Cone Named All American

BASEBALL

University of Georgia junior outfielder Zach Cone has been named a 2011 second team preseason All-American by Baseball America.

Cone captured the “Triple Crown” for the Dawgs last season, leading the team in batting average (.363), home runs (10) and RBI (53). A 6-2, 202-pound native of Stone Mountain, Ga., he was a third round draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels in the 2008 MLB draft after his final year at Parkview High School.

Also in the “2011 Best Tools” category, Cone was tabbed as the “fastest runner” among this year’s draft pool of collegiate players. Last month, the magazine rated Cone among the top 100 college prospects for the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, which will be in June.

Cone is the 18^th Dawg in school history to be named a preseason All-American and the first since first baseman Rich Poythress and catcher Bryce Massanari in 2009. Incidentally, Poythress, a second round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2009, led all Minor Leaguers with 130 RBI last year. He was named Seattle’s Minor League Player of the Year after batting .315 with 31 home runs for High Desert of the California League.

Currently, Georgia is preparing for the 2011 season that features 31 games against teams preseason ranked in the top 25. The Dawgs open the 2011 campaign on February 18 with a series against Stetson in DeLand, Florida. Georgia’s home opener will be on February 23 against Furman followed by a three-game series with 16^th-ranked Baylor from February 25th to the 27th.