Nashville Predators will compete in home run derby at Hawkins Field — against Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt athletics and the Nashville Predators will collaborate on a home-run swinging good time to raise money and commemorate the beginning of the 2022-23 NHL season.

The Smashville Showdown event, announced Tuesday, will feature a home run derby and friendly softball game between Predators players and Vanderbilt athletes at 6 p.m. Sept. 19 at Hawkins Field.

“This has been a vision for several years now, and it will be an exciting evening watching some of the best from the Predators and Vanderbilt on Hawkins Field become a reality," Vanderbilt baseball general manager and chief of staff Brooks Webb said in the joint news release.

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Tickets are $25 and will benefit the Vandy United Fund, the Predators Foundation and several local charitable organizations. The Predators Foundation will also auction off items worn and used by the participants in the event, including shirts, hats and bats.

"We hope this event will make a big impact in our community and be a staple of our preseason schedule for years to come," Predators vice president of community relations Rebecca King said.

Dani Mohr is a trending sports writer for the South Region of USA Today Network based at The Tennessean in Nashville. Contact her at dmohr@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @daniraemohr

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why it's Nashville Predators vs Vanderbilt in HR derby at Hawkins Field