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Rawlings® and Perfect Game USA Announce Preseason All-American and All-Region Teams

ST. LOUIS, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rawlings® announced today its annual Rawlings Preseason All-American and All-Region Teams to recognize the top 400 high school baseball athletes in the U.S., while also showcasing their abilities to collegiate and professional scouts. In partnership with Perfect Game USA, the world's largest scouting report service, Rawlings is devoted to distinguishing "THE FINEST IN THE FIELD" with these two prestigious awards.

"These selected athletes are being recognized for their skill, athleticism, and dedication to their game which allows them to perform to the highest level of game play," said Mike Thompson, Senior Vice-President, Marketing. "With more than 240,000 high school athletes in the nation, these players represent the very best in their class."

The Rawlings Preseason All-Region 1st Team recognizes 400 players from eight regions around the U.S. Each of the regions will form a 50-man roster, complete with catchers, pitchers, infielders and outfielders.

In addition, the top 150 of the 400 athletes will be named to the Rawlings Preseason All-American Team. All 150 award recipients will be named to one of three teams, each including a 50-man roster.

"Rawlings and Perfect Game USA are synonymous with the game of baseball and these preseason awards allow us to reward these elite athletes for their hard work and contribution to the game," said Thompson.

"To receive the Rawlings Preseason All-American or All-Region Award is a tremendous achievement for these high school athletes," said Jerry Ford, President, Perfect Game USA. "We're proud to partner with Rawlings to recognize their talent as they prepare for their careers playing collegiate or professional baseball."

About Rawlings: Rawlings is a leading manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods in the United States and a subsidiary of Jarden Team Sports. Since the company's inception in 1887, Rawlings' mission has always centered on developing and producing innovative, high-performance equipment and protective apparel for the professional player. With an assortment of baseball, basketball, football and softball game-related product lines, Rawlings is present everywhere team sports are played. Leagues and conferences of all skill levels integrate Rawlings' unparalleled product portfolio into their sports: as the Official Baseball and Official Helmet to Major League Baseball®, the official baseball for the NCAA®, the official football for the NAIA®, the official basketball for the NAIA, NJCAA® and AAU®, the approved baseball, basketball, football and softball of the National High School Federation®. For more information, please visit rawlings.com, Rawlings' Facebook page or by phone at (314) 819-2800.

About Jarden Corporation: Jarden Corporation is a leading provider of niche consumer products. Jarden operates in three primary business segments through a number of well recognized brands, including: Outdoor Solutions: Abu Garcia®, Aero®, Berkley®, Campingaz® and Coleman®, Fenwick®, Gulp!®, K2®, Marker®, Marmot®, Mitchell®, Penn®, Rawlings®, Shakespeare®, Stearns®, Stren®, Trilene®, Volkl® and Zoot®; Consumer Solutions: Bionaire®, Crock-Pot®, FoodSaver®, Health o meter®, Holmes®, Mr. Coffee®, Oster®, Patton®, Rival®, Seal-a-Meal®, Sunbeam®, VillaWare® and White Mountain®; and Branded Consumables: Ball®, Bee®, Bicycle®, Billy Boy®, Crawford®, Diamond®, Dicon®, Fiona®, First Alert®, First Essentials®, Forster®, Hoyle®, Kerr®, Lehigh®, Leslie-Locke®, Lillo®, Loew Cornell®, Mapa®, NUK®, Pine Mountain®, Quickie®, Spontex® and Tigex®. Headquartered in Rye, N.Y., Jarden has more than 25,000 employees worldwide. For more information, please visit www.jarden.com.

About Perfect Game USA: Perfect Game is the world's largest scouting report service, reporting on thousands of young players each year. Along with holding the top tournaments and showcase events Perfect Game has established a reputation for identifying the top baseball prospects each year. The PG identification process has become a valuable and respected resource for College Recruiters and MLB Scouts. For more information, please visit www.perfectgame.org.

See Complete Rawlings Preseason All America Teams at http://www.perfectgame.org/all_americans/2011

