Power Arms Vie for Aflac's National Baseball Player of the Year Honors
July 30 2008 - 2:21PM
PR Newswire (US)
Winner To Take Home the Coveted Jackie Robinson Award COLUMBUS,
Ga., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Pitchers with incredible talent
dominate the finalists as four hurlers are among the five players
nominated for the fifth annual Aflac National High School Player of
the Year Award, given to the country'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.
Sharon Robinson, Robinson's daughter, will present the award at the
Aflac All-American Awards Dinner held at the Omni Hotel on Aug. 8,
2008, in Los Angeles. Also on hand for the ceremony will be Hall of
Famer Ozzie Smith, who returns as honorary chairman for the 2008
Aflac All-American Baseball Game. "We are extremely pleased to once
again have Jackie Robinson's name associated with this prestigious
award," said Sharon Robinson. "This award has gone to fine young
men who exemplify what my father stood for, and gives recognition
to the student athletes who strive for excellence and give back to
the community." The Player of the Year nominees are: -- Mychal
Givens, INF/RHP, Plant HS - Tampa, Fla. -- Austin Maddox, C/RHP,
Eagle's View Academy - Jacksonville, Fla. -- Tyler Matzek, LHP,
Capistrano Valley HS - Mission Viejo, Ca. -- Matthew Purke, LHP,
Klein HS - Spring, Texas -- Donavan Tate, OF, Cartersville HS -
Cartersville, Ga. -- Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian
Academy - St. Charles, Mo. The inaugural Jackie Robinson Award,
presented in 2004, went to Aflac All-American alumnus 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. Other winners were Cody Johnson, a
first baseman/outfielder from Mosley HS (Panama City, Fla.) in
2005, Michael Burgess, an outfielder/pitcher from Hillsborough HS
(Tampa, Fla.) in 2006 and Tim Melville, a pitcher/outfielder from
Wentzville HS (Wentzville, Mo.), was honored last year. The Jackie
Robinson award, named after the first player to break the Major
League Baseball color barrier, recognizes the nation's top rising
senior who demonstrates outstanding character, exhibits leadership
and embodies the values of being a student athlete. The player of
the year nominees were determined by official Aflac All-American
Baseball Game selection partner Perfect Game and media partner
Baseball America. The sixth annual Aflac All-American High School
Baseball Game will be played Saturday, Aug. 9, at Dodger Stadium in
Los Angeles. 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 ThinkCure, the official charity of the Dodgers, which
supports critical cancer research at City of Hope and Childrens
Hospital of Los Angeles. Since 2005, the game has generated nearly
$525,000 for charity. To learn more about the Aflac National High
School Player of the Year nominees and the Aflac All-American High
School Baseball Game, 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. Our insurance products provide protection to more
than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been included in
Fortune magazine's list of America's Most Admired Companies for
seven years and in Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Best
Companies to Work For in America for ten consecutive years. Aflac
has been recognized three times by both Fortune magazine's list of
the Top 50 Employers for Minorities and Working Mother magazine's
list of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers and has also
been included in Ethisphere magazine's list of the World's Most
Ethical Companies for two 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.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080711/CLF035LOGO )
Media Contacts: Tim Turner Matt Freeman Aflac Incorporated Edelman
Sports 706-243-5594 404-832-7714
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080711/CLF035LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac CONTACT: Tim Turner,
Aflac Incorporated, +1-706-243-5594, ; Matt Freeman, Edelman
Sports, +1-404-832-7714, Web site: http://www.aflacallamerican.com/
http://www.aflac.com/
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