McRee, Poythress named preseason All-American

ATHENS -- Georgia juniors Rich Poythress and Alex McRee have been named to the 2009 Baseball America Preseason All-America team, it was announced Monday. Poythress was a second team selection while McRee was named to the third team.

Baseball America annually polls scouting directors to vote on the team and make their selections based on performance, talent and major league potential. In the past, the preseason All-America team has been a predictor both of the first round of the draft and of team success. For example, members of the 2008 first team made up eight of the first 12 picks in the draft last June. In all, 15 of last year's preseason All-Americans were drafted in the first round, and 11 of them played for teams that reached the College World Series.

A native of Grovetown, Poythress was second on the team in 2008 with a .374 average, 15 home runs and 75 RBI. He had a sterling .995 fielding percentage and became just the second Bulldog to earn a Rawlings Gold Glove Award as the nationâ

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