The nine-player 2012 American Legion All-Academic Team [2], sponsored by Diamond Sports, was announced Monday evening during The American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C. The players hail from all eight Legion Baseball regions and are entering their freshman years of college. Eight of the players will receive a $2,500 college scholarship, while the team captain will get a $5,000 scholarship.

The All-Academic Team players are:

• Team Captain from Central Plains Region – Gareth Berger Hanson of Enderlin, N.D. Hanson is sponsored by Post 221 and will attend Mayville State University.

• Northwest Region – Everett Walsh of Marstons Mills, Mass. Walsh is sponsored by Post 206 and received an appointment to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

• Mid-Atlantic Region – Matthew Armistead of Newark, Del. Armistead is sponsored by Post 10 and will attend the University of Delaware.

• Southeast Region – James Lovett of Wellington, Fla. Lovett is sponsored by Post 12 and will attend North Carolina Wesleyan College.

• Mid-South Region – Kyle Stallbaumer of Sabetha, Kans. Stallbaumer is sponsored by Post 126 and will attend Kansas State University.

• Great Lakes Region – Caleb VonStein of Shelby, Ohio. VonStein is sponsored by Post 243 and will attend Ohio Northern University.

• Central Plains Region – Nathan Pflueger of Staplehurst, Neb. Pflueger is sponsored by Post 33 and will attend Chadron State College.

• Northwest Region – Joshua Crapps of Anchorage, Alaska. Crapps is sponsored by Post 4 and will attend the University of Dallas.

• Western Region – Josh Holcomb of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas. Holcomb is sponsored by Post 460 and will attend Texas Tech.

Read more about the scholarship's eligibility requirements here [3].

Diamond Sports Co., Inc. [4], is a leading manufacturer in baseball, softball and football merchandise, and is the official baseball used during Legion national tournaments. The agreement between the two organizations involves Diamond providing $25,000 in scholarship funds for the nine-player All-Academic Team, beginning with the 2012 season.