    FIRST TEAM RAWLINGS PRESEASON ALL AMERICANS

    Name                Pos.  City              St   High School
                                                      Arlington Country
    Javier Baez         IF    Jacksonville      FL    Day
    Tyler Beede         RHP   Auburn            MA   Lawrence Academy
                                                      Jesuit College
    Joshua Bell         OF    Irving            TX    Prep
    Hudson Boyd         RHP   Fort Myers        FL   Bishop Verot
    Archie Bradley      RHP   Muskogee          OK   Broken Arrow
    Dylan Bundy         RHP   Sperry            OK   Owasso
                                                      Downers Grove
    Nicholas Burdi      RHP   Downers Grove     IL    South
    Daniel Camarena     OF    Bonita            CA   Cathedral Catholic
    Shon Carson         OF    Scranton          SC   Lake City
    Jake Cave           LHP   Hampton           VA   Kecoughtan
    Hunter Cole         3B    Moore             SC   Dorman
    Dylan Davis         OF    Redmond           WA   Redmond
    Phillip Evans       SS    Carlsbad          CA   LaCosta Canyon
    Jose Fernandez      RHP   Tampa             FL   Alonso
    Derek Fisher        OF    Rexmont           PA   Cedar Crest
    Billy Flamion       OF    Modesto           CA   Central Catholic
    Julius Gaines       SS    Locust Grove      GA   Luella
    Cameron Gallagher   C     Lancaster         PA   Manheim Township
    Tyler Goeddel       3B    Hillsbourgh       CA   St. Francis
    Senquez Golson      OF    Pascagoula        MS   Pascagoula
    Taylor Guerrieri    RHP   N. Augusta        SC   Spring Valley HS
    Eric Haase          C     Westland          MI   Divine Child
    Ryan Harris         RHP   Jupiter           FL   Jupiter
    Travis Harrison     OF    Aliso Viejo       CA   Tustin
                               San Juan
    Austin Hedges       C      Capistrano       CA   J Serra
    Dillon Howard       RHP   Searcy            AR   Searcy
    Ricardo Jacquez     RHP   El Paso           TX   Franklin
    Michael Kelly       RHP   Boynton Beach     FL   West Boca
    Francisco Lindor    SS    Clermont          FL   Montverde
    Christian Lopes     MIF   Huntington Beach  CA   Edison
    Dillon Maples       RHP   West End          NC   Pinecrest
    Tyler Marlette      C     Oviedo            FL   Hagerty
    Kevin Matthews      LHP   Richmond Hill     GA   Richmond Hill
    Adam McCreery       LHP   La Verne          CA   Bonita
    Daniel Mengden      C     Houston           TX   Westside
    Christian
     Montgomery         RHP   Indianapolis      IN   Lawrence Central
    Brandon Nimmo       OF    Cheyenne          WY   East
    Daniel Norris       LHP   Johnson City      TN   Science Hill
    Henry Owens         LHP   Huntington Beach  CA   Edison
    Joe Ross            RHP   Oakland           CA   Bishop ODowd
    Brandon Sedell      C     Cooper City       FL   American Heritage
    Dwight Smith        OF    Peachtree City    GA   McIntosh
    Derek Starling      OF    Gardner           KS   Gardner-Edgerton
    Robert Stephenson   RHP   Martinez          CA   Alhambra
    Trevor Story        SS    Irving            TX   Irving
    Andrew Suarez       LHP   Miami             FL   Columbus
    Blake Swihart       C     Rio Rancho        NM   Cleveland
    Charlie Tilson      OF    Wilmette          IL   New Trier
    Joshua Tobias       MIF   Greensboro        NC   Southeast Guilford
    Daniel Vogelbach    1B    N. Ft. Myers      FL   Bishop Verot

                               College
    Name                Pos.   Commitment
    Javier Baez         IF
    Tyler Beede         RHP   Vanderbilt
    Joshua Bell         OF    Texas
    Hudson Boyd         RHP   Florida
    Archie Bradley      RHP   Oklahoma
    Dylan Bundy         RHP   Texas
    Nicholas Burdi      RHP   Louisville
    Daniel Camarena     OF    San Diego
    Shon Carson         OF    South Carolina
    Jake Cave           LHP   Louisiana State
    Hunter Cole         3B    Georgia
    Dylan Davis         OF    Oregon State
    Phillip Evans       SS    San Diego State
    Jose Fernandez      RHP   South Florida
    Derek Fisher        OF    Virginia
    Billy Flamion       OF    Oregon
                               Florida
    Julius Gaines       SS     International
    Cameron Gallagher   C     East Carolina
    Tyler Goeddel       3B    UCLA
    Senquez Golson      OF    Mississippi
    Taylor Guerrieri    RHP   South Carolina
    Eric Haase          C     Ohio State
    Ryan Harris         RHP   Florida
                               Southern
    Travis Harrison     OF     California
    Austin Hedges       C     UCLA
    Dillon Howard       RHP   Arkansas
    Ricardo Jacquez     RHP   Texas
    Michael Kelly       RHP   Florida
    Francisco Lindor    SS    Florida State
                               Southern
    Christian Lopes     MIF    California
    Dillon Maples       RHP   North Carolina
    Tyler Marlette      C     Central Florida
    Kevin Matthews      LHP   Virginia
    Adam McCreery       LHP   Arizona State
    Daniel Mengden      C     Texas A&M
    Christian
     Montgomery         RHP
    Brandon Nimmo       OF    Arkansas
    Daniel Norris       LHP   Clemson
    Henry Owens         LHP   Miami
    Joe Ross            RHP   UCLA
    Brandon Sedell      C     Florida
    Dwight Smith        OF    Georgia Tech
    Derek Starling      OF    Nebraska
    Robert Stephenson   RHP   Washington
    Trevor Story        SS    Louisiana State
    Andrew Suarez       LHP   Miami
    Blake Swihart       C     Texas
    Charlie Tilson      OF    Illinois
    Joshua Tobias       MIF   Florida
    Daniel Vogelbach    1B    Florida

SOURCE Rawlings