Gray and Warren Share Sportsmanship Award

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Tim Melville, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound right-handed pitcher from Holt High School (Wentzville. Mo.), earned high school baseball's highest honor Friday night as he was selected the winner of the 2007 Jackie Robinson Award, on the eve of the Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic, the premier high school all-star game in the country.

Melville was presented with the fourth annual award on Friday evening during the Aflac All-American Awards Dinner at the San Diego Hall of Champions. On hand to make the presentation was Sonya Penny, granddaughter of Jackie Robinson, and Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, the game's honorary chairman.

At the awards ceremony, Melville also won the Pitching Prospect of the Year award. Last season, Melville, in 12 games (63 innings), had a 10-1 record, one save and a 0.89 ERA. His effort helped carry Holt to the finals of Missouri's Class 4-A finals, the school's best finish, winning the semifinal game on the mound. He also batted .443 (43-for-97) with 28 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, a home run, 30 RBIs and three stolen bases with 17 walks and 10 strikeouts in 97 at-bats. He was selected as a first-team all-state for Class 4-A, as voted on by the state's coaches association.

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.

Melville 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:

    -- Isaac Galloway, OF, Los Osos HS - Rancho Cucamonga, Ca.
    -- Sonny Gray, RHP, Smyrna HS - Smyrna, Tenn.
    -- Eric Hosmer, 1B, American Heritage HS - Cooper City, Fla.
    -- Ethan Martin, 3B, Stephens County HS - Toccoa, Ga.
    -- Harold Martinez, INF, Braddock HS - Miami, Fla.

In a balloting of coaches, players and staff, Sonny Gray (Smyrna HS) from Smyrna, Tenn., and Brent Warren (Xavier HS) from Robins, Iowa, were named the winners of this year's Sportsmanship Award. Gray, a 6-foot, 185-pound right- handed pitcher, was recognized for his decision to come to San Diego for this week's festivities despite not being able to play in the Classic because of local eligibility rules. Warren, a 6-3, 175-pound outfielder, is competing in San Diego, just eight months after open heart surgery that nearly ended his athletic career.

The fifth annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic will be played on Saturday, August 11th 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 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.

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 listing of America's Most Admired Companies for seven consecutive years and in Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for nine consecutive years. Aflac has also been recognized three times by both Fortune magazine's listing of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities and Working Mother magazine's listing of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers. 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.

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SOURCE  Aflac
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TP-JK
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