Panthers second baseman Dante Girardi enters the transfer portal

William Duval | Assistant Sports Director

Panthers second baseman Dante Girardi entered the transfer portal, as announced on Twitter on June 27, 2023.

The six foot, right handed junior appeared in 147 games over three seasons with FIU, providing the team with consistency on both sides of the field.

Appearing in 53 games in 2023, Girardi had his best season with the Panthers, tallying a .267 batting average, three home runs, and 30 RBIs in 221 at-bats, which are all career highs. 

Over his three year career, Girardi was a consistent hitter for FIU, registering a .249 batting average, 62 total RBIs and six home runs. Not only did he provide steady offense, Girardi also made an impact defensively.

In 2023, Girardi reached career highs in both assists (123) and fielding percentage (.952). He came close to a career high in putouts, totaling 75 on the season, but came one short from that of his 2022 campaign.

For his career, Girardi registered 178 putouts, 282 assists, 33 errors and a .933 fielding percentage. Between 2022 and 2023, he had a .951 fielding percentage, showing much improvement from his freshman season.

His absence leaves the Panthers with questions on both offense and defense that they will need to answer by the start of next season. 

Follow William Duval on Twitter at @WillDuval40