Valrico Girl to Compete in National Pitch, Hit and Run Finals

Move over, boys of summer. This summer the spotlight is on the girls, well, one girl in particular.

Sloan Hammons, 12, of Valrico is a finalist in Major League Baseball's Pitch, Hit & Run finals to be held July 9 at 2:15 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City prior to the MLB All-Star Game July 10.

According to the MLB, Hammons is one of three national finalists in the 11- to 12-year-old softball division. She will compete against players from Council Grove, Kan., and Hemet, Calif., according to the MLB.

Hammons, an honor student at Mulrennan Middle School, plays with the All-Star Team at Bloomingdale Little League as well as travel ball with the Florida Fire, based at the Bloomingdale Little League.

She started playing softball at the age of 8, following in the footsteps of her mother, Shelley, who played high school softball, and her aunt who pitched at Georgia State for four years and then played with Phil Niekro's Colorado Silver Bullets all-women's baseball team.

"Softball is a big part of our lives," said Hammons' father, Eric.

The 5-foot-9-inch incoming eighth-grader pitches and plays centerfield and shortstop.

"I just love softball," said Sloan Hammons. "It's a great way to keep active and it’s something I’m good at."

MLB's Pitch, Hit & Run program is a skills competition that has been held for the past 14 years for ages 7-14. It invites youth to demonstrate their skills by competing in pitching, hitting and running competitions.

All 30 MLB Clubs hosted team championships at their ballparks on weekends from May 26 through June 24. The top three competitors nationwide from each age group (7-­8, 9-­10, 11-­12 and 13-­14) advance to the 2012 Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run National Finals.

There will be 24 finalists competing at the national competition. Only one other Floridian, Samantha Sherer of Miramar Beach, made it to the finals.

In addition to the Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run National Finals, the 24 finalists will have a chance to shag some fly balls during a televised homerun derby. 

Players also will make a trip to MLB All-Star FanFest, an interactive baseball theme park and the largest baseball fan event in the world. Among its attractions are an exhibit from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, batting cages, clinics from Major League legends along with free autograph sessions with former Royals, MLB legends and Hall of Famers.

Hammons won the local competition at Bloomingdale Little League and then went on to compete at Tropicana Field May 30. This was the second time she's competed at Tropicana Field but her first time going to nationals. She previously came in third at Tropicana Field.

"This time at the Trop, she outhit everyone, including the boys," said her dad, Eric, who will fly to Kansas City with his daughter this weekend.

"This is a big deal, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Eric Hammons. "I’m very proud of her. There were 685,000 kids who competed nationwide, and she's one of 24 finalists. And she's the only hometown girl representing the Rays."

Eric Hammons said the family received the news that Sloan qualified when it was announced live on the MLB Network.

I kind of let out a little scream when I heard my name," said Sloan Hammons. "I'm pretty excited about it."

Sloan Hammons believes she stands a good chance of winning the national competition.

She said she received some tips from fellow Florida Fire player Annie Tarte of Lithia, the 2009 national champion of the Hit, Pitch & Run competition.

"I think I have a pretty good chance as long as I get good pitching," Sloan Hammons said. "I’m strongest in batting and running."