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.

Poythress is the first Georgia player to be taken in the 2009 draft. A total of five Bulldogs were selected last season.

- Georgia Sports Communications