Poythress, Holder Drafted

From UGA Athletics...

Georgia junior first baseman Rich Poythress was selected in the second round by the Seattle Mariners with the 51st overall pick in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. He was the second pick in the second round.

The Grovetown, Ga., native becomes the fourth Bulldog to be drafted in the first two rounds in the last four years. Gordon Beckham and Josh Fields were both taken in the first round last year, and Brooks Brown was selected in the first round in 2006. Fields was also drafted by the Mariners.

Poythress led the Bulldogs with a .376 average, 25 home runs and 86 RBI this season and was named a Louisville Slugger All-American and first team All-SEC. Poythress set the single season school RBI record this season and is second on Georgia's career RBI list. He had four multi-home run games in 2009 including two three home run games, the second player in Georgia history to accomplish that feat.

----

Georgia senior pitcher Trevor Holder was drafted in the third round by the Washington Nationals with the 81st overall pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. He was the first pick in the third round.

Holder was the second Bulldog to be drafted as Rich Poythress was taken in the second round by the Seattle Mariners.

A native of Birmingham, Ala., Holder posted a 7-5 record with a 4.48 ERA in 2009 and finished his career tied with Cris Carpenter for fourth all-time at Georgia with 22 career wins. Holder, who was drafted in the 10th round by the Florida Marlins last season, was 8-4 for the 2008 SEC Championship team that finished with a No. 2 national ranking. He was a second team All-SEC pick in 2008 and was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team in 2009.

Georgia has had five players drafted in the first three rounds over the last four years including Trevor Holder (Nationals) and Rich Poythress (Mariners) in 2009, first rounders Gordon Beckham (White Sox) and Josh Fields (Mariners) in 2008 and first rounder Brooks Brown (Diamondbacks) in 2006.