When an alumni bracket was announced for the Fourth Annual Hillsdale College Home Run Derby, it created the possibility of a tantalizing showdown between past Derby champs.
And on a beautiful Friday night at Simpson Field, 2019 champion Cooper Peterson (Leland, MI/Traverse City St. Francis) and 2018 champion Jake DePillo didn't disappoint.
Both won their respective brackets to set up a final showdown, with Peterson smashing seven home runs in the head-to-head matchup to repeat as champion and become the first two-time winner in the Home Run Derby's four-year history.
"It's a lot of fun to participate and win the title for a second time," Peterson said after his victory. "It gives me the chance to go for three in a row next year."
Peterson made an early statement that he was primed to repeat, hitting nine home runs in the first round to lead all 17 hitters, nine current players and eight alumni.
But the defending champion got a scare in the second round, as he tied teammate Cody Kanclerz (Plymouth, MI/Detroit Catholic Central) with four home runs and had to win a hit-off to advance to the finals of the Current Players Bracket and keep his dreams of a repeat title alive.
But the sophomore pulled it out to set up a matchup against teammate Steven Strachan III (Caro, MI/Caro), and outslugged Strachan 5-4 to take the bracket crown.
In the alumni bracket, DePillo, a 2019 graduate, finished in a three-way tie for second in the first round behind former All-American Ethan Wiskur ('17), but caught fire in round two with five home runs to set up a showdown with former teammate Steven Ring, a two-time All-American and Hillsdale College's all-time leader in home runs.
With the alumni bracket title on the line, DePillo edged Ring by one home run to keep his own hopes of a second overall title alive, but the graduate couldn't keep pace with a determined Peterson in the final showdown, settling for a respectable runner-up finish.
Along with Peterson, Strachan and Kanclerz, Rob Zurawski (Detroit, MI/Warren De La Salle) advanced out of the first round in the Current Players bracket, and former All-American Chris McDonald ('16) was the fourth batter to advance out of round one in the Alumni bracket.
All told, the 17 players combined for 106 home runs on the night, with Peterson leading the way with 27 across all rounds on the way to the crown.
The 2020 Derby was not only well-attended but also a fundraising success for the Hillsdale baseball program thanks to generous support from alumni, player families and friends of the program.
With current players and alumni soliciting donations to give themselves extra time to hit, the Chargers surpassed their fundraising goal of $14,000 the day before the start of the Derby and had gone over the $15,000 mark with money still coming in by the Derby's end.
The Hillsdale College baseball team thanks everyone who donated, participated in, and watched along this year's Home Run Derby, both in person and at home. The Chargers are looking forward to seeing all of its fans and friends of the program in the spring for the start of the 2021 season, and at next season's Fifth Annual Home Run Derby as well.
If you missed the Derby live, you can stream the whole event in the On Demand section at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hillsdale/.
Photo: Cooper Peterson (right) is congratulated by teammate Steven Strachan III after winning the Current Players bracket at the 2020 Hillsdale College Home Run Derby. Credit/Kasidy Carson