Five Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) players are set to compete in the upcoming MLB Home Run Derby X. Hannah Flippen (Talons), Tiare Jennings (Volts), Amanda Lorenz (Volts), Erika Piancastelli (Volts), and Sydney Romero (Talons) will participate in the new Race to Salt Lake City format, which features stops in six cities with a two-day final in Utah.
Home Run Derby X is a three-on-three home run competition that combines MLB sluggers and top women’s baseball and softball stars. In the new season-long format, teams need to win at any of the first six events to gain entry to the winner-take-all final in Salt Lake City. There will also be a Wild Card and Salt Lake City Bees team (Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels) as the teams compete for the HRDX trophy and $200,000.
“Baseball fans are in for a treat,” University of Oklahoma and AUSL Volts star Jennings said in MLB’s announcement. “Home Run Derby X brings together MLB legends and the best from women’s baseball and softball, and I’m honored to be part of it. It’s not every day you get to put on a show like this, and I plan to make the most of it!”
Jennings and Lorenz previously participated in the HRDX event at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina. Lorenz was named the Home Run Derby X MVP after scoring the most points in an inning by a female player in Home Run Derby X history with 28 in the final after an impressive 21 in the semifinal. Her performance helped her team, the Toros Braves, win the trophy.
Piancastelli participated in the inaugural Home Run Derby X event at London’s Crystal Palace Park in 2022. She hit 15 home runs and was voted the MVP.
Tickets will go on sale on May 22. The list of events is below:
July 13: Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium, home of Georgia Tech during MLB’s All-Star Week events (Atlanta, GA)
July 26: Dell Diamond, home of the Triple-A Round Rock Express (Round Rock, TX)
Aug. 9: Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the Durham Bulls (Durham, N.C.)
Aug. 23: Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City Comets (Oklahoma City, OK)
Aug. 30: Principal Park, home of the Iowa Cubs (Des Moines, Iowa)
Sept. 13: To Be Announced
Sept. 19-20: Final at the Salt Lake Bees (Salt Lake City, Utah)
The lineups and rivalry matchups will be announced soon. Fans should follow @homerunderbyx and go to mlb.com/homerunderbyx for more details.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include the addition of Erika Piancastelli to the event.
