Anybody who played softball for Allendale in the spring/summer/fall of 2018 was eligible to participate in this free event that took place October 15 at 6 pm.  We decided to do it under the lights this year and it was a cool effect and something we will try to continue in the future. One thing that we will definitely change is to move the event up between the spring and fall sessions of softball.  The weather in October is unpredictable in Michigan and it was pretty chilly the night of the derby.  This led to a drop in home runs hit and a drop in spectators.

We ended up with a pretty good turnout of about 20 participants.  With the added wrinkle of getting “points” for hitting one of the Real Estate signs, it created a bit of extra drama and opportunity for some of the less powerful hitters.  The pitching machine was also a bit unpredictable but we felt like it was fair for everyone.

We were treated with some free Red Bull provided by Chris Deneau from the REMAX softball team.  We also partnered with Titanium Jay’s Sports for prizes and equipment.  Our goal is to grow the event each year to make it more of an event and spectacle for fans and sponsors.  When the dust settled on this year’s event third place was taken by Mike Wiersma, second place was Nick Cook and first place was claimed by Jerry Ferris.  We look forward to coming back next year and building on the the success of the first two years!