Aflac Unveils Final Roster for 2007 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic, to be Held August 11
July 02 2007 - 10:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Nation's Top High School Players to Compete in Fifth Annual
All-Star Game in San Diego COLUMBUS, Ga., July 2 /PRNewswire/ --
Aflac today announced the full player roster for the fifth annual
Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic, featuring the best
high school baseball players in the country. The 2007 Aflac
All-American Baseball Classic will be played at San Diego State's
Tony Gwynn Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 11, airing live on FSN at 3
p.m. ET. Proceeds from the 2007 event will benefit San Diego's Rady
Children's Hospital. Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, a 15-time All Star
and 13-time Gold Glove award winner, is this year's honorary
chairman. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO ) (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO ) "This
Aflac All-American class has a bit of everything, from amazing
athletes to big power pitchers and hitters," said Jerry Ford,
president of Perfect Game USA, which, along with Baseball America,
is one of the game's selection partners. "Some of the fastest
players in the country, the very best arms and serious power
hitters will entertain the crowd in San Diego. This is perhaps the
strongest group of kids we've ever selected to play in the Aflac
Classic." "I'm thrilled to join Aflac in honoring the stars of
tomorrow -- the very best high school players across the country --
in San Diego, my first major league home," Ozzie Smith said. "I
wish a game like this existed back when I was in high school, and I
can only imagine how special it will be for these young men to get
such national recognition and exposure." The Aflac All-American
High School Baseball Classic showcases the nation's top high school
players in an East versus West match-up. Aflac All-Americans are
chosen by official selection partners Baseball America magazine and
prep scouting service Perfect Game USA. All participants must have
just completed their junior year of high school, be in good
academic standing and display redeeming qualities off the field
that embody the ideals of the sport of baseball, including
discipline, determination and hard work. "Now going into our fifth
year, we're proud that the Aflac All-American High School Baseball
Classic has become the nation's premiere high school baseball
event," said Jeff Herbert, Aflac's chief marketing officer. "The
game is a terrific way for us to shine a spotlight on local kids in
communities around the country, while raising money and awareness
for pediatric cancer, a cause that's near and dear to us." The
Aflac All-American Classic boasts alumni who have had a huge impact
in the past four Major League Baseball first-year player drafts.
Overall, 42 alumni have been selected in the first round, including
two No. 1 overall selections: Matt Bush (2004, San Diego) and
Justin Upton (2005, Arizona). The 2007 draft saw a record 13 Aflac
All-Americans drafted in the first round. Of the 38 players to play
in the 2007 game, 34 were drafted. This year, Homer Bailey became
the first Aflac All-American alumnus to play in the major leagues
when he won his major debut for the Cincinnati Reds in June. The
players will be led by a stellar coaching staff as well. Mike
Sheppard, Jr., head coach at perennial Seaton Hall Prep in West
Orange, N.J., will manage the East team. He will be assisted by the
manager of last year's East squad, Kevin Maris, of Oak Hall School
in Gainesville, Fla. (and son of former Yankees slugger Roger
Maris), and Bill Nicholson of Centennial High School in Sugar Hill,
Ga. Managing the West team will be legendary San Diego coach Manny
Hermosillo of Montgomery High School. Rounding out the West
coaching staff are former major leaguer Cecil Espy and Omar
Washington, both of whom have coached in the classic since its
inception. The Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic is
endorsed by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball
Players Association as the country's marquee prep All-American
event. The full team roster is on the following page. To learn more
about the Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic, visit
