FROM STAFF REPORTS

Spain Park High School rising senior Mikey White has been selected to play in the 2011 Under Armour All-America baseball game Aug. 13 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

White, who will try out for the USA Baseball 18-and-under National team in September, is the second Shelby County high school baseball standout chosen to play in the All-America game in its history. Former Oak Mountain High School standout John David (J.D.) Crowe, who will play collegiate baseball at Auburn University next spring, participated in the 2010 game at Wrigley Field.

White’s player profile on the game’s website, Baseballfactory.com/allamerica, describes him as “a talented all-around player with a polished approach and an advanced feel for the game.”

“He has a strong, athletic frame that generates surprising power,” read his profile. “He is a natural hitter who is unfazed by quality pitching. In the field, Mikey is a smooth fielder with excellent hands and plenty of arm strength.”

White, the son of former University of Alabama football standout Mike White, is committed to play collegiate baseball for the Crimson Tide in the fall of 2012.

The 2011 game marks the fourth year that Under Armour and Baseball Factory have collaborated to present the All-America game.

Players will experience four days of festivities that begin on Wednesday, August 10 and culminate with the game on Saturday, August 13.  For the second year in a row, the game will air live nationally on MLB Network, called by Greg Amsinger and Jonathan Mayo, with the first pitch taking place at 1:05 p.m. The game will also be webcast on MLB.com.

Over the first three years of the game, 88 of the 103 draft-eligible players who competed in the Under Armour All-America game were selected in the MLB Amateur Draft, including 18 first round picks.

Baseball Factory scouts thousands of high school players worldwide before selecting the athletes that make the Under Armour All-America Game. Players are evaluated at events throughout the country, including the Under Armour Baseball Factory national tryouts, national tournaments, national showcases and national teams. In addition, players are reviewed at outside events that include high school games, tournaments and summer leagues.

From more than 400,000 high school baseball players, only 36 will earn distinction as Under Armour All-Americans in 2011.  The final players are selected by a committee of Baseball Factory scouts, led by Steve Bernhardt, executive vice president of baseball operations.

The coaches who will lead baseball’s next superstars during the 2011 Under Armour All-America Game are Steve Bernhardt, Glenn Cecchini, Scott Demetral, Todd Fine, Jim Gemler, Steve Mandl, Matt Richter, Vince Sacco and Sammy Serrano. MLB Network’s Larry Bowa and Bill Ripken will act as guest managers and coaches throughout the game telecast.