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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
6/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 7, 2001
By Bob Gosman
Boca Raton News
FAU senior pitcher Petersen Benjamin spent Wednesday afternoon lifting weights at the YMCA.
When he returned to his house in Tarpon Springs his sister greeted him with some exciting news-he had been selected by San Francisco in the 23rd round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft.
"I was a little surprised because I hadn't talked a lot with the Giants organization, but it was very exciting." Benjamin said. "All I wanted was a chance."
In addition to Benjamin, FAU recruits Jeff Fiorentino (Nova) and Derek Hutton (Palm Beach Gardens) also were selected on the second and final day of the draft.
American Heritage senior, Antoan Richardson was chosen by Baltimore in the 27th round.
Benjamin is coming off a season where he went 7-5 with a 2.41 ERA. He only issued 18 walks in 123 innings.
"That's pretty impressive," FAU coach Kevin Cooney said about Benjamin's control.
"He always has a chance to be successful because of his ability to throw strikes. He's intelligent, and he know how to compete and keep you in games."
Benjamin said San Francisco will tell him by this weekend what level he will start out at.
"I read they're looking for pitchers, so hopefully I can be one of the pitchers they like," he said.
"I'm going to work hard on my velocity and throwing a more consistent changeup."
As for Fiorentino (21st round, Toronto) and Hutton (48th round, Florida), they are both expected to be at FAU in the fall. Fiorentino has more of a decision to make because he was drafted higher, but he knows that after three years with the Owls he would have a chance to go substantially higher.
"I'm going to sit down with my family and probably decide by this weekend," said Fiorentino, who played shortstop and in the outfield last season. "I'll probably end up going to college."
Fiorentino should be able to help the Owls immediately with his bat. He hit .512 as a senior and led Broward County in home runs (12), RBIs (42) and runs (42).
Hutton's statistics are almost as impressive. He's coming off a season where he hit .412 and led Palm Beach County in RBIs (33) and runs (28).
American Heritage's Richardson was a first-team selection on The News' All-Area Baseball Team.
Richardson, a centerfielder, hit .369 with 30 stolen bases. He is one of the fastest players picked in the entire draft.
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