From the very first batter in the morning to the final swings late at night, the 2025 POWER SHOWCASE Preliminary Round delivered the most exciting and memorable prelim results in event history. Baseballs flew out of the yard at Chase Field with veracity, wowing the crowds, while breaking records and even shattering a window so high up in the stadium that no baseball had ever reached it before.

This was just the appetizer? Tuesday brings the highly-anticipated finale, as well as the three live games. But after witnessing all the excitement in Monday's home run derby preliminary rounds, it's hard to even comprehend that the best may still be yet to come.

Numerous event records were broken, three new members earned their place in the esteemed 500 Foot HR Club, players rang the foul pole for homers multiple times, three baseballs found their way into the right field swimming pool, and unimaginable displays of power were showcased batter-after-batter. For those diehard baseball fans that started off in the morning and enjoyed the action all day long, it was a rollercoaster that started in third gear, accelerated to max speed in the blink of an eye and then kept running like a freight train nonstop until the park closed.

Where does one even begin in retelling this magic to those who weren't watching the live stream online, or who were not there in person to witness it for themselves?

Perhaps we should start by flapping our wings like birds and ascending to the highest reaches of the stadium. Way up in left field, high above the concourse and even above the restaurants are a bank of windows looking far down to the playing field. From the stands below, fans cannot even really see this spot that only birds and other creatures of flight can reach. Yet somehow, a baseball was blasted up to this unreal height, where it shattered one of those windows with a home run blast Chase Field has never seen before.

California's Rickee Luevano demolished a 514-foot home run that sailed over everything in left field to then break that window. The junior from Sylmar Charter High in Los Angeles led all participating batters with 18 total home runs to slug his way into the finals of the Underclassmen Group. Luevano was also the third player on the day who eclipsed 500 feet to join the elite and esteemed 500 Foot HR Fraternity.

Alabama's Matt Ashberry also joined the club, after connecting for a 517-foot bomb that nearly reached an adjacent window in the same location. It is also the farthest HR ever hit at Chase Field during any of the POWER SHOWCASE events held there, eclipsing the 508-foot bomb from Daniel Vogelbach back in 2010.

The first of the trio to join the 500 Foot HR Club was 14U's Leyland Henry. The eighth-grader from Houston, Texas, put on an incredible display of power that wowed the crowd even before he connected for a 504-foot blast that eventually guaranteed his place in Tuesday's finals.

Henry finished with 12 home runs total, but was eventually surpassed by Chase Mital's 15, and 14 total from both Justin Robertson and Tyler Cerutti. But thanks to the Wild Card ticket awarded to the player with the longest homer of the group, Henry still advanced to the 14U championship.

While Mital was the 14U leader to earn his place in the finale, it required a double tie-breaker scenario to determine who advanced between the other two batters. Since both players each had three consecutive homers, it was then Cerutti who moved on thanks to his 441-foot blast that traveled 18 feet farther than the 423-foot bomb that was Robertson's top distance.

The event kicked off with an impressive showing from the 12U players. Jacob Roe led off the day by connecting on four straight home runs while down to his final out, setting the bar at five and also setting the stage for dramatics at every turn. Texas' Kason Henderson closed as the group leader with 16 homers that put him into the finals, while North Carolina's John Freeman connected for 13 to also reach the championship round.

Henderson displayed incredible power for a 12-year old, with a 96.8 highest exit velocity, a 392-foot shot that was the best of the group, and he also hit eight-in-a-row to catapult to the top of the leaderboard. Freeman was not far behind, topping out with a 91.1 exit velocity, while hitting four straight.

In 13U, defending-champion Rylee Sumner slugged his way back to the finals for a chance to defend his crown and win a second straight title. The eighth-grader from Melbourne, Florida, smacked 14 total home runs to lead the group, displaying both incredible power and exceptional poise to add to his POWER SHOWCASE legacy.

Arizona's Mason Pap also advanced to challenge Sumner for the title, as he hit 12 home runs that included the group long of 416 feet. Pap also hit four consecutive homers to win a tie-breaker with Adam Villa, who had 12 home runs as well.

Texas' Jacob Stogsdill eliminated the Wild Card option in 15U, as he finished second with 10 home runs to advance, while also hitting a 492-foot missile that was the group long. Facing off against Stogsdill for the 15U crown will be Georgia's Tyler Hickman, who led 15U with 14 total home runs. Hickman had a highest exit velocity of 105.1, while Stogsdill closed with one of the best of the day in any age group with a 120.4 exit velocity.

The final wave of the Preliminary Round featured a combined 37 batters from the Underclassmen and Featured groups, and it showcased a very competitive crop of hitters all fighting their way to the top of the leaderboard like it was a game of King-of-the-Hill.

Batting at the back end of the Featured Group, it was Florida's John Costello and Texas' Zach Drew who both ultimately survived and advanced by hitting 12 home runs each. Drew led the group thanks to five straight blasts that won the tie-breaker, with a 111.8 exit velocity and a long of 477 feet.

Costello had a 115.4 top exit velocity, 37.3 launch angle and a long of 488 feet, while Ashberry also impressed with a 121.7 highest exit velocity and eight total home runs. But it was his 517 foot shot that was ultimately all that he needed to earn that Wild Card spot that keeps his championship aspirations alive.

Defending World Champion Cooper Holmes just narrowly missed the chance to advance and defend his title in the Underclassmen Group. Holmes hit 10 total home runs, but was edged on a tiebreaker by Texas' Connor Young, who also hit 10 homers but advanced by hitting two straight two times during his round.

Batting late in the Underclassmen Group, Luevano displayed one of the most impressive performances of the day. After getting on the board with a 345-foot home run with the wood bat, Luevano really heated up once he switched to the metal bat for his final 15 outs. His second swing with his metal bat broke the window, and he was streaky with five in-a-row while also hitting three straight two times, and he also vaporized a 488-foot shot that hit the National League Champion sign in left field. Luevano had a 117.5 highest exit velocity and 40 degree launch angle, and he simply mashed even as he displayed excellent poise and consistent mechanics.

Nico Busalacchi, Colby Hoholland and Michael Kamper all hit home runs that splashed into the swimming pool in right field.

The craziest part of all is that even after sharing all of these accomplishments, there is so much more left that could be told. So many other players performed exceptionally well and deserved that recognition with words and recaps that could keep one reading about it right into Thanksgiving.

But instead, how about we all grab a seat or tune in online and watch the finals instead? For the best just might be what comes next.