American Baseball Academy Puerto Rico

All-American Game names roster includes Ripken's son

"We're going up there, trying to give them a big-league point of view and what some of the big-league routines are," Ripken said of the players who were selected for the game. "These guys are the most talented players in the country. We're not trying to change them, but work with what they have."

Ripken said his son Ryan, who will be a senior first baseman this fall at Gilman (Baltimore) has some of the same advantages he did by growing up in a baseball household.

"Growing up around the game, the exposures I was given by my dad, being on the inside and being able to ask questions kind of drew me toward the game," he said. "Ryan, for the same reason, it's been a burden to have the same last name, but it's been a blessing in that he has the same sort of exposures to the game and how it is played. He's advanced in the thought process. He was exposed in many ways to a lot of the instruction around the game and it picked it up pretty quickly."

Thirty-one of 36 players in the game, all incoming high school seniors, were named Tuesday, including seven players from Florida, the most of any state.

The roster: Anthony Alford, OF, Petal, Miss.; Yency Almonte, RHP , Braddock (Miami); Nick Basto, SS, Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale); Lewis Brinson, OF, Coral Springs , Fla.; Curt Britt, RHP, Scotland (Laurinburg, N.C.); Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County (Baxley, Ga.); Gavin Cecchini, SS, Barbe (Lake Charles, La.); Christian Dicks, OF, Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.); Tyler Gonzalez, RHP, James Madison (San Antonio); Ty Hensley, RHP, Santa Fe (Edmond, Okla.); Hayden Hurst, RHP, Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.); Ryan Kellogg, LHP, Henry Street (Whitby, Ontario); Carson Kelly, 3B, Westview (Portland, Ore.); Trey Killian, RHP, Mountain Home , Ark.; Gareth Morgan, OF, Toronto, Ontario; Tomas Nido, C, Orangewood Christian (Maitland, Fla.); Matt Olson, 1B, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.); Russell Reynolds, RHP, Parkview Baptist (Baton Rouge, La.); Ryan Ripken, Gilman (Baltimore); Nelson Rodriguez, C, George Washington (New York City); Fernelys Sanchez, OF, George Washington (New York City); Teddy Sankiewicz, RHP, Southwest Christian (Fort Worth, Texas); Daniel Starwait, RHP, Granite Hills (El Cajon, Calif.); David Thompson, OF, Westminster Christian (Miami); Stryker Trahan, C, Arcadiana, La.; Nick Travieso, RHP, Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale); Kyle Twomey, LHP, El Dorado (Placerville, Calif.); Jesmuel Valentin, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy (Manati, P.R.).

2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic Rosters Announced ...

CBS Sports Network to present 2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic to be played at PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres on Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. PDT.

2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic is nation’s top high school baseball players will descend upon San Diego to play in the ninth annual baseball showcase, featuring an East versus West matchup.

2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic rosters announced.

The Perfect Game All-American Classic is more than just a game. It is part of an ongoing commitment to the fight against childhood cancer, with ticket proceeds benefiting Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Since 2003, the Perfect Game All-American Classic has generated nearly $675,000 for charity.

The Perfect Game All-Americans will be led by a stellar coaching staff for the 2011 showcase. Stuart Chester of Cartersville High School in Cartersville, Ga. will lead the East squad. Chester has been a head baseball coach for 18 years, winning five state championships while at Cartersville High School. His program was recently voted Program of the Decade in Georgia.

Managing the West squad will be Andrew Nieto of Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, Calif. In five seasons, Nieto has led the Lancers to three CIF championships. Prior to coaching at Bishop Amat, Nieto served as the hitting coach for the University of Southern California for 10 years and helped guide the Trojans to the NCAA National Championship in 1998.

“I am impressed with the extraordinary high school talent the All-American Baseball Classic brings to the forefront of the baseball world each year,” said Jerry Ford, President of Perfect Game USA. “These 2012 prospects have the ability to represent the next wave of Major League stars.”

Perfect Game All-American Classic alumni have had a significant presence in Major League Baseball’s first-year player drafts. Since the game’s inception in 2003, 98 alumni have been selected in the first round, including this year’s first overall pick Gerrit Cole (2011) and past No. 1 picks Bryce Harper (2010), Tim Beckham (2008), and Justin Upton (2005). The game has also produced over 40 players that are currently on a Major League Baseball roster. A record 18 Perfect Game All-Americans were taken in the first round of the 2011 draft, 13 of which played in last year’s game.

The Perfect Game All-American 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.

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