Drawing inspiration from grandparents, Reading’s Nick Marshall powers to A Shot For Life home run derby title

Marshall’s nine home runs were more than the three other finalists combined in the final round. Throughout the three rounds, the Reading native smacked a total of 33 home runs. After starring for the Rockets, Marshall just finished his first week at Westfield State and is vying to be the Owls’ starting first baseman.

Marshall’s grandmother, Maurine, is battling late Stage 1 lung cancer and could not be in attendance.

“She motivates me a lot,” Marshall said. “The struggles that she goes through on a daily basis is unmatched. She walks through with a smile on her face every day. I see that and I’m like ‘OK, I’m having a bad day’, but then I see what she has to go through every day and I’m just happy that I’m healthy and able to come here and do what I do every day.”

A Shot for Life founder and CEO Mike Slonina did not have a number for how much money was raised from the event, with the softball home run derby still to be Sunday.

“Their talent means something off the field,” Slonina said. “These guys work extremely hard to be as good as they are today. I don’t know who it was, but whoever came in last today did it for people who will never be able to say thank you. It’s such a special thing to be able to use your talent to help people and I really love that we can offer a unique ability to do that with our talent based events.”

The home run derby served as a means for 13 of the region’s best sluggers to showcase their skills, while raising money and awareness for cancer research.

“It’s amazing what they are doing,” Marshall said. “It’s for a great cause obviously and I’m sure that a lot of kids here have personal connections with it. It’s very personal for me to buy into what they are saying and I take it with me every day.”