SAN DIEGO – July 7, 2010 – Today marks the release of the full 38-player roster for the 2010 Aflac All-American Baseball Classic. The nation’s top high school baseball players will descend upon San Diego to play in the eighth annual baseball showcase, featuring an East versus West matchup of the nation’s top high school players. The 2010 game will be played Aug. 15 at 5 p.m. PDT in PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres, and will be nationally televised live on FOX Sports Net.
Andre “The Hawk” Dawson, eight-time MLB Gold Glove outfielder and four-time MLB Silver Slugger, will serve as honorary chairman for the 2010 showcase. Dawson will be inducted into the MLB Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010.
In addition to helping promote the Aflac All-American Baseball Classic, Dawson will be on-site in San Diego for game week activities, including player practice sessions and the annual awards banquet. This will be Dawson’s first time serving as honorary chairman. Past honorary chairmen have included Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith (2007, 2008, 2009), Reggie Jackson (2006), Cal Ripken Jr. (2004, 2005) and Stan Musial (2003).
“I feel honored to have the opportunity to serve as the 2010 honorary chairman,” said Dawson. “I look forward to interacting with these young men to pass along the knowledge I gained during my career and help them prepare for a bright and positive future, whether on or off the field.”
The Aflac All-American Baseball Classic is more than just a game. It is part of Aflac’s ongoing commitment to the fight against childhood cancer, with ticket proceeds benefiting Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Since 2003, the Aflac All-American Baseball Classic has generated nearly $805,000 for charity.
“The Aflac All-American Classic gives baseball’s stars of tomorrow a national stage to display their immense talent,” said Danny Fleishman, vice president of sponsorships and emerging markets at Aflac. “More important, by using the game to raise awareness and funds for local pediatric cancer hospitals, Aflac is allowing these young players to use their talents for meaningful impact off the field as well.”
The Aflac All-American players will be led by a stellar coaching staff for the 2010 showcase. Larry Knight of Sumrall High School in Hattiesburg, Miss., will manage the East team. Knight is in his fourth season as head coach at Sumrall and was recently honored as USA Today’s 2010 High School Coach of the Year. This year, he led his team to a third consecutive Class 3A State Championship finishing as the No. 1 ranked team with a 35-1 record.
Managing the West squad will be Bill Hutton of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif. Hutton is in his 28th season as head coach at Archibishop Mitty, where his team has secured four West Catholic Athletic League Championship titles and four Central Coast Section Championship titles. His team finished the past season ranked No. 1 in California with a 31-3 record.
Aflac All-American Baseball Classic alumni have had a significant presence in Major League Baseball’s first-year player drafts. Since the game’s inception in 2003, 80 alumni have been selected in the first round, including four No. 1 overall selections like, Justin Upton (2005, Arizona), Tim Beckham (2008, Tampa) and this year’s overall top pick, Bryce Harper (2010, Washington). Fifteen Aflac All-Americans were taken in the first round of the 2010 draft, including the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks, Harper by the Nationals and Jameson Taillon by Pittsburgh, respectively. San Diego also drafted 2009 Aflac All-Americans Karsten Whitson and A.J. Vanegas.
The Aflac All-American Baseball Classic is considered the nation’s marquee prep event. Participants must have just completed their junior year of high school, be in good academic standing and display qualities off the field that embody baseball’s ideals, including discipline, determination and hard work.
East Team
No. Pos. Name Ht. Wt. High School (Hometown)
23 INF Javier Baez 6-1 185 Arlington Country Day School (Jacksonville, Fla.)
11 RHP Tyler Beede 6-4 200 Lawrence Academy (Auburn, Mass.)
8 OF/LHP Jake Cave 6-1 185 Kecoughtan High School (Hampton, Va.)
16 RHP Jose Fernandez 6-4 220 Alonso High School (Tampa, Fla.)
35 C Cameron Gallagher 6-3 215 Manheim Township High School (Lancaster, Pa.)
1 OF Larry Greene 6-1 230 Berrien High School (Nashville, Ga.)
14 RHP Michael Kelly 6-5 195 West Boca Raton High School (Boynton Beach, Fla.)
19 RHP Deshorn Lake 6-1 210 Menchville High School (Newport News, Va.)
12 INF Francisco Lindor 5-11 175 Montverde Academy (Clermont, Fla.)
42 RHP John Magliozzi 5-11 185 Dexter School (Milton, Mass.)
9 RHP Dillon Maples 6-3 197 Pinecrest High School (West End, N.C.)
30 C Tyler Marlette 5-10 195 Hagerty High School (Oviedo, Fla.)
18 LHP Daniel Norris 6-2 170 Science Hill High School (Johnson City, Tenn.)
22 LHP Philip Pfeifer 6-0 187 Farragut High School (Knoxville, Tenn.)
15 C Brandon Sedell 6-2 205 American Heritage School (Davie, Fla.)
17 INF Austin Slater 6-2 190 The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Fla.)
24 LHP Andrew Suarez 6-2 200 Christopher Columbus High School (Miami, Fla.)
5 INF Josh Tobias 5-10 194 Southeast Guilford High School (Greensboro, N.C.)
10 3B Sean Trent 6-1 205 Bishop Moore Catholic High School (Maitland, Fla.)
Head Coach: Larry Knight
Assistant Coaches: Kevin Maris, Omar Washington
West Team
No. Pos. Name Ht. Wt. High School (Hometown)
7 RHP Archie Bradley 6-4 225 Broken Arrow High School (Broken Arrow, Okla.)
19 RHP Dylan Bundy 6-1 200 Owasso High School (Owasso, Okla.)
51 1B/OF Daniel Camarena 6-2 200 Cathedral Catholic High School (Bonita, Calif.)
10 RHP Dylan Davis 6-0 200 Redmond High School (Redmond, Wash.)
24 INF Matthew Dean 6-3 190 The Colony High School (Highland Village, Texas)
3 OF Shawon Dunston, Jr. 6-2 160 Valley Christian High School (Fremont, Calif.)
28 INF Phillip Evans 5-10 180 La Costa Canyon High School (Carlsbad, Calif.)
9 OF William Flamion 6-1 192 Central Catholic High School (Modesto, Calif.)
17 INF Travis Harrison 6-2 215 Tustin High School (Aliso Viejo, Calif.)
11 C Austin Hedges 6-0 185 JSerra Catholic HS (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
20 RHP Dillon Howard 6-4 210 Searcy High School (Searcy, Ark.)
22 INF/RHP Ricky Jacquez 5-9 160 Franklin High School (El Paso, Texas)
14 INF Christian Lopes 6-0 180 Edison High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
15 C Daniel Mengden 6-2 195 Westside High School (Houston, Texas)
23 RHP Christian Montgomery 6-2 237 Lawrence Central High School (Indianapolis, Ind.)
32 LHP Henry Owens 6-1 200 Edison High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
12 RHP Joe Ross 6-3 185 Bishop O’Dowd High School (Oakland, Calif.)
44 RHP Robert Stephenson 6-2 180 Alhambra High School (Martinez, Calif.)
1 C Blake Swihart 6-1 175 V. Sue Cleveland High School (Rio Rancho, N.M)
Head Coach: Bill Hutton
Assistant Coaches: Cecil Espy, Manny Hermosillo
