Aflac Honors Nation's Best High School Baseball Players
May 06 2005 - 12:42PM
PR Newswire (US)
Aflac Honors Nation's Best High School Baseball Players Phenix
City, Ala. players and Columbus High School coach announced to the
2005 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic team COLUMBUS,
Ga., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac announced today in a press
conference held at its Employee Appreciation Week rally that
teammates Kasey Kiker, a LHP from Russell County High School in
Seale, Ala. and Cory Rasmus, a RHP/3B, have been the first players
named to the 2005 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic
roster. The event was also the first official stop of the 2005
Aflac National Selection Tour. The third annual Aflac Classic will
showcase the country's top rising high school seniors in an East
versus West match-up at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Md., on Aug.
13, 2005. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO ) Now in
its second year, the Aflac National Selection Tour is a multi-city
tour that travels to the hometowns of the Aflac All-Americans to
announce their selection to the team. At each tour stop an Aflac
representative will present the player with an official game jersey
and commemorative bat. Last year's tour included events at six
Major League and four minor league ballparks. "Cory and Kasey
combine to give Russell County High School perhaps the most
talented duo of prospects in the country," said Jerry Ford, Perfect
Game USA president, referencing the high school team's present
ranking at number one by Baseball America. Aflac also announced
Bobby Howard of Columbus High School as the coach of the Aflac
All-American East team. As head coach of the Blue Devil baseball
team for the past 21 seasons, Howard has received many honors
throughout his career including induction into the Georgia Dugout
Club Sports Hall of Fame and the 2004 USA Today Coach of the Year
award. "Coach Howard represents what a high school coach should
be," said Chris Lawlor of USA Today. "He lives baseball 24-7, and
most importantly, respects the sport." Last season, Howard coached
Columbus High to a 35-2 record and the Georgia Class AAAA state
championship. That team finished at number two in the nation and
also included 2004 Aflac All-American Iain Sebastian. As a part of
Aflac's ongoing commitment to the fight against childhood cancer,
all game proceeds from the 2005 Aflac All-American High School
Baseball Classic will benefit the Division of Pediatric Oncology at
the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore. "For the past
three years, the Aflac All-American Baseball Classic has
successfully combined sporting excitement with our core
philanthropic focus," said Al Johnson, 2nd Vice President,
Advertising and Branding at Aflac. "We look forward to continuing
to support the fight against pediatric cancer while showcasing
America's most talented high school baseball players." The Aflac
All-American High School Baseball Classic is endorsed by many of
the game's pillars, including Major League Baseball. Baseball
legend Cal Ripken Jr. will serve as the game's honorary chairman
for the second consecutive year. "The Aflac Classic is quickly
becoming the premier high school all-star baseball game in the
country and we are very proud to be hosting it again at Ripken
Stadium," said Cal Ripken Jr. "The event is a real celebration of
baseball and provides a great experience to the top high school
players in the nation. Aflac has been a wonderful partner for the
game and they continue to give back by contributing proceeds to
pediatric oncology research." Baseball America and Perfect Game are
the official selection partners for the event and choose the
players for their accomplishments both on, and off the field,
including their involvement in the community. Sports America, Inc.,
is a sports marketing and event management firm based out of
Rockville, Md., which created and currently produces the Aflac
Classic. Sports America also produces the McDonald's All-American
High School Basketball Game and Jordan Classic High School All-Star
Basketball Game. To learn more about the Aflac All-American High
School Baseball Classic, or dates and stops on the official
selection tour, visit http://www.aflacallamerican.com/ . 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. Media Contacts: Mechell
Clark Aflac Incorporated 706-243-8004 Dan Sabreen Sports America
301-424-9334
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac CONTACT: Mechell
Clark of Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-8004, or ; Dan Sabreen of
Sports America, +1-301-424-9334, or Web site: http://www.aflac.com/
http://www.aflacallamerican.com/
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