Well-Armed Nominees for Aflac National High School Baseball Player of the Year Award Announced
July 19 2006 - 3:14PM
PR Newswire (US)
Jackie Robinson Award to be Presented on August 11 at Aflac
All-American Awards Dinner COLUMBUS, Ga., July 19 /PRNewswire/ --
Six of the nation's outstanding rising seniors - five of whom are
power pitchers - have been nominated for the third annual Aflac
National High School Player of the Year Award, given to the
nation's top prep baseball player. The Player of the Year recipient
will be presented with the Jackie Robinson Award, a trophy named in
honor of the late Hall of Famer. Rachel Robinson, his widow, will
present the award at the Aflac All-American Awards Dinner, which
will be held at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center
on Aug. 11, 2006 in San Diego. Also on hand for the ceremony will
be Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, honorary chairman for this year's
game. The Player of the Year nominees (as well as their positions,
high school and hometown) are: - Michael Burgess, LHP/OF,
Hillsborough HS - Tampa, Fla. - Matt Harvey, RHP, Fitch HS -
Mystic, Ct. - Justin Jackson, SS, T.C. Roberson HS - Asheville,
N.C. - Michael Main, RHP/OF, DeLand HS - Deltona, Fla. - Greg
Peavey, RHP, Hudson Bay HS - Vancouver, Wash. - Robert Stock,
C/RHP, Agoura HS - Westlake Village, Ca. The inaugural Jackie
Robinson Award, presented in 2004, went to Aflac All- American
Justin Upton, a shortstop from Great Bridge HS (Chesapeake, Va.).
The Arizona Diamondbacks made Upton the No. 1 overall pick of the
2005 Major League Baseball June draft. Last year, Cody Johnson, a
first baseman/outfielder from Mosley High School in Panama City,
Fla., won the award. Johnson was taken No. 24 in the first round by
the Atlanta Braves in this year's MLB June draft. The award is
named after Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, the first player to
break the Major League Baseball color barrier, and recognizes the
nation's top rising senior who demonstrates outstanding character,
exhibits leadership and embodies the values of being a
student-athlete in both his schoolwork and community affairs. We're
excited to have them as Aflac All-Americans. "I am proud to have
Jackie Robinson's name associated with this prestigious award,"
said Rachel Robinson. "The award stands for all the ideals Jack
symbolized and celebrates the student athletes who strive for
excellence and give back to the community." The player of the year
nominees were determined by official Aflac All- American Baseball
Classic selection partners Perfect Game and Baseball America.
"These are six outstanding players and most worthy of their
selection as Jackie Robinson Award finalists," said Al Johnson,
second vice president, Advertising and Branding, at Aflac. "They
represent the best of the best on the field and in their
communities." The fourth annual Aflac All-American High School
Baseball Classic will be played Saturday, Aug. 12 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 Fox Sports Net at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Proceeds from
the game will benefit the Hematology/OncologyCare Center at San
Diego's Children's Hospital and Health Center. To learn more about
the Aflac National High School Player of the Year nominees and 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. Aflac's 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 six consecutive years and Forbes magazine's Platinum
400 List of America's Best Big Companies for five consecutive
years. In January 2006, Aflac was included in Fortune magazine's
list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the
eighth consecutive year. Aflac was also included in Fortune
magazine's list of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities in August
2005, and in September 2005, Aflac Japan was named the Life
Insurance Company of the Year at the Asia Insurance Industry
Awards, sponsored by the Asia Insurance Review. 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:
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Contacts: Tim Turner Aflac Incorporated 706-243-5594
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http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac Incorporated CONTACT:
Tim Turner of Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-5594, or Web site:
http://www.aflac.com/ http://www.aflacallamerican.com/
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