“Big E” Earns Fifth Place Finish In National Home Run Derby
The eighth grade two-sport athlete at Discovery Middle School recently participated in the 14th annual World Power Showcase Home Run Derby and All-American Classic held at Loan Depot Park in Miami. The event featured some of the top amateur players from around the country and provided each player the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their skills in front of baseball’s top evaluators.
“In the Classic game I played right field and batted twice, striking out the first time and hitting a RBI single my second trip at the plate,” said Hopkins, whose American team defeated the National team 14-2. “In the Home Run Derby, I was the first to bat and hit seven homers out of 15 outs.”
The 6-foot, 185-pound slugger finished fifth in the Derby with the seven dingers with a top distance of 395 feet. His power skills were showcased by his wining the HitTrax Award for the top exit velocity of 107 miles per hour. Hopkins father, John, said of his second of three sons, “He’s growing into his own as he’s having fun and enjoys playing the game.”
John works for NASA, while his wife, Misti, works as a book keeper at Bob Jones High. They have three sons including J.W., a senior at Bob Jones, who recently signed a scholarship to play baseball at Wallace State and Jake, a seventh grader who also plays baseball.
Hopkins has excelled in his baseball skills the last three years while also playing football where at Discovery he has played defensive end and offensive line, but it’s been baseball that he began playing as a young boy at Palmer Park. He mainly plays first base, but also helps out at third base and in the outfield. “My first memory of baseball was we had a hitting net in our garage and I was there with my older brother. I decided to try and hit. When I connected with the ball I instantly fell in love with the sport,” added Hopkins.
The four-day Showcase event included workouts in front of evaluators. Hopkins said his outfield skills he demonstrated seemed to go well. His four throws from the outfield to assigned bases were, in his words, “decent,” he ran the 60-yard dash in 7.9-seconds and hitting was his personal highlight as he showed he could be as good as any of the other players in attendance.
“He’s always been around the game since he was old enough to swing the bat,” said John. “He’s always had a good swing and the last three years he has grown tremendously in his skills. We weren’t really sure how he would follow in his brother’s footsteps, but he’s doing well.”
Hopkins is known as a team leader who many times shows very little emotion. He helps his teammates and has a great attitude towards the game and his own play on the field. “As for my swing, I always swing through and never stop,” added Hopkins.
As long as he continues to follow through on his swing, the Big E will have the baseballs screaming out of the park with a velocity only a few can match.
