This release from the Trenton Thunder:

Outfielder Austin Jackson, RHP Jason Jones, first baseman Chris Malec and catcher P.J. Pilittere were named to play for the Northern Division All-Stars at the Eastern League All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 16th. The mid-summer classic will be played at Merchantsauto.com Stadium in Manchester, NH. This is the first Eastern League All-Star game for all four players.

Jackson, the #2 rated prospect in the New York Yankees Minor League System according to Baseball America, is batting .271 in 80 G with 8 HR and 7 RBI. Jackson has had two 7 RBI games this season ( REA 5/21, and NBR 6/1). He tied the Thunder franchise record with 7 RBI in a game. He has also had four straight days with a home run (6/13-6/17). He split the 2007 season between Charleston, Tampa and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He hit .260 in Charleston with 3 HR and 25 RBI in 60 G. He had a .345 BA with 10 HR and 34 RBI in 67 G for Tampa. He was originally an 8th round selection by the Yankees in the 2005 draft.

Jones is 8-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 15 starts for Trenton this season. He is tied for second in the Eastern League for wins, and third in ERA. Jones made one start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre against Buffalo. He tossed five shutout innings and allowed only 1 H on 6/28 @Buffalo. He struck out 7 and walked 1 for a no-decision. He had an 8-11 record with a 3.62 ERA in 28 G/19 GS in 2007 for the Thunder. He was 4-3 with a 4.83 ERA in 10 G/9 GS for Trenton during 2006. He was originally a 4th round selection by the Yankees in the 2004 draft.

Malec is hitting .291 with 4 HR and 26 RBI in 63 G for the Thunder so far in 2008. He is hitting .321 in his last 33 G. Last season, he split the season between Charleston and Tampa. He hit .308 in 70 G with 4 HR and 38 RBI for Charleston. He was promoted to Tampa and batted .323 in 67 G with 5 HR and 41 RBI. He was originally selected in the 16th round of the 2005 draft.

Pilittere has a .280 BA with a HR and 26 RBI in 61 G for Trenton. He is hitting .329 with RISP (24×73). Last season, he appeared in 100 G for the Thunder (96 as catcher). He batted .261 with 2 HR and 34 RBI. He was originally selected in the 13th round of the 2004 draft. He won a College World Series at Cal-State Fullerton in 2004, and was the captain of the squad.