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2008 Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit&Run National Finalists Announced

National finalists in the 2008 Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run competition, the official youth skills competition of Major League Baseball, were announced today. The announcement came in anticipation of the National Finals, which will take place on Monday, July 14 at 3:15 p.m. (EDT) as part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day at Yankee Stadium in New York.

Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run is a grassroots program that was initiated in 1996 to provide youth across North America with an integrated competition that recognizes individual excellence in core baseball and softball skills. Free to boys and girls between the ages of 7-14, this year's Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run program had more than 600,000 participants through more than 4,000 local competitions. The program features local, sectional and team championship competitions, culminating at the National Finals. The top three male and female competitors nationwide from each of the four divisions (7-8 year olds; 9-10 year olds; 11-12 year olds; and 13-14 year olds) advance to the National Finals (A complete list of finalists is featured at the end of the press release).

In addition to the Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run National Finals, the 24 finalists will make a special trip to DHL All-Star FanFest, an interactive baseball theme park and the largest baseball fan event in the world.

DHL All-Star FanFest will take place from July 11-15 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. Tickets for the five-day event can be purchased via the Yankees official website (www.yankees.com), the official All-Star website of Major League Baseball (www.allstargame.com) or by calling Ticketmaster at (212) 307- 1212. Tickets for DHL All-Star FanFest are sold on a timed-entry basis, providing fans the ability to reserve the day and time of their choice.

All DHL All-Star FanFest attractions are free with the price of admission, and the only additional event costs are for concessions and memorabilia. Ticket prices are $30 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under (children two and under are admitted free), senior citizens and military personnel. Major League Baseball is also offering several discount options, including discounts of $5 off each ticket purchased as part of a DHL All-Star FanFest Family Pack; these packs are sold in ticket denominations of four, five, six and seven.

Gatorade Workout Day is the second day of 2008 MLB All-Star Week events at Yankee Stadium. All-Star Week culminates with the 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15. For the sixth consecutive season, the outcome of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will impact postseason play, as the team representing the winning League in this year's Midsummer Classic will have home field advantage in the 2008 World Series.

The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game being held at Yankee Stadium in its final season, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage that will also be available on XM Satellite Radio, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage.

About Aquafina

Aquafina, the official water of Major League Baseball, is a product of Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi-Cola North America (http://www.pepsi.com), the refreshment beverage unit of PepsiCo, Inc., in the United States and Canada. In addition to Aquafina, Aquafina Alive and Aquafina FlavorSplash, its U.S. brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, IZZE, SoBe, Mug, Tropicana Twister Soda, Tropicana Juice Drinks, Dole and Ocean Spray single-serve juices. The company also makes and markets North America's best-selling ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees, respectively, via joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks.

2008 National Finalists

7-8 Year Old Girls Age Division

Name Hometown MLB Team

Alexis Yates Folsom, CA San Francisco Giants

Kaitlyn Anderson Tucson, AZ Arizona Diamondbacks

Alexis Peri Satellite Beach, FL Florida Marlins

7-8 Year Old Boys Age Division

Name Hometown MLB Team

Tyler Ras Middletown, NJ New York Yankees

Shane Garrett Hayward, CA San Francisco Giants

Craig Yoho Fishers, IN Chicago White Sox

9-10 Year Old Girls Age Division

Name Hometown MLB Team

Hannah Foster Dothan, AL Atlanta Braves

Taylor Brown Fillmore, CA Los Angeles Dodgers

Rebecca Boesen Bradenton, FL Tampa Bay Rays

9-10 Year Old Boys Age Division

Name Hometown MLB Team

Tommy Lichty Reno, NV Oakland Athletics

Derek Daly Oro Valley, AZ Arizona Diamondbacks

Drew Blakely Galesburg, MI Detroit Tigers

11-12 Year Old Girls Age Division

Name Hometown MLB Team

Sydney Roumeliotis Paramount, CA Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Savannah Loomis Roseville, CA Oakland Athletics Alicia Portillo Maricopa, AZ Arizona Diamondbacks

11-12 Year Old Boys Age Division

Name Hometown MLB Team

Michael Blasko Hendersonville, NV Los Angeles Dodgers

Adam Choice Thomasville, GA Atlanta Braves

Demetrius Pontikes Duarte, CA Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

13-14 Year Old Girls Age Division

Name Hometown MLB Team

Kelsi Chilcote Poway, CA San Diego Padres

Raelynn Nichols Valrico, FL Tampa Bay Rays

Jackie LaPointe Ellicott City, MD Baltimore Orioles

13-14 Year Old Boys Age Division

Name Hometown MLB Team

Casey McCallister Rock Falls, IL Chicago Cubs

Ryan Smith Mapleton, OR Seattle Mariners

Chad Makarewicz Grand Rapids, MI Detroit Tigers