TAMPA -- Junior left-hander
Andrew Barbosa of the University of South Florida baseball team was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 15th round as the 467th overall selection in the 2010 MLB Draft.
It marks the third time that Barbosa has been drafted by the Giants. The 6-8 lefty was first taken in 2006 in the 15th round (466th overall) and again in 2007 in the 48th round as the 1,399th overall pick.
A walk-on, Barbosa went from relative unknown to the Bulls' No. 2 starter and one of the top pitchers in the BIG EAST Conference. He was a member of the 2010 All-BIG EAST Second Team.
Barbosa paced the Bulls on the mound with a 2.40 ERA and a team-high eight wins in 14 starts in 2010, including 16 strikeouts in his complete-game shutout against Cincinnati on April 2.
His 16-strikeout performance earned him five national pitcher of the week awards in addition to BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week honors.
His 2.40 earned run average is the sixth lowest ERA by a pitcher in USF history.
Of his 14 starts on the season, Barbosa went 5.0 or more innings in 13 of those starts with the exception being 1.1 scoreless innings against St. John's due to a lower leg injury.
Barbosa emerged as one of the conference's most prolific powers pitchers, striking out 95 batters in just 86.1 innings of work. He struck out 10 or more batters on four separate occasions and averaged just fewer than 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
More impressive, Barbosa showcased an impeccable command of the strike zone. The southpaw walked just 22 batters on the season.
In BIG EAST play, Barbosa was especially strong, going 6-1 with a 1.66 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .218 batting average. In eight conference starts, he allowed just nine earned runs over 48.2 innings of work.
Barbosa joined the USF baseball program after playing two seasons at South Florida CC. He originally decided to come to USF as a walk-on.
At South Florida CC, he played two years under Rick Hitt. Barbosa showed flashes of brilliance throughout his two years while battling through injury, getting named a team all-star in both his freshman and sophomore years.
