CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) –Coached by former star major league relief pitcher Billy Wagner, the Miller School’s Evan Hankins is one of eight players in the nation making the trip to Arlington, TX, this weekend for the MLB/USA Baseball High School Home Run Derby.

Both coach and player have a southwest Virginia connection. Wagner is from Tazewell County and Hankins from Bristol, VA.

Wagner, who finished just shy of the Hall of Fame in recent balloting in 2024, told the Bristol Herald-Courier his 6’5″, 215-pound pupil “has major league pop… he can leave the park in any direction, making him very hard to pitch to.”

The Derby is two days prior to the MLB Home Run Derby and three days prior to the MLB All-Star Game. The High School Derby will stream live on MLB.com at 11:30 AM ET on Saturday, June 13.