CARY, N.C. -- GBG San Diego's Max Villalva put on a dominant performance at the 2022 11U Futures Invitational Home Run Derby on Friday night, cranking 12 homers in two rounds to secure the derby trophy. Villalva hit five homers in the first round to advance to the championship round, and then cranked seven dingers in the finals to win it.
Villalva homered all over the ballpark in the derby victory, spreading the homers around. His first-round showing put him into the final round against One National's Andres Armenta, Carolina Cardinals' Mason Karraas, ZT Prospect National's Eli Martinez, and Premier Nationals' Quinn Neal. Martinez and Neal each cranked five homers in the final round, but Villalva was able to pull away with the seven-homer showing.
The derby featured 23 participants, with each competing in the first round before the top five contestants moved on to the final. The National Training Complex was jumping all derby long, with players' teammates and families heavily invested in the result.
Villalva is currently batting .556 (5-for-9) in the 11U Futures Invitational, leading the offensive attack for GBG San Diego. He has a hit in all three of the team's games, including multiple hits in each of his last two. Villalva has already locked in a spot at 2022 12U National Team Trials via last year's National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup.
He was only one of three batters to hit double dit homers on Friday night, along with Martinez and Neal.
The 11U Futures Invitational gets back into action on Saturday morning, with the semifinal round set to kick off at 10:45 a.m. at Middle Creek Park in Cary, North Carolina.
