2012 — Fashioned a very productive junior season, twice battling back from injury to post solid numbers...saw action in 51 games and logged 49 starts at four positions: catcher (24), first base (13), designated hitter (11), and third base (1)...hit .303 with four home runs and team leading 47 RBI...began the season at catcher but was limited to work at designated hitter for eight games after being struck by a pitch against Presbyterian (7-5 win) on Feb. 21...went 3-for-4 with two RBI in an 8-6 win over Miami of Ohio and 6-0 blanking at UNC Asheville...drove in three runs in a 7-4 triumph at East Tennessee State...hit just .111 (3x33) over the next nine games and was batting .234 on Mar. 29 before kicking it in a higher gear against UNC Greensboro (Mar. 30-Apr. 1), going 6-for-13 (.461) with four doubles and 11 RBI in three games....followed that up by hitting .545 (6-for-11) with two doubles, two home runs, six walks, and six RBI in the next four games, helping lead Furman to a two games to one SoCon series victory over Elon — the first by the Paladins over the Phoenix since 2004...homered in Furman’s 18-2 Friday night win over Elon and came back in game two against the Phoenix with another home run, which broke a 4-4 deadlock and proved to be the game winner in a 5-4 triumph....performance against Elon helped earn him SoCon Player of the Week honors... hit .369 (24x65) over a 20-game stretch (Mar. 30-Apr. 5) prior to exiting the lineup against Wofford on May 5 after being struck by a pitch on his right wrist...sat out the next six games before returning to action in a pinch hitting role against Davidson on May 18, delivering a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull Furman even at 3-3 in a game it eventually won, 5-4, in 12 innings...finished the season with an eight-game hitting streak (11x26, .423), including 6-for-17 performance (2 2Bs, 5 RBI) in four SoCon Tournament games.
2011 — Followed up an impressive freshman campaign with a solid second season that saw him take over the squad’s primary catching duties....played in 47 games and logged 45 starts at catcher...hit .282 with six home runs and 26 RBI...was hitting just .194 on Mar. 27 before turning around his season...batted .339 (35x103) over his final two months (28 games)...went 3-for-5 with a double and triple against Ohio (12-5 win) the season’s second game....homered as part of a 3-for-4, three-RBI display versus East Tennessee State (14-5 win)...went 4-for-8 and homered twice, including a two-out, thre-run blast that tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the 14th in an eventual 14-13, 16-inning loss to Western Carolina in Greenville....caught every pitch in the 16-inning WCU contest, which lasted 5:54 and ended at 1:55 a.m....went deep in a 3-for-5, four-RBI outing against College of Charleston (13-12 loss)...stroked a game winning, two-out bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth to cap a three-run rally in a 3-2 win over Appalachian Stae in Greenville.
2010 — Fashioned an impressive freshman season, batting .300 with nine home runs and 22 RBI...registered 28 starts, including 15 at third base, six at catcher, four at designated hitter, and three at first base...hit his first collegiate home run in a 11-9 win over Ohio...homered twice as part of a 3-for-5, 2-RBI performance in a 5-4, 10-inning loss to Appalachian State in Boone...tallied two-hit performances in three consecutive games, including a pair of victories (11-3 & 8-5) over 26th-ranked College of Charleston in Greenville...played summer ball with the Spartanburg Blue Eagles of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League, earning all-star honors...named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll.
High School: 2009 graduate of J.L. Mann (3A) High School...coach was Brian Simpson...played catcher and infield...earned all-region honors his junior year and named all-state as a senior...played summer ball with the Upstate Mavericks.
Personal: Full name is Paul Nitto...son of Bob and Susan Nitto...born November 5, 1990, in Suffern, New York...health sciences major.
