Burgess Wins 2006 Jackie Robinson Award as Aflac National High School Player of the Year
August 11 2006 - 11:15PM
PR Newswire (US)
Dietrich wins Sportsmanship Award; Main takes honor as top pitcher
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Power on the mound and at the
plate helped Michael Burgess, a left handed pitcher and outfielder
from Tampa's Hillsborough High School, earn the nation's top
baseball honor, the 2006 Aflac High School Player of the Year.
Burgess was presented with the fourth annual Jackie Robinson Award
during the Aflac All-American Awards Dinner tonight at the Town
& Country Resort in San Diego. On hand to make the presentation
were the late Hall of Famer's widow, Rachel Robinson, and Hall of
Fame slugger Reggie Jackson. 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. Last season,
Burgess batted .511 (45-for-88) with 12 home runs, 48 RBIs, 11
doubles and 24 stolen bases as a junior at Hillsborough. He led his
high school team to the state Class 5-A championship series,
finishing as runners- up after losing to Milton's Pace High 11-7.
In the championship game against Pace, Burgess crushed a home run
that traveled an estimated at 465 feet at Ed Smith Stadium in
Sarasota. Bo Jackson, Cecil Fielder and Frank Thomas are reportedly
the only players to hit balls of that distance at the stadium.
Burgess 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: * Matt Harvey, RHP, Fitch HS -- Mystic, Conn. * 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, Calif. Also honored were Derek Dietrich and Michael Main.
In a balloting of coaches, players and staff, Dietrich, from St.
Ignatius High School (Parma, Ohio), took the Sportsmanship Award
for his efforts this week. Baseball America also named Deland
(Fla.) High School's Michael Main its Pitching Prospect of the
Year. The fourth annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball
Classic will be played on Saturday, August 12th 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. Reggie Jackson is the honorary
chairman of the 2006 game, which 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/. 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 http://www.aflac.com/. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO) Media
Contacts: Tim Turner Aflac 706-575-3286 cell Danny Ferrauiola
Edelman 646-483-8242 cell Matthew Freeman Edelman 404-226-3304 cell
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050721/CLTH055LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac Incorporated CONTACT:
Tim Turner of Aflac, +1-706-575-3286, or ; or Danny Ferrauiola,
+1-646-483-8242, or , or Matthew Freeman, +1-404-226-3304, or ,
both of Edelman for Aflac Web site: http://www.aflac.com/
http://www.aflacallamerican.com/
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