Last week, Chester received a call informing him of his selection as the coach of the East team in this year's Perfect Game All-American Classic presented by Rawlings, formerly the Aflac All-American Classic.
"Jerry Ford, CEO and president of Perfect Game, called me," the Purple Hurricanes coach said, noting that he was "speechless."
"To be able to be around the level of talent that will be out there ... that will be an experience in itself," Chester added in regard to a game that has featured such players as former Canes Taylor Hightower and Donavan Tate as well as last year's No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft, Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals.
Only a handful of players have been selected for the West team so Cartersville's head coach does not know who he will be coaching, but the PG A-A Classic Selection Show is scheduled to air on July 13 on the CBS Network as the top 40 rising senior prospects are revealed.
Chester has coached in all-star games before -- leading a Georgia team that included Brian McCann (Atlanta Braves), Jeff Francoeur (Kansas City Royals), former Canes pitcher Will Startup and Matt Capps (Minnesota Twins) to the junior Sunbelt Classic championship in 2001. He noted, however, that the Sunbelt Classic takes the top 20 players from each of the 11 or 12 states while the PG A-A features the top players in the nation -- all states included.
"As far as the experience, I'm sure it's gonna be something I've never done before," said Chester, who joins Columbus' Bobby Howard as head coaches from Georgia to coach in the PG A-A. "Team Georgia, of course, is a great opportunity. ... This one's gonna be the 38 best [players] from all across the nation. ... Being able to go to the Perfect Game All-American Game, that's where everybody from every state has a chance to represent."
"This is by far the biggest stage I've been able to be a part of," added Chester, who has led Cartersville to five state championships as well as recognition by the Georgia Dugout Club as Program of the Decade.
As he has joked in the past when referring to his talented Canes' teams, Chester will try his best not to get in the way of a good thing at the PG A-A, which is being played at the San Diego Padres' PETCO Park on Aug. 14.
"[You want to] make sure you spell their name right and have the right number by their name [in the lineup]," Chester cracked before getting into what the game is all about. "We want to win that [game] but, No. 1, it's about the kids."
Though the selection show is about a week away -- it airs next Wednesday at 10 p.m. -- five of the 40 players have been announced already. They are Southern California's Corey Oswalt (San Diego), Tanner Rahier (Indian Wells), Rio Ruiz (Covina), Cody Poteet (Bonita) and C.J. Saylor (West Covina).
Without knowing for sure who else will make it to the PG A-A, here is a list of possible selections based on Perfect Game's top prospects for the 2012 class.
Lance McCullers
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), 6-2, 195, RHP/SS
Nick Williams
Ball (Galveston, Texas), 6-3, 195, OF
Trey Williams
Valencia (Santa Clarita, Calif.), 6-1, 210, 3B/OF
Lucas Giolito
Harvard Westlake (Santa Monica, Calif.), 6-6, 220, RHP
Addison Russell
Pace (Pace, Fla.), 6-1, 180, SS
Joey Gallo
Bishop Gorman (Henderson, Nev.), 6-4, 200, 3B/RHP
Walker Weichel
Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 6-5, 190, OF
Kayden Porter
Spanish Fork (Spanish Fork, Utah), 6-5, 253, RHP/1B
Taylore Cherry
Vandalia Butler (Dayton, Ohio), 6-9, 260, RHP
Gavin Cecchini
Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 6-0, 180, SS
Blake Hickman
Simeon Academy (Chicago, Ill.), 6-3, 180, C
Tucker Simpson
Oxford (Oxford, Ala.), 6-7, 220, RHP/1B
Hayden Hurst
The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Fla.), 6-5, 215, RHP
Keon Barnum
King (Tampa, Fla.), 6-4, 225, 1B
C.J. Hinojosa
Klein Collins (Spring, Texas), 5-10, 175, SS