2015 College Baseball Home Run Derby: Date, Time, TV Schedule and Participants

July is when baseball's best sluggers take center stage to compete in the annual Home Run Derby. While Major League Baseball will make fans wait until the 13th to see the titanic blasts, college baseball will whet fans' appetites on July 2 with a seven-man field launching balls over the fence. 

Just over one week after Virginia captured its first College World Series title, TD Ameritrade Park remains the site of college baseball's display of power. 

Here's the list of participants for the 2015 College Baseball Home Run Derby:

Player	Team	2015 Home Run Total
Will Craig	Wake Forest	13
Jeff Campbell	North Dakota	11
Colton Shaver	BYU	13
Zack Collins	Miami	15
Kel Johnson	Georgia Tech	10
Joe Dunand	North Carolina State	7
Kyle Lewis	Mercer	17

Where: TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska

When: Thursday, July 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

The Favorite: Zack Collins, Miami

Phil Sears/Associated Press

Even though Mercer's Kyle Lewis had the most home runs this season of anyone in the competition, Zack Collins gets a slight edge for the favorite to win because his 15 homers came against tougher opponents in the ACC. 

The Hurricanes star sophomore continues to evolve as a hitter, hitting over .300 this season while increasing his home run output from 11 to 15 and slugging .587 overall. 

Plus, there are certain players who, when they make contact, you can tell there is something different about the sound the bat makes. Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com noted Collins has that special something during the College World Series:

In an environment designed to make power hitters look good, having the right swing is everything. Collins has all the ingredients necessary to put on a show under the lights in Omaha and should be the favorite. 

The Sleeper: Joe Dunand, North Carolina State

Brad Loper/Associated Press

Staying in the ACC, Joe Dunand doesn't immediately jump out as a Home Run Derby competitor with seven home runs. His overall batting line is also lacking, as the freshman hit .219/.289/.381 in 57 games. 

Yet there's more than meets the eye with Dunand. He was in his first year playing against some of the best pitching the country has to offer on a daily basis. 

Plus, as a senior in high school just last year, Dunand pulled off one of the most remarkable baseball feats at any level, per CBS Sports' Jon Heyman:

"

Miami ballplaying legend Alex Rodriguez didn't make it to the game here Wednesday to see whether his nephew Joe Dunand could possibly extend his impossible national high school record streak of eight straight home runs in eight at-bats, but about a dozen pro area scouts came to see for themselves whether Dunand has a chance to become another A-Rod.

"

Oh, yeah, Dunand is also the nephew of Alex Rodriguez. That doesn't make him a better fit for the Home Run Derby but is a nice anecdote he can tell people. The larger point is Dunand has plenty of power in his bat, though it will take time for that to show up in games. 

Putting Dunand in a controlled exhibition environment like this will allow him to show off that pop and give him a head start on improving in 2016.

The Pick: Will Craig, Wake Forest

When it comes time to make a prediction, the third ACC player to be mentioned here will take the crown. Will Craig somehow flew under the radar, even as he was named ACC Player of the Year. The sophomore star hit a robust .382 with 13 home runs and a .702 slugging percentage. 

Baseball America's John Manuel told Barry Jacobs of the Charlotte Observer in May that Craig belonged in the Golden Spikes Award conversation. 

“He’s having about as good a year as anybody’s having in the whole country,” Manuel said. “It’s a player of the year caliber type of season. It is surprising that he’s gotten so little attention.”

Well, that didn't happen, as Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi won that honor and Craig was beaten out for the finalists' list that included LSU's Alex Bregman and Vanderbilt's duo of shortstop Dansby Swanson and right-hander Carson Fulmer. 

While it's not likely Craig will be wearing a chip on his shoulder for being excluded from that particular party, this event does give him an opportunity to build off an outstanding 2015 season and make his presence felt on a national stage that he didn't get with Wake Forest missing the NCAA tournament. 

Stats via NCAA.com