Nation's Elite Players to Square Off on August 6 at Ripken Stadium -
COLUMBUS, Ga., June 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AFLAC announced today the
names of 14 rising high school seniors who will complete the 40-man roster for
the 2004 AFLAC All-American Baseball Classic, five additional players for the
East team and nine for the West. The 2004 AFLAC All-American High School
Baseball Classic will be played Friday, August 6 at Ripken Stadium in
Aberdeen, Md., and televised nationally on FOX Sports Net on Sunday, August 8.
All proceeds from the 2004 event will benefit the Division of Pediatric
Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore. The
complete 2004 player roster is included below.
The 2004 final roster announcement comes just two weeks after the Major
League Baseball Draft, in which four of the top ten players drafted were
members of the 2003 inaugural AFLAC All-American High School Baseball team.
Overall, there were ten AFLAC All-Americans drafted in the first round.
AFLAC recently concluded its official multi-city selection tour honoring
24 of the chosen AFLAC All-Americans in 16 cities across the country. The tour
kicked off with a press conference by Honorary Chairman Cal Ripken, Jr. at
Ripken Stadium on May 1, and concluded with legendary pitcher Roger Clemens
presenting three Texas players their official game jerseys at Minute Maid Park
in Houston June 17.
"The AFLAC All-American Classic is a great way to showcase amateur
baseball throughout the country," said Cal Ripken, Jr. "This game will elevate
high school baseball to a new level and inspire all kids to become an AFLAC
All-American."
"AFLAC has put together a tremendous showcase for the game of baseball and
I am honored to be a part of it," said Roger Clemens. "This is an opportunity
to feature tomorrow's Major League Baseball stars on a national level, while
raising money and awareness for pediatric cancer. Thanks to AFLAC's support,
this game has become the elite high school baseball event in America."
Official selection partners Baseball America and Perfect Game chose the
players for their accomplishments both on and off the field, including
involvement in the community.
To learn more about the AFLAC All-American High School Baseball Classic,
visit www.AFLACAllAmerican.com .
2004 AFLAC All-American High School Baseball Classic
Alphabetical Roster
East Team
No. Pos. Name Hgt. Wgt. High School (Hometown)
23 RHP/SS Justin Bristow 6-4 205 Mills E. Godwin HS
(Richmond, VA)
11 RHP Bradley Clark 6-6 195 Hillsborough HS (Tampa, FL)
21 OF David DiNatale 6-1 185 King's Academy HS
(Parkland, FL)
17 3B Chris Dominguez 6-5 210 Gulliver Prep HS (Miami, FL)
10 C Jonathan Egan 6-4 206 Cross Creek HS (Hephzibah, GA)
18 RHP Shane Funk 6-6 230 Arnold HS (Panama City Beach,
FL)
12 C Ralphie Henriquez 6-1 190 Key West HS (Key West, FL)
27 RHP Steve Johnson 6-1 185 St. Paul's School for Boys
(Kingsville, MD)
21 RHP Matt Lea 6-5 215 Houston HS (Collierville, TN)
22 OF Kent Matthes 6-3 195 Edgewater HS (Orlando, FL)
30 OF Cameron Maybin 6-4 200 T C Roberson HS (Arden, NC)
24 OF Andrew McCutchen 5-11 170 Fort Meade HS (Fort Meade, FL)
3 SS Mark Ortega 6-2 190 Palm Beach Gardens HS
(Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
6 IF Patrick "P.J." 6-2 170 Redan HS (Stone Mountain, GA)
Phillips
4 RHP/SS Buster Posey 6-1 175 Lee County HS (Leesburg, GA)
7 LHP Miers Quigley 6-3 190 Roswell HS (Roswell, GA)
35 RHP/OF Iain Sebastian 6-4 235 Columbus HS (Columbus, GA)
2 SS Justin Upton 6-2 190 Great Bridge HS
(Chesapeake, VA)
25 RHP Chris Volstad 6-7 190 Palm Beach Gardens HS
(Palm Beach, FL)
14 RHP/1B Josh Zeid 6-4 215 Hamden Hall Country Day School
(New Haven, CT)
West Team
No. Pos. Name Hgt. Wgt. High School (Hometown)
7 C Ryan Babineau 6-2 190 Etiwanda HS (Alta Loma, CA)
21 SS Ben Booker 6-3 180 Lorena HS (Bruceville, TX)
15 OF Jordan Danks 6-5 205 Round Rock HS (Round Rock, TX)
20 1B Ike Davis 6-4 194 Chaparral HS (Scottsdale, AZ)
8 P/OF Ryan Delaughter 6-3 215 Billy Ryan HS (Corinth, TX)
22 OF John Drennen 6-0 180 Rancho Bernardo HS
(San Diego, CA)
36 OF Diallo Fon 6-0 190 Las Lomas HS (Suisun City, CA)
12 RHP Jeremy Hellickson 6-0 170 Hoover HS (Des Moines, IA)
4 SS/3B C.J. Henry 6-3 190 Putnam City HS
(Oklahoma City, OK)
1 OF Austin Jackson 6-2 180 Billy Ryan HS (Denton, TX)
18 LHP Beau Jones 6-1 200 Destrehan HS (Destrehan, LA)
45 RHP Jeff Lyman 6-3 215 Monte Vista HS (Alamo, CA)
27 RHP Eric Massingham 6-2 205 De La Salle HS (Benicia, CA)
11 RHP Ryan Mitchell 6-4 245 Magnolia HS (Magnolia, TX)
12 RHP/3B Sean O'Sullivan 6-2 195 Valhalla HS (El Cajon, CA)
13 C Preston Paramore 6-3 210 Allen HS (Allen, TX)
2 RHP/SS Zach Putnam 6-2 205 Pioneer HS (Ann Arbor, MI)
16 SS/3B Nick Romero 6-0 180 Eastlake HS (Chula Vista, CA)
25 RHP Ryan Tucker 6-2 195 Temple City HS
(Temple City, CA)
24 3B Brett Wallace 6-2 205 Justin Siena HS (Sonoma, CA)
About AFLAC:
AFLAC Incorporated (NYSE: AFL) is an international holding company. A
Fortune 500 company, AFLAC insures more than 40 million people worldwide. It
is a leading writer of insurance products marketed at the worksite in the
United States, offering policies to employees at more than 294,600 payroll
accounts. The company insures one out of four Japanese households and is the
largest life insurer in Japan in terms of individual policies in force. In
January 2004, AFLAC was the number one insurance company in Fortune magazine's
list of "The 100 Best Companies to Work For in America" and was included in
the overall listing for the sixth consecutive year. In March 2004, Fortune
also included AFLAC in its annual listing of "America's Most Admired
Companies." And in July 2003, Fortune named AFLAC to its list of "America's 50
Best Companies for Minorities." AFLAC's Internet address is www.aflac.com .
MEDIA CONTACTS:
LAURA KANE
(706)-596-3493
LKANE@AFLAC.COM
FOR PLAYER PHOTOS CONTACT:
DAN SABREEN
(301)-424-9334
DAN.SABREEN@SPORTSAMERICAINC.COM
STEFANIE WUCKOVICH
(850)-668-2222
SWUCKOVICH@ZIMMERMAN.COM