By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA - The Bulls started the Big East Baseball Championship by getting some nice recognition for solid individual efforts this season.

USF ace left-hander Andrew Barbosa was named to the All-Big East first team on Tuesday night while right-hander Derrick Stultz and outfielder James Ramsay made the conference's second team.

Barbosa, a senior, came back strong after having Tommy John surgery in 2011 by posting a 7-5 record with a 2.37 ERA and Big East-best 103 strikeouts in 83 2/3 innings this regular season.

Stultz also has been a big reason why the Bulls had a lot of success this year. The senior led all USF pitchers with an 8-1 record while logging in the second-most innings (76 2/3) behind Barbosa.

Ramsay has made the most of his sophomore season by leading all USF hitters with a .332 batting average while starting all 54 games. He tied for the team lead with 29 runs batted in.

FALLA A HIT IN HOME RUN DERBY

USF's Jimmy Falla swung a big stick in Tuesday night's Big East home run derby at Bright House Field in Clearwater.

The junior first baseman finished in second with 340 points behind Notre Dame's Trey Mancini. Falla, a former Jesuit High School star, took five pitches out of the park and was leading the competition until Mancini stepped to the plate as the final batter.

"They definitely helped me out," said Falla of his teammates watching the festivities.