Sean Simon knew exactly how many home runs it would take to become the champion. Hitting last of the three finalists in the POWER SHOWCASE 13U Final at Globe Life Field, Simon got the job done and then continued to put on a show to become the new 13U World Champion.

The eighth-grader from Avondale, Arizona, finished the championship by smacking 16 total home runs, as he was able to swing free and loose after his eighth homer clinched him the title. He finished the event with 28 total home runs, after also leading the Preliminary Round with 12 home runs. He hit three consecutive during the finals, and his farthest shot traveled 396 feet, on his second-to-last home run of the event.

“This feels awesome,” Simon said. “At the start of the round, I was a little bit nervous, coming into it, obviously, with it being the final round. But then, after I hit the first couple, I was really in the zone. I just swung as hard as I could. After I finally got ahead of him, it was just awesome.”

Texas’ Tyler Early led off the finals, after he advanced with the Wild Card by hitting the longest of the 13U Preliminary Round with a 448-foot shot out of the ballpark. Early was successful at connecting to all fields to put out seven home runs beyond the 300-foot, all-around home run boundary.

Tennessee’s Woods Fesmire followed to bat second, after he finished the prelims in second place with 11 home runs. But Fesmire managed just two homers in the finals, to leave the decision down to either Early or Simon.

Sean got on the board with his second swing, and he never looked back.

“It’s kind of like redemption,” Simon said. “Last year I didn’t make the championship round by two home runs, so it feels awesome to come back and take it home.”

After competing in the Rookies Classic earlier in the morning, he agreed that it had helped to get him ready for the derby finals. Simon had an outstanding performance in the game as well, earning MVP honors by hitting an inside-the-park home run and scoring twice.

“I feel it helped a lot that I played pretty early,” Simon said. “I went back to our hotel and got really rested.”