SAINT LEO, Fla. – Redshirt junior Paul Coumoulos and redshirt senior Jake Vander Wal of the Saint Leo baseball team earned their first career All-Sunshine State Conference honors Thursday morning. Coumoulos was tabbed the First Team All-Conference utility player while Vander Wal earned Second Team All-Conference outfielder.
 
Coumoulos finished the 2021 regular season as the Sunshine State Conference leader in batting average at .439, the lone SSC batter with an above .400 average. The Spring Hill, Fla. native spent time at designated hitter, outfield and first base. He finished the year with eight runs scored, a double, 15 RBI, seven walks and a pair of stolen bases. Over the final 10 games of the season he hit an impressive .514 at the plate picking up 12 of his 15 RBI and scoring four of his eight runs. He was perfect in the field on 39 chances with 37 putouts and two assists.
 
Vander Wal led the Lions all season at the plate as he finished the year as the team leader in runs scored (24), hits (29), triples (2), homeruns (7), RBI (26) and walks (15). He was tied for second on the team in doubles with five. His 26 RBI were third among the league leaders while his two triples tied for the league lead. He had eight multiple-hit contests this season including a career-best four-hit performance versus Nova Southeastern where he finished with two singles, a double and a homerun.
 
The pair repeat the performance of the 2019 squad who had Derek Gibree among the first team selections and McCabe Sargent as a second team member. Coumoulos represents the first Saint Leo utility player selected to the first team since 2015 when Jordan Taylor received the honor. Vander Wal is the first Saint Leo outfielder to earn second team honors since Amir Wright took home the award in 2018.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo baseball team be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
 
Keeping Our Lions Healthy & Safe
Saint Leo University Athletics is keeping our student-athletes healthy and safe by following a number of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes having student-athletes tested or screened on a regular basis, traveling in smaller groups, limiting the number of fans in attendance, avoiding overnight trips, and wearing masks when not competing. These safety standards meet those set by the NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference President's Council. At Saint Leo University, the COVID-19 Incident Command Team also reviews the teams' safety protocol and monitors adherence on a regular basis.


Player of the Year: Vaun Brown, Florida Southern
Pitcher of the Year: Jordan Leasure, Tampa
Freshman of the Year:  Tyler Epstein, Nova Southeastern
Coach of the Year: Joe Urso, Tampa
 

2021 All-SSC Baseball First Team
1B	Jacob Teter*	Florida Southern	Jr.	Melbourne, Fla.
2B	Nicholas Winkelmeyer	Tampa	So.	Sarasota, Fla.
3B	Sam LaFontaine	Rollins	Gr.	Hudson, Ohio
SS	Tyler Epstein	Nova Southeastern	Fr.	Pembroke Pines, Fla.
C	Robert Fabelo	Palm Beach Atlantic	Gr.	Miami, Fla.
UT	Paul Coumoulos	Saint Leo	Jr.	Spring Hill, Fla.
DH	Connor Berry	Florida Southern	So.	Seminole, Fla.
OF	Vaun Brown	Florida Southern	Sr.	Sarasota, Fla.
OF	Adan Fernandez	Nova Southeastern	Jr.	Miramar, Fla.
OF	EJ Cumbo	Tampa	So.	East Meadow, N.Y.
OF	Lawrence Cicileo	Lynn	Sr.	Milford, Pa.
SP	Michael Paul	Tampa	Jr.	Clearwater, Fla.
SP	Jaylyn Whitehead	Rollins	Sr.	Ocoee, Fla.
SP	Frank Gonzalez	Barry	So.	Miramar, Fla.
SP	JP Williams	Nova Southeastern	Sr.	Melbourne, Fla.
RP	Jordan Leasure	Tampa	Jr.	Tampa, Fla.
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2021 All-SSC Baseball Second Team
1B	John Malcom	Tampa	So.	Detroit, Mich.
2B	Byron Murray	Lynn	Jr.	Nassau, Bahamas
3B	Braden Forchic	Lynn	So.	Boca Raton, Fla.
SS	Raul Quintero^	Florida Tech	Sr.	Weston, Fla.
C	Cody Oerther	Rollins	Jr.	Windermere, Fla.
OF	Jake Vander Wal	Saint Leo	Sr.	Ada, Mich.
OF	Ihosvany Castaneda	Barry	So.	Pembroke Pines, Fla.
OF	Jamarcus Lyons	Tampa	So.	Tampa, Fla.
OF	Nick Santucci	Rollins	Gr.	Franklin, Mass.
SP	Eric Linder	Tampa	So.	St. Johns, Fla.
SP	Boris Villa	Florida Tech	Jr.	Barranquilla, Colombia
SP	Jarrod Cande	Florida Southern	Jr.	Tampa, Fla.
SP	Misael Castillo	Lynn	Sr.	Egg Harbor Township, N.J.
RP	Ben Terwilliger	Barry	Jr.	Elmira, N.Y.
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2021 All-SSC Baseball Honorable Menton
OF	Landen Morrison	Palm Beach Atlantic	Fr.	Bradenton, Fla.
SP	JJ Lorenz	Florida Tech	So.	Rockledge, Fla.
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2021 SSC Baseball All-Defensive Team
1B	Jacob Teter*	Florida Southern	Jr,	Melbourne, Fla.
2B	Dylan Costa	Florida Southern	So.	Wellington, Fla.
SS	Tyler Epstein	Nova Southeastern	Fr.	Pembroke Pines, Fla.
C	Blake Brito	Barry	Jr.	Pembroke Pines, Fla.
OF	Sam Schner	Florida Tech	Fr.	Boca Raton, Fla.
OF	Andrew Rapoza!^	Barry	Sr.	New Bedford, Mass.
OF	Stephen Schissler	Nova Southeastern	Fr.	Pembroke Pines, Fla.
P	Jaylyn Whitehead	Rollins	Sr.	Ocoee, Fla.

 
! = 2019 All-SSC First Team
^ = 2018 All-SSC Second Team
* = 2017 Freshman of the Year