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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