C.J. Williams, Joe Urso Headline All-SSC Awards for Conference Champions
MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Sunshine State Conference presented its 2025 baseball postseason awards, honoring seven players from the University of Tampa as all-conference. Additionally, C.J. Williams was named the SSC Pitcher of the Year while Joe Urso was SSC Coach of the Year. A pair of Spartans were also named to the all-defensive team. Thirty-eight student-athletes from eight member institutions are recognized as All-Conference. Tampa, the 2025 SSC champion, leads the way with 11 honors, including Pitcher of the Year and Coach of the Year.
SSC Baseball All-Conference History: All-SSC Teams| Players & Coaches of the Year
The league office recognizes Cole Fowler from Lynn as the 2025 SSC Player of the Year. The senior from Mantua, New Jersey, finished the regular season leading the conference in hits (87), home runs (18), batting average (.435), slugging percentage (.810), and OPS (1.280). The third baseman's standout season has him ranked among the SSC's Top 20 all-time in single-season batting average, slugging percentage, hits per game (1.89), and total bases per game (3.52). He is also the NCAA Division II leader in hits per game heading into the postseason. Defensively, Fowler totaled 81 assists and 33 putouts in 122 chances for a .934 fielding percentage. He is the eighth Fighting Knight named Player of the Year in baseball, first since 2018A.
Tampa's CJ Williams is honored as the 2025 SSC Pitcher of the Year. The graduate student from Deerfield Beach, Florida, made 15 starts on the mound, throwing 91.2 innings for a 12-2 overall record. During the regular season, Williams led the SSC in ERA (2.36), opponent batting average (.200), strikeouts (89), hits allowed per nine innings (6.77), WHIP (1.000), and wins. He is the 14th Spartan athlete to earn Pitcher of the Year laurels, third consecutiveB.
Brad Benton becomes the first Lynn Fighting Knight to collect Freshman of the Year accolades in Baseball. The pitcher from Avon Park, Florida, finished the regular season with a 2.44 ERA and 1.220 WHIP following 51.2 innings of work over 17 appearances. He sported a 7-0 record with 32 strikeouts and a .265 batting average against. Benton ranks first in SSC walks allowed per nine innings (1.57), second in ERA, third in WHIP, and fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.56).
SSC baseball coaches vote Joe Urso as Coach of the Year for the 15th time in his careerC. Urso guided the Spartans to the program's fifth consecutive SSC championship and 24th overall league trophy, following a 43-7 overall record and 27-3 conference mark. Across 30 league games in 2025, the Tampa offense finished first in 10 statistical categories, including batting average (.331) and on-base percentage (.438). Spartan pitching led the SSC in various statistical categories, including ERA (3.07), BAA (.245), and WHIP (1.270). Urso's Spartans are ranked No. 1 nationally in multiple polls and received the top seed in the South Regional as they begin their pursuit of a 10th NCAA Division II title.
Nick Berger of Rollins and JD Urso of Tampa highlight the repeat All-SSC winners in 2025. Berger earns his second consecutive First Team accolade and third straight All-SSC nod. Urso picks up his third career All-SSC honor following Second Team accolades in 2023 and a First Team selection in 2022. Urso was also named Freshman of the Year in 2022. A total of 10 players repeat as All-SSC in 2025, including five 2024 First Team honorees.
All-conference selections and individual award winners are determined by a vote of Sunshine State Conference head coaches with oversight and approval from member institution Athletic Directors.
Player of the Year: Cole Fowler, Lynn
Pitcher of the Year: C.J. Williams, Tampa
Freshman of the Year: Brad Benton, Lynn
Coach of the Year: Joe Urso, Tampa
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2025 All-SSC Baseball First Team |
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1B |
Max Kops |
Embry-Riddle |
Gr. |
Noord-Brabant, Netherlands |
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2B |
Jimmy Thies |
Rollins |
Jr. |
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida |
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3B |
Cole Fowler1 |
Lynn |
Sr. |
Mantua, New Jersey |
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SS |
Tampa |
Gr. |
Tampa, Florida |
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|
C |
Mason Wilson |
Rollins |
Sr. |
Orlando, Florida |
|
UT |
Ahmad Fitts |
Florida Southern |
Gr. |
Valrico, Florida |
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DH |
Amaris Harrison |
Lynn |
Jr. |
Pasadena, California |
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OF |
Grant Thoroman |
Florida Southern |
Gr. |
Girard, Illinois |
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OF |
Tampa |
Gr. |
Odessa, Florida |
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|
OF |
Mikey Scott3 |
Florida Southern |
Gr. |
Cutler Bay, Florida |
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OF |
Noah Rabin |
Florida Southern |
Gr. |
Sebastopol, California |
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SP |
Tampa |
Gr. |
Deerfield Beach, Florida |
|
|
SP |
Nick Berger4 |
Rollins |
Sr. |
Winter Park, Florida |
|
SP |
Tampa |
Gr. |
Danville, Illinois |
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|
SP |
Ryan DiMaggio |
Lynn |
Fr. |
Centreville, Maryland |
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RP |
Nathan Shane |
Lynn |
Sr. |
Tampa, Florida |
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2025 All-SSC Baseball Second Team |
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1B |
Felix Diaz |
Barry |
Sr. |
North Brunswick, New