Georgia, Kennesaw State stars look toward draft

Three of the state’s top college baseball players — a first baseman from Georgia and two pitchers from Kennesaw State — look to cash in on their stellar collegiate careers when the Major League Baseball draft begins Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs’ Rich Poythress and Kennesaw State right-handers Chad Jenkins and Kyle Heckathorn have been widely projected to go in or near the first round in various mock drafts leading up to the real thing.

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Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com

Georgia’s Rich Poythress hit .376 with 25 home runs and a UGA-record 86 RBIs, making first-team all-SEC.

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“It’s really starting to sink in this is going to happen,” Poythress said. “I’m real excited but pretty much at ease, really not that worried about it. It helps having a dad who’s been through it.”

Poythress’ father, Richard, was a 26th-round pick of the Cubs in 1973, playing shortstop in their minor-league system until an injury ended his career.

Poythress, Jenkins and Heckathorn were juniors this past season, meaning they have the option of returning for one more year of college ball. But all intend to sign pro contracts and move on.

Their 2009 seasons:

• Poythress hit .376 with 25 home runs and a UGA-record 86 RBIs, making first-team all-SEC.

• Jenkins, who describes himself as a “command guy [who] likes to induce a lot of ground balls,” was the Atlantic Sun Conference’s pitcher of the year, going 8-1 with a 2.54 ERA and, at one point, a 41-inning scoreless streak.

• Heckathorn, a self-described “power pitcher” who likes to “attack hitters,” was 4-1 with a 3.44 ERA.

All are Georgia natives — Poythress from Grovetown, Jenkins from Canton and Heckathorn from Ringgold.

Both pitchers grew up as fans of the Braves’ vaunted pitching staffs — Jenkins a big fan of Greg Maddux and Heckathorn of John Smoltz.

Jenkins, 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, could be the first of the local collegians drafted, with most mock drafts having him solidly in the first round and MLB.com recently projecting he’ll go in the top 20 picks. The Sporting News projected the 6-6, 240-pound Heckathorn and the 6-4, 245-pound Poythress among the final three choices of the first round, although some mocks have them slipping into the supplemental picks after the first round or into the second round.

They’ll all know soon enough.

“Still hasn’t hit as a reality,” Jenkins said. “I always thought I’d get my degree and go. When the teams started coming in and interviewing, that’s when it started getting hot and heavy. [Tuesday night] will set it in stone that it will be a reality.”