Colton Shaver invited to Home Run Derby in Omaha

2015 TD AMERITRADE COLLEGE HOME RUN DERBY
 
First Pitch 7:30 p.m. CDT, Thursday, July 2, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
Event to air LIVE on ESPN

OMAHA, Neb. (June 23, 2015) – TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (NYSE: AMTD) is pleased to announce Colton Shaver of Brigham Young University will participate in the sixth annual TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby.

The event will be shown live from TD Ameritrade Park here on ESPN on July 2 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Shaver was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team. He finished 2015 as the NCAA's third-leading freshman home run hitter, leading the Cougars with 13 homers. He hit pair of homers twice against Utah, and once at Utah Valley University, and Saint Mary's College.

Sporting a .314 batting average and a .598 slugging percentage, Shaver was second on the team with a 31-game on-base streak and was the Rawlings WCC Player of the Week for his play against USF. The six-foot freshman from Riverton, Utah, saw the bulk of playing time as BYU's starting mainly at DH in 53 games, batting in the 5th spot behind cleanup hitter Dillon Robinson. Shaver, the Utah High School Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014, is currently playing summer ball for the DC Grays in Washington D.C.

"I couldn't be more excited for Colton to be presented with this opportunity," BYU coach Mike Littlewood said. "If there is one thing Colton can do, it's hit the ball a long way. This event will give Colton a chance to showcase his power on a national stage."

Shaver selected Coach Littlewood to throw his pitches off the mound to him in the Derby.

Including Shave the field for the 2015 College Home Run Derby are:

• Colton Shaver, Brigham Young University: Shaver was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team. He finished 2015 as the NCAA's third-leading freshman home run hitter, leading the Cougars with 13 homers. He had multi-homer games four times this year.

• Eric Gutierrez, Texas Tech University: The defending derby champion earned All-Big 12 first team honors this season after hitting .315 with four home runs, 14 doubles and a team-leading 46 RBI. He ended the 2015 season ranked second in the Big 12 in RBI and also ranked among the league leaders in walks, on-base percentage and multiple-hit games. Gutierrez also was named an All-Midwest Region second team selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association for a second-straight season. In addition to his work offensively, Gutierrez was named the top defensive first baseman in college baseball as he garnered ABCA Rawlings Gold Glove honors.

• Will Craig, Wake Forest University: A consensus All-American, Craig put together one of the best offensive seasons in program history. The sophomore hit .382 with 13 homers and 58 RBIs, starting all 53 games for the Demon Deacons. The ACC Player of the Year led the nation in RBIs, home runs, slugging percentage and total bases at different parts of the season. A first baseman, DH and pitcher, Craig was on the Golden Spikes Award watch list, John Olerud Award watch list, and was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy.

• Jeff Campbell, University of North Dakota: Campbell recently finished an impressive collegiate career that saw him lead UND in home runs in each of his four seasons. He slugged 32 career round-trippers – third-most in school history – including a Western Athletic Conference-leading 11 homers this season. He hit .365 with 48 RBI in his final campaign and was a First Team All-WAC selection in 2015.

• Zack Collins, University of Miami: Collins earned the first Rawlings All-America honors of his career this past spring and was named a first-team All-ACC selection after hitting .302 with 15 home runs and 70 RBI as one of the nation’s top power hitters.

• Kel Johnson, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech): Even with an ankle injury that hampered him the remainder of the season, OF Johnson had an outstanding season. A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and a Freshman All-ACC pick, he capped an impressive rookie season by hitting .298 and leading all ACC freshmen with 10 home runs.

• Joe Dunand, North Carolina State: The freshman third baseman made his mark supplying power for the back half of State's deep order. Dunand provided seven homers, tied with sophomore Preston Palmeiro for second on the team. His most important HR represented the series-clincher against Virginia – a walk-off, two-run shot in the bottom of the 10th.

• Kyle Lewis, Mercer: In his first season as a starter, this sophomore nearly won the Triple Crown in the Southern Conference. He led the conference with 17 home runs and a .367 batting average. He finished fifth with 56 RBI, only 10 behind the leader. For his efforts, Lewis earned SoCon Player of the Year honors, was named a second-team All-American status, and is a finalist for the Gregg Olson Award.

Individual tickets for the 2015 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby & Omaha World-Herald Fireworks are $8 for children (ages 3-12), $12 for adults, or a ‘Family Four-Pack’ for $36. Tickets may be purchased in-person from the CenturyLink Center Omaha box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, or online at Ticketmaster.com. Service fees will apply to those tickets purchased over the phone or online, but not to those purchased in-person. For groups of 20 or more, visit www.collegehomerunderby.com.

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