Sports

Upper St. Clair Boy Headed to MLB All-Star Events for National Contest

Jacob Hufnagel, 8, earned a spot on the field for the Home Run Derby—and more.

Ever wonder how those kids get on the field to catch fly balls during Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby?

Well, Jacob Hufnagel wonders no more.

Jacob, 8, an Upper St. Clair Township resident whose family lives on Glenwood Road, has landed one of those coveted spots by being one of the best MLB Pitch, Hit & Run contestants in the United States.

More specifically, Jacob is one of the top three 7- or 8-year-old contestants in the country, and he'll have a chance to earn his age/gender group's national title on Monday a few hours before Pittsburgh Pirate Pedro Alvarez and other MLB all-stars compete in the Derby at New York's Citi Field that night.

It's been quite a journey for Jacob to get to New York. After winning a local Pitch, Hit & Run competition at Upper St. Clair's Community and Recreation Center at Boyce Mayview Park, he moved onto a regional competition at Pittsburgh's McKinley Park—where he again placed in the top three at that level—and then to the Pirates' PNC Park for a national qualifier.

Jacob won that national qualifier, putting up a score good enough to get to Citi Field.

Scores are calculated by a formula that combines contestants' baserunning speed (from second base to home plate, using Major League distances), throwing accuracy (targets) and hitting distance and location (from a tee).

At PNC Park, Jacob finished the run in 8.89 seconds, hit three of six throwing targets and drove a ball up the middle of the big diamond and over second base. In fact, Jacob's hit over second base was the only one out of his age group to reach the outfield on a fly, his father, Jeff, said.

The 8-year-old says that hitting is his favorite part of the competition and his best shot at bringing a national championship back to Upper St. Clair.

"I really like hitting," he said. "Pitching, not so much. I think my batting, maybe, will let me win."

Jacob and his father are making the trip, all expenses paid, to New York City, where Jacob will face off against the other national finalists in his group—a boy from Florida and a boy from North Carolina.

Jacob is a Pirates fan—Andrew McCutchen is his favorite player—and will wear a Pirates cap during the competition and to shag flies on Monday. He said that he's looking forward to the Derby the most.

Jacob is a righthand-hitting, 4 foot 1 inch shortstop in the Upper St. Clair Athletic Association. Amazingly, he has already hit five grand slams this year.

And for as good of a baseball player that Jacob is, he actually hopes to be a professional football player one day. That wouldn't be too big of a stretch, either, as he's been a local NFL Punt, Pass & Kick winner, too.

Check back with Patch to see how Jacob does in New York City.


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