Melville Wins 2007 Jackie Robinson Award as Nation's Best High School Player; Also Earns Top Pitcher Honors
August 10 2007 - 11:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Gray and Warren Share Sportsmanship Award SAN DIEGO, Aug. 10
/PRNewswire/ -- Tim Melville, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound right-handed
pitcher from Holt High School (Wentzville. Mo.), earned high school
baseball's highest honor Friday night as he was selected the winner
of the 2007 Jackie Robinson Award, on the eve of the Aflac
All-American High School Baseball Classic, the premier high school
all-star game in the country. Melville was presented with the
fourth annual award on Friday evening during the Aflac All-American
Awards Dinner at the San Diego Hall of Champions. On hand to make
the presentation was Sonya Penny, granddaughter of Jackie Robinson,
and Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, the game's honorary
chairman. At the awards ceremony, Melville also won the Pitching
Prospect of the Year award. Last season, Melville, in 12 games (63
innings), had a 10-1 record, one save and a 0.89 ERA. His effort
helped carry Holt to the finals of Missouri's Class 4-A finals, the
school's best finish, winning the semifinal game on the mound. He
also batted .443 (43-for-97) with 28 runs, 13 doubles, two triples,
a home run, 30 RBIs and three stolen bases with 17 walks and 10
strikeouts in 97 at-bats. He was selected as a first-team all-state
for Class 4-A, as voted on by the state's coaches association. The
Aflac National High School Player of the Year recognizes the
nation's top high school player entering his senior year, who
demonstrates outstanding character, exhibits leadership, and
embodies the values of being a student- athlete in both his
schoolwork and community affairs. The trophy, called the Jackie
Robinson Award, is named for the renowned Brooklyn Dodger, the
first player to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball,
and a leader in social issues off the field. Melville was chosen
from among six nominees determined by official Aflac All-American
Baseball Classic selection partners Baseball America and Perfect
Game. The other player of the year nominees included: -- Isaac
Galloway, OF, Los Osos HS - Rancho Cucamonga, Ca. -- Sonny Gray,
RHP, Smyrna HS - Smyrna, Tenn. -- Eric Hosmer, 1B, American
Heritage HS - Cooper City, Fla. -- Ethan Martin, 3B, Stephens
County HS - Toccoa, Ga. -- Harold Martinez, INF, Braddock HS -
Miami, Fla. In a balloting of coaches, players and staff, Sonny
Gray (Smyrna HS) from Smyrna, Tenn., and Brent Warren (Xavier HS)
from Robins, Iowa, were named the winners of this year's
Sportsmanship Award. Gray, a 6-foot, 185-pound right- handed
pitcher, was recognized for his decision to come to San Diego for
this week's festivities despite not being able to play in the
Classic because of local eligibility rules. Warren, a 6-3,
175-pound outfielder, is competing in San Diego, just eight months
after open heart surgery that nearly ended his athletic career. The
fifth annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic will
be played on Saturday, August 11th at San Diego State's Tony Gwynn
Stadium. The event is the nation's elite high school baseball
showcase featuring the top 38 rising senior players in an East vs.
West match-up. The game will be televised live nationally on FSN at
3 p.m. Eastern Time. Net proceeds from the game will benefit San
Diego's Rady Children's Hospital and Health Center. For more
information about the Aflac All-American High School Baseball
Classic and to download pictures and bios of the players, log on to
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. Media Contacts: Tim
Turner Jeff Heckelman Aflac Incorporated Edelman Sports
706-243-5594 212-642-7718 (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO )
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http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac CONTACT: Tim Turner
of Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-5594, Cell: +1-706-575-3286, ; or
Jeff Heckelman of Edelman Sports, +1-212-642-7718, Cell:
+1-631-312-7327, Web site: http://www.aflacallamerican.com/
http://www.aflac.com/
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