Toyo Tires to Support National High School Baseball Tournament for 2002

    CYPRESS, Calif.--(BW SportsWire)--April 11, 2001--Toyo Tires(R) is proud to announce their support for the National Classic high school baseball tournament for the 2002 season.
    The 10-year-old tournament, which will be known as the "Toyo Tires National Classic," matches the top teams in the nation against the best in California for a one-week series of games held in Orange County, Calif. over spring break. Toyo's sponsorship is a continuation of their ongoing commitment to support community activities.
    "We are proud to be associated with the leading national high school baseball tournament in the country," stated Gary Kirschke, director of marketing at Toyo. "Our involvement will continue to assure the highest level of competition possible and support these teams and individuals in their pursuit of athletic excellence."
    Toyo's participation in the National Classic is designed to help promote youth baseball programs throughout the United States. One hundred and seven high school teams from 21 states have participated in this prestigious tournament. More than 230 National Classic players have been drafted by major league baseball teams since its inception.
    A total of 16 teams compete in the tournament each year, with the final two teams playing for the championship on the Cal State Fullerton campus.
    "Toyo has enjoyed being the performance tire of choice for this generation of buyers, and is proud to give back to the schools and programs that are responsible for molding these young student athletes from across the country," added Kirschke. Toyo is donating a set of tires to each visiting team to be used for a fundraiser to assist with traveling expenses.
    Toyo Tires is the manufacturer of a complete line of high performance and original equipment replacement tires for passenger car, light truck, commercial truck, bus, off-road and construction applications. For more information about products from Toyo Tires, and the community programs they support, log onto the interactive Web site at www.toyo.com.

    Participating schools have come from:

   California
   Arizona
   Colorado
   Florida
   Kentucky
   Maryland
   Nevada
   New Jersey
   New Mexico
   New York
   Oregon
   Oklahoma
   Pennsylvania
   South Carolina
   Tennessee
   Texas
   Utah
   Virginia
   Washington