The Red and Black

Issue date: 7/24/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: FRANNIE FABIAN Rich Poythress raises his arm in victory after Georgia defeated Georgia Tech 18-6 in a tournament game that advanced Georgia to the Super Regionals. [Click to enlarge]

The NCAA College World Series ended on June 25. But for Georgia first baseman Rich Poythress, that doesn't mean the season is over or the accolades will stop building up.

On Monday, July 22, Poythress was named a starter - at third base - in the 46th annual Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game Saturday at Veterans Field in Chatham, Mass., a press release said.

Poythress, who plays for the league-leading Orleans Cardinals, is batting .340 with four doubles, eight RBI, 16 walks and a .507 on -base percentage in the wood bat league. The Cardinals are 14-1-1 since he arrived in June.

The slick-fielding first baseman also nabbed a Gold Glove Award from the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Sporting Goods and a spot on the All-SEC Defensive Team, the release said.

He recorded a .995 fielding percentage in 69 starts with a school-record 55 assists to go with 535 putouts. He is the second Bulldog to receive a Gold Glove, the other was outfielder Jonathan Wyatt, who is currently in the Chicago Cubs farm system.

Other Bulldogs competing in the Cape Cod League are pitchers Justin Earls, Justin Grimm, Will Harvil, Alex McRee and Dean Weaver and catchers Joey Lewis and Bryce Massanari.

Four other players from the 2008 squad have made the jump to professional baseball.

Pitcher Nathan Moreau, an 11th-round selection of the Baltimore Orioles, and third baseman Ryan Peisel, a 12th-round pick of the Colorado Rockies both signed contracts and were assigned to Aberdeen of the New York Penn League and Tri-Cities of the Northwest League, respectively.

Pitcher Nick Montgomery and outfielder Matt Olson, who were both undrafted, both signed free-agent contracts - Montgomery with the New York Yankees and Olson with the Kansas City Royals - and were assigned to their team's rookie league affiliate, Staten Island of the Penn League and Burlington of the Appalachian League, respectively.

On Monday, former Georgia pitcher Mitchell Boggs was recalled to the St. Louis Cardinals from its Triple-A affiliate in Memphis, according to stlcardinals.com.

Boggs has appeared in six games this season with five starts and has a 3-1 record with a 6.59 ERA.

The Dalton native returns to the Peach State as a big leaguer for the first time on July 28 when the Cardinals take on the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.

Signee returns from Euro 2008

Georgia soccer signee Ashley Baker returned from France this past week after she competed in the U-19 Women's European Soccer Championship.

The soon-to-be-freshman goalkeeper competed in three games for the English National Team and garnered a 1-1-1 record.

The English defeated Scotland 3-1 and tied Sweden 1-1 before losing to Germany 2-0.

"It was a great experience," Baker said in a press release. "It will help me out down the road. It's a different level of competition. Everyone over there was under the age of 19. They were good players, but the competition at the college level is just as good, if not better, because you are playing against more experienced players."

Baker, the 2008 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, was born in England and is a British citizen, which enabled her to play for the "Three Lions."

- Michael Fitzpatrick

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