NEW CARLISLE - The first night of New Carlisle Hometown Days will look a little different in 2021. The Wiffle®Ball Championship will introduce the Hall of Fame Game to the Friday night festivities on July 23.
The Hall of Fame Game will be a six-inning exhibition game featuring members of the New Carlisle Wiffle®Ball Hall of Fame. All inductees, including any newly elected members, will be eligible to play in the game. Rosters will be filled out by local celebrities, prominent community members, and other invited guests. Participants and team assignments will be announced in the summer.
The game will take place at Migley Field following the conclusion of the annual Home Run Derby and will lead in to the Hometown Days Fireworks Spectacular. The Hall of Fame Game is expected to begin around 8:15pm ET.
To accommodate the Hall of Fame Game, the Home Run Derby will undergo a format change.
The Derby will remain an open competition with a $5 entry fee for each batter. Participants will still have one-minute to hit as many home runs as they can. The preliminary round will be conducted in a window between 5pm and 7pm ET. Participants may check in and hit at any time after 5pm, provided they are signed in by 6:30pm ET. There will no longer be a randomized batting order, so participants should be prepared to hit when they sign in.
The top eight hitters will advance to the single-elimination bracket finals, which should begin around 7:15pm ET. Competitors will be seeded based on their total home runs in the preliminary round. Again, each batter will have one-minute in each of the rounds.
As always, the champion of the Derby will take home the Golden Bat.
NOTE: While we are excited to launch the inaugural Hall of Fame Game this year, all events of New Carlisle Hometown Days and The Wiffle®Ball Championships are subject to change due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.