Señor Shutout
As an AcademicAll-America accounting major, Campbellsville University pitcher Bryan Fuller ispretty good with numbers. But as he looked at the scoreboard last Friday, hewas having trouble comprehending so many zeroes. "I'm not doing this,"the senior thought to himself in the midst of 26-hour stretch during which hethrew 21 consecutive shutout innings to lead his team to its first NAIA WorldSeries appearance.
After theKentucky school lost its first game of the double-elimination tournament,Fuller helped prolong the season with a three-inning save last Thursday againstLindenwood. With the next game just 25 minutes away, coach Beauford Sandersasked Fuller to make his second career start, against Kansas Wesleyan, whichwas riding a 26-game winning streak. Fuller threw a shutout. "At least wedon't have to see him again," Kansas Wesleyan coach David Dawson told anassistant after the game.
Wrong. When theteams faced off the next morning for a spot in the world series, Fuller hadpersuaded his coaches that, as a 5'10" soft-tossing sidewinder with littlechance of playing competitive baseball again, he should start. He threw a77-pitch shutout. "The whole four years I've been here we've talked aboutgetting to the world series," says Fuller, who plans to follow up on hisjob application with the IRS after he gets married in June. "We were onegame away, and I wanted to do anything I could. I figured I had three inningsin me, tops."
PHOTO
RUSTY HOLLINGSWORTH (FULLER)
AGENT ZERO Fuller, who wants to work for the IRS, put up 21 goose eggs in 26 hours.