Canton baseball coach Mark Blomshield was the overall winner of the event, blasting 14 home runs in two rounds. (photo by Ed Wright)

First PCEP Home Run Derby was a hit for competitors and a good cause

BY ED WRIGHT
July 25, 2010, 4:15 p.m.

  Pitchers can hit.

  Mark Blomshield proved it 14 times during Sunday's inaugural PCEP Home Run Derby, a fun-filled event held to raise money for the Miracle League of Plymouth.

  Blomshield, the head baseball coach at Canton and a former pitching standout at Western Michigan University, swatted 14 balls into the trees beyond the right-field fence at Salem's baseball field to outlast a field of 15 hitters on a perfect day for baseball and fund-raising.

  "I have to admit: I did take a couple rounds of batting practice the past couple of weeks," Blomshield said, smiling, following his impressive power display. "Hopefully, a few more kids will see an old coach like me out here hitting a few out and give it a shot next year. It's not about hitting home runs, though. It's about raising money for a good cause."

  The good cause is the specially constructed baseball field that will be built next spring behind Central Middle School in Plymouth. The field, which will have a rubber surface from dugout to dugout to make it accessible for special-needs kids and adults in wheelchairs, is the driving force behind the Miracle League of Plymouth.

  "I'm ecstatic with how everything went today," said Plymouth businessman Ted Barker, who is overseeing the construction phase of the MLP complex. "We had a nice crowd and a great group of wonderful kids competing. I'm already excited for next year's derby. This is definitely something we can build off of.

  "My guess is the event will raise anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000 - we won't have a definite number for a while. We had a $1,000 donation right off the bat."

  Sunday's derby was open to all current PCEP baseball players (and coaches) and alumni who were 23 years old or younger. The idea for the event was developed by 2010 Salem graduate and baseball standout Chris Kordick, who helped Barker and several other MLP board members put the pieces in place.

  "I loved it," said Kordick, who also competed in the event. "It was fun to come back and see all the old alumni and coaches. It was kind of weird walking back in the old dugout with my jersey on, but it was fun. It was a great day all around."

  Kordick, who was the first of the 15 hitters to step into the batter's box, admitted he had a few butterflies during the derby's first round.

  "I was freaking out," he said, chuckling. "It's hard to get up there and hit home runs because you're in a batting-practice mentality, trying to hit everything straight off the barrel of the bat. We had to add a little loop to our swings."

  Each competitor was slotted eight outs in the first round. Everything other than a home run was considered an out. 

  Kordick was one of six hitters to advance to the second round of the competition along with Blomshield (five home runs); current Salem players Ken Novak (three) and Brett Ramirez (two); Canton 2010 graduate Joe Galanty (one) and 2009 Salem grad Kyle Powell (one).

  Blomshield got in a groove in round two, rocking nine taters over the 350 sign in right field, to distance himself from the rest of the field.

  "(Salem head baseball coach) Dale (Rumberger) did a nice job pitching to me," said Blomshield. "During warm-ups, he said, 'You're probably like all lefties and like it low and inside.' I told him I actually liked it high and inside so I could elevate it, and that's right where he put the ball."

  Novak and Galanty advanced to the 10-out finals of the current players competition, blasting a combined four long balls out of the park.

  The final round couldn't have been more dramatic. After Novak hit two out, Galanty rocked a pair over the fence.

  With nine outs and an overtime session looming, Galanty smashed former teammate Gil Salinas's offering over the left-center field fence to win the first-place trophy.

  Also competing in the event were Tate Thiesen, Dave Loos, Adam Powers, Evan Gambino, Kevin Delapaz, Tommy Rodriguez, Devin Price and Eric Lee.

Joe Galanty (left) flips his bat in the air and receives a double high-five from former teammate Kevin Delapaz after winning the current player championship with a final-out home run. (Ed Wright photo)

Salem's Ken Novak watches one of his blasts hit the base of the wall in left-center field. (Ed Wright photo)

Salem head baseball coach Dale Rumberger served as the batting-practice pitcher for most of the derby participants. (Ed Wright photo) 

Salem's Brett Ramirez eyes a juicy, belt-high fastball. (Ed Wright photo)

Former Canton two-sport standout Adam Powers awaits the next pitch. (Ed Wright photo)

Chris Kordick, who helped organize the event, advanced to the second round of the competition. (Ed Wright photo)

Pictured is the left-center field fence that was the primary target for most of the competitors. (Ed Wright photo)