Mychal Givens Wins 2008 Jackie Robinson Award as Nation's Best High School Baseball Player

Mychal Givens, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound right-handed pitcher and infielder from Plant High School (Tampa, Fla.), earned high school baseball's highest honor Friday night as he was named the Aflac National High School Player of the Year and presented with the 2008 Jackie Robinson Award.

Givens was presented with the fifth annual award during the Aflac All- American Awards Dinner, which salutes the best of best in high school baseball leading into the annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game. On hand to make the presentation was Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson, and Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, the game's honorary chairman.

Givens finished his junior season with 8-1 record and a 1.79 ERA, racking up 48 strikeouts in only 43 innings of work. Offensively, his .421 batting average along with 34 runs scored, 32 hits, 17 RBIs, five doubles and even an inside the park home run helped carry his team to a No. 37 national ranking from Baseball America.

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.

Givens was chosen from among six nominees determined by official Aflac All-American Baseball Game selection partners Baseball America and Perfect Game. The other player of the year nominees included:

-- Austin Maddox, C/RHP, Eagle's View Academy - Jacksonville, Fla.

-- Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS - Mission Viejo, Calif.

-- Matthew Purke, LHP, Klein HS - Spring, Texas

-- Donavan Tate, OF, Cartersville HS - Cartersville, Ga.

-- Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy - St. Charles - Mo.

Also at the awards ceremony, Matthew Purke, (Klein HS) of Spring, Texas, won the Pitching Prospect of the Year award. Purke, a 6-foot-3 left handed pitcher, dominated the competition in his junior year, allowing only four earned runs in 76.2 innings pitched. He finished the season with a 12-1 record and a 0.37 ERA, striking out 147 batters. Purke was selected to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State First Team 5A for pitching.

In a balloting of coaches, players and staff, Beau Wright (Los Alamitos HS) from Los Alamitos, Calif. was named the winner of this year's Sportsmanship Award. An honor roll student, Wright, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound left-handed pitcher, was recognized for his involvement in the local community. Among other off-field activities, Wright spends his free time volunteering at the local monthly newspaper drive. The son of a firefighter, Wright considers his parents his biggest role models in life and said his parents teach him on a daily basis how to be a good, honest and productive person.

The fifth annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game will be played on Saturday, Aug. 9 at Dodger 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 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 $685,000 for charity.

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.aflacallamerican2008.com.

About Aflac:

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