Former MLB Player Delino DeShields Surprises Kaleb Cowart with HS Baseball Award

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Posted on behalf of Gatorade…

Kaleb and Delino photo published/authorized by Gatoraide

13-year MLB veteran (most recently of the Chicago Cubs) Delino DeShields helped surprise Kaleb Cowart of Abel, Georgia with the 2009-10 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award. The Gatorade Player of the Year program is celebrating its 25^th year in recognizing elite high school athletes throughout the nation.

Delino surprised Kaleb with the news that he is this year’s winner while Kaleb was taking a baseball team photo at Cook High School. Delino himself earned both State Baseball Player of the Year honors and State Boys Basketball honors in 1986. (Picture of Delino surprising Kaleb with the award is attached – let me know if you would like additional shots and I can send over).

Kaleb: photo published/authorized by Gatoraide

Kaleb joins two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard (2003-04, Southwest Atlanta Christian, Atlanta) and 2010 NCAA Final Four MVP Maya Moore (2006-07, Collins Hill, Suwanee) as the only high school athletes from the state of Georgia to earn Gatorade National Player of the Year recognition in any sport.

In celebration of the larger 25^th anniversary, Gatorade will host 10 polls online that will allow consumers to decide who is the greatest all-time Gatorade Player of the Year in boys football, girls volleyball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, boys baseball, girls softball, and boys and girls track & field.

You can cast your vote for your favorite athlete of all-time once per sport, per day at http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

Former notable Gatorade Players of the Year include:

•        Peyton Manning, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player

•        Lisa Leslie, WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder

•        Alan Webb, Reigning American record-holder in the mile

•        Emmitt Smith, NFL all-time leading rusher

•        Cat Osterman, Softball Olympic gold medalist

In addition, make sure to enter the Gatorade Player of the Year sweepstakes where you could win a trip to the 2010 Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards ceremony and the ESPY Awards.

For more information about The Gatorade Player of the Year program and its 25^th anniversary celebration, please visit http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.