Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Unlikely pair of FIU players named first team all-Sun Belt Conference

Two players from Florida International University, an experienced junior hurler with national accolades and a walk-on freshman designated hitter, were named to the all-Sun Belt Conference baseball first team Tuesday afternoon in Lafayette, La. Josh Banks, a junior from Arnold, Md., and Bryan Pullin, a freshman from Sunrise, Fla., were both honored with first team recognition in their initial inclusions on the all-Sun Belt Conference team. Two more players, Derek DeCarlo and Ricardo Nanita, were named second team, while Luis Rivera was voted Freshman of the Year.

Banks started his season off with a bang, setting a conference record with 30 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. The right-hander owns an 8-2 record with one save and an ERA of 3.13. His 100.2 innings pitched and 112 strikeouts lead the conference, and he has walked just 25 batters on the year.

Pullin joins Banks on the first team in the designated hitter position. He is batting .338 in his first collegiate season with seven doubles, one home run, 21 RBI and six stolen bases.

The Sun Belt Conference made FIU the only team with two all-Conference pitchers by honoring DeCarlo with second team honors for the second consecutive year. The sophomore right-hander from Miami (Southridge) improved to 17-0 in his collegiate career in 2003, setting a record for consecutive wins in the process. He holds a 3.57 ERA and has struck out 75 batters in 75.2 innings.

The other second team player is Nanita, a junior newcomer in the outfield who has established himself as one of the elite offensive performers in the conference. The Dominican Republic native leads the team in batting average (.372), runs scored (48), home runs (12), RBI (47), total bases (118), slugging percentage (.656), walks (38) and on-base percentage (.482)

Rivera became the second consecutive Golden Panther to be honored as Freshman of the Year, as DeCarlo was the 2002 Freshman of the Year. Rivera, a Puerto Rico native, made an immediate impact at shortstop with a 23-game hitting streak, the fifth longest streak in school history. He leads the team in hits (76) and doubles (14) and is batting .338 with 44 runs scored, 41 RBI and 13 stolen bases.