http://www.aflacallamerican.com/. About Aflac For more than 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. Our insurance products provide
protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been
included in Fortune magazine's listing of America's Most Admired
Companies for seven consecutive years and in Fortune magazine's
list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for nine
consecutive years. Aflac has also been recognized three times by
both Fortune magazine's listing of the Top 50 Employers for
Minorities and Working Mother magazine's listing of the 100 Best
Companies for Working Mothers. 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. About Sports America
Sports America, Inc., is a sports marketing and event management
firm based in Rockville, Md., which created and currently produces
the Aflac Classic. Sports America also produces the McDonald's
All-American High School Basketball Game. East Team No. Pos. Name
Hgt. Wgt. High School (Hometown)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
77 RHP Jack Armstrong 6-7 200 Jupiter High School (Jupiter, FL) 5
OF Xavier Avery 6-0 185 Cedar Grove High School (Decatur, GA) 3 INF
Tim Beckham 6-2 191 Griffin High School (Kennesaw, GA) 45 LHP Brett
DeVall 6-4 215 Rutherford High School (Parker, FL) 33 LHP Anthony
Ferrara 6-1 170 Riverview High School (Riverview, FL) 39 OF Wesley
Freeman 6-4 210 All Saints Academy (Lakeland, FL) 2 RHP Sonny Gray
6-0 185 Smyrna High School (Smyrna, TN) 22 C Taylor Hightower 6-1
190 Cartersville High School (Cartersville, GA) 1 OF Destin Hood
6-2 185 St. Paul's Episcopal High School (Eight Mile, AL) 20 1B
Eric Hosmer 6-4 210 American Heritage High School (Cooper City, FL)
6 SS Garrison Lassiter 6-2 187 West Forsyth High School (High
Point, NC) 29 LHP Kyle Long 6-8 285 St. Anne's Belfield High School
(Ivy, VA) 18 RHP Daniel Marrs 6-3 200 James River High School
(Midlothian, VA) 13 3B Ethan Martin 6-3 200 Stephens County High
School (Toccoa, GA) 9 INF Harold Martinez 6-3 185 Braddock High
School (Miami, FL) 14 RHP Quinton Miller 6-2 178 Shawnee High
School (Medford, NJ) 17 C Adrian Nieto 6-0 195 American Heritage
High School (Hialeah, FL) 23 RHP Michael Palazzone 6-4 190 Lassiter
High School (Marietta, GA) 21 LHP Scott Silverstein 6-5 205 St.
John's College High School (Brookeville, MD) Manager: Mike
Sheppard, Jr. Assistant Coaches: Kevin Maris, Billy Nicholson West
Team No. Pos. Name Hgt. Wgt. High School (Hometown)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 INF Chris Amezquita 6-2 190 Servite High School (La Mirada, CA) 8
INF Andy Burns 6-1 180 Rocky Mountain High School (Ft. Collins, CO)
10 RHP Gerrit Cole 6-3 190 Orange Lutheran High School (Santa Ana,
CA) 12 RHP Jarred Cosart 6-3 175 Clear Creek High School (League
City, TX) 24 OF Isaac Galloway 6-3 190 Los Osos High School (Rancho
Cucamonga, CA) 7 OF Robbie Grossman 6-1 195 Cy Fair High School
(Cypress, TX) 23 RHP BJ Hermsen 6-6 230 West Delaware High School
(Masonville, IA) 2 OF Aaron Hicks 6-1 160 Wilson High School (Long
Beach, CA) 6 RHP Taylor Jungmann 6-5 180 Rogers High School
(Temple, TX) 15 LHP Walker Kelly 6-0 188 Arlington Heights High
School (Fort Worth, TX) 9 RHP Tim Melville 6-5 205 Wentzville Holt
High School (Wentzville, MO) 17 RHP Alex Meyer 6-7 200 Greensburg
High School (Greensburg, IN) 18 1B Clark Murphy 6-3 200 Fallbrook
Union High School (Fallbrook, CA) 33 INF Ricky Oropesa 6-2 215
Etiwanda High School (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) 5 RHP Ryan O'Sullivan
6-1 180 Valhalla High School (El Cajon, CA) 11 C Kyle Skipworth 6-3
195 Patriot High School (Riverside, CA) 3 C Jordan Swagerty 6-1 180
Prestonwood Christian Academy (Sachse, TX) 21 OF Brent Warren 6-3
175 Xavier High School (Robins, IA) 44 LHP Austin Wright 6-3 210
Conant High School (Schaumburg, IL) Manager: Manny Hermosillo
Assistant Coaches: Cecil Espy, Omar Washington Media Contacts: Tim
Turner Jeff Heckelman Aflac Incorporated Edelman Sports
706-243-5594 212-642-7718
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac CONTACT: Tim Turner
of Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-5594, ; or Jeff Heckelman of
Edelman Sports, +1-212-642-7718, Web site: http://www.aflac.com/
http://www.aflacallamerican.com/
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