Aflac Announces Final Roster for 2005 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic - Nation's Top Prep Baseball Players to Compete in Third Annual All-Star Game - COLUMBUS, Ga., July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac announced today the final 38- player roster for the 2005 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic. The game will be played Saturday, Aug. 13 at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Md., and televised nationally live at 2 p.m. on FSN on all 18 of their regional sports networks. Proceeds from the 2005 event will benefit the Division of Pediatric Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore. The complete 2005 player roster is included below. Now in its third year, the Aflac Classic features the nation's top 38 rising seniors in an East vs. West match-up. Baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. will serve as the game's honorary chairman for the second consecutive year. "This is an extremely talented group of players who will have a huge impact on next year's Major League Baseball draft," said Jerry Ford, president of Perfect Game USA, a leading prep baseball scouting service. "The Aflac Classic is an exclusive showcase that provides scouts with an incredible opportunity to see the nation's elite players compete in a high-profile event." Aflac recently concluded its National Selection Tour, to honor many of the All-Americans with events in their hometowns and officially announce their selection to the team. This year's tour featured events at several Major League ballparks with many of baseball's top players, including Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees), Andy Pettitte (Houston Astros), John Smoltz (Atlanta Braves) and Jeff Kent (Los Angeles Dodgers). "In less than three years, the Aflac Classic has become the all-star event high school baseball players strive to play in," said Al Johnson, second vice president, Advertising and Branding at Aflac. "The game has achieved unparalleled success in the baseball world and most importantly, is proving to be an effective vehicle in raising money and awareness for pediatric cancer." The Aflac Classic is endorsed by many of the game's pillars, including Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. The game exclusively features baseball's leading industry publication, Baseball America, and prep scouting service, Perfect Game USA, as the official Aflac Classic selection partners. "Major League Baseball is pleased to endorse the Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic as the marquee prep All-American event," said Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball. "We consider it a critical part of growing the sport of baseball and developing future fans and ballplayers." Featuring the game's top prep players, the Aflac All-American alumni have had a huge impact in the past two Major League Baseball first-year player drafts. Overall, 18 alumni have been selected in the first round, including the past two No. 1 overall selections: Matt Bush (2003, San Diego) and Justin Upton (2004, Arizona). For the latest news on the 2005 game and players, log on to http://www.aflacallamerican.com/. 2005 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Roster Alphabetical Roster East Team No. Pos. Name Hgt. Wgt. High School (Hometown) 23 RHP Dellin Betances 6-6 185 Grand Street HS (New York, NY) 1 SS/OF Brent Brewer 6-0 195 Sandy Creek HS (Fairburn, Ga.) 5 OF David Christensen 6-2 195 Stoneman Douglas HS (Parkland, Fla.) 42 1B Andrew Clark 6-2 200 New Palestine HS (New Palestine, Ind.) 31 OF Cedric Hunter 6-1 185 Martin Luther King HS (Decatur, Ga.) 6 SS Ryan Jackson 6-2 170 Florida Christian School (Miami Springs, Fla.) 20 RHP Jeremy Jeffress 6-1 180 Halifax County HS (South Boston, Va.) 18 OF/1B Cody Johnson 6-4 195 Mosley HS (Panama City, Fla.) 9 LHP Kasey Kiker 5-11 185 Russell County HS (Phenix City, Ala.) 2 C/IF Torre Langley 5-10 175 Alexander HS (Winston, Ga.) 27 RHP Matt Latos 6-5 205 Coconut Creek HS (Miami, Fla.) 24 3B Chris Marrero 6-3 195 Monsignor Pace HS (Miami, Fla.) 7 RHP/IF Cory Rasmus 6-0 198 Russell County HS (Phenix City, Ala.) 10 OF Derrick Robinson 6-0 170 P.K. Yonge HS (Archer, Fla.) 22 SS/3B Billy Rowell 6-4 198 Bishop Eustace Prep (Sewell, N.J.) 25 C Max Sapp 6-2 210 Bishop Moore HS (Windermere, Fla.) 21 RHP Gerald Sullivan 6-4 195 Mt. Olive HS (Budd Lake, N.J.) 14 RHP Chris Walden 6-3 181 Bellefontaine HS (Bellefontaine, Ohio) 15 RHP Colton Willems 6-4 190 John Carroll HS (Fort Pierce, Fla.) West Team No. Pos. Name Hgt. Wgt. High School (Hometown) 2 IF Ryan Adams 6-0 185 Jesuit HS (Mandeville, La.) 11 C Robby Alcombrack 6-1 205 Bear River HS (Grass Valley, Calif.) 6 LHP Brett Anderson 6-4 205 Stillwater HS (Stillwater, Okla.) 22 IF Nathan Bridges 6-1 170 Villa Park HS (Yorba Linda, Calif.) 7 LHP/1B Gavin Brooks 6-3 190 Rancho Buena Vista HS (Vista, Calif.) 5 C/3B Hank Conger 6-0 210 Huntington Beach HS (Huntington Beach, Calif.) 1 RHP/SS Kyle Drabek 6-0 190 The Woodlands HS (The Woodlands, Texas) 4 IF Grant Green 6-3 185 Canyon HS (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) 21 LHP Taylor Hammack 6-3 210 Angleton HS (Angleton, Texas) 34 RHP Ryan Jenkins 6-5 195 Cy Falls HS (Houston, Texas) 24 LHP/1B Aaron Miller 6-3 200 Channelview HS (Channelview, Texas) 3 OF Jared Mitchell 6-0 195 Westgate HS (New Iberia, La.) 14 1B Chris Parmelee 6-1 200 Chino Hills HS (Chino Hills, Calif.) 12 OF Jeff Rapoport 6-0 183 Westlake HS (Westlake, Calif.) 30 RHP Chad Robinson 6-5 205 Silverado HS (Las Vegas, Nev.) 15 OF Drew Rundle 6-3 180 Bend HS (Bend, Ore.) 10 OF Devin Shepherd 6-4 230 Oxnard HS (Oxnard, Calif.) 9 RHP Chris Tillman 6-5 190 Fountain Valley HS (Fountain Valley, Calif.) 25 RHP Jordan Walden 6-4 185 Mansfield HS (Mansfield, Texas) About Aflac: For 50 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash where it is needed most when a life-interrupting medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed- renewable insurance in the United States and the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force in Japan. Aflac's insurance products provide protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. In January 2005, Aflac was included in Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the seventh consecutive year. Aflac has also been included in both Forbes magazine's Platinum 400 List of America's Best Big Companies and in Fortune magazine's listing of America's Most Admired Companies for five consecutive years. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO ) Media Contacts: Mechell Clark Dan Sabreen Aflac Incorporated Sports America, Inc. 706-243-8004 301-424-9334 http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac CONTACT: Media, Mechell Clark of Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-8004, or ; or Dan Sabreen of Sports America, Inc., +1-301-424-9334, or Web site: http://www.aflacallamerican.com/ http://www.aflac.com/

Copyright