April 26, 2008

LAS VEGAS - Former UNLV baseball star Eric Nielsen was called up to AAA Syracuse of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, leaving the talented outfielder one step away from the big leagues.

Nielsen started the season at AA New Hampshire, where he had played in 13 games before being called up. In three games thus far with Syracuse, he has three hits in 10 at-bats, including a triple and a solo home run.

Nielsen played for three seasons at UNLV (2002-04) and he is the last Rebel to earn All-American honors, as he was named to the 2004 Louisville Slugger First Team as a junior. He finished with the second-highest career batting average, .376, in UNLV history and he was named the 2004 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year. Nielsen set a single-season record for hits with 101 on the year and ended the 2004 season with a .402 batting average, 87 RBI and 16 homers.

He was drafted in the 12th round of the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 357th overall pick.