SAINT LEO, Fla. – Former Saint Leo University baseball great Phil Ross passed away August 20, 2020. Ross was a member of both the Sunshine State Conference and Saint Leo Athletics Halls of Fame being inducted in 1993 to both. His senior season in 1985 still ranks among the greatest individual performances in SSC history.
 
He holds several SSC single season marks stemming from that 1985 campaign including highest batting average (.484), slugging percentage (.962) and on-base percentage (.645). He also became the first SSC baseball student-athlete to capture the triple crown in league history leading the conference in batting average (.484), home runs (22) and RBI (90).
 
Ross also had the distinction to be the first NCAA Division II student-athlete to hit two grand slams in one inning as he accomplished the feat against Division I Florida A&M during that historic 1985 season. Those two home runs both came in the second inning of the contest as Ross ended the game going 3-for-4 with 11 RBIs despite playing just four innings. The feat earned him a feature on that evening's CNN Sports broadcast.
 
In his final at bat in a Saint Leo uniform, Ross hit his SSC leading 22^nd home run of the season against Eckerd College at home. Despite the phenomenal senior campaign, Ross inexplicably went undrafted in the Major League Baseball draft that summer and never attempted to try out for an MLB team.
 
Ross still holds the NCAA record for grand slams in an inning (2), a record he shares with teammate Cliff Champion who accomplished the feat 12 days after Ross against Eckerd. The two grand slams also rank first in the NCAA record book for grand slams in a game.
 
A celebration of life will be held at a later date where his friends and family can gather to honor and share in their remembrances of Phil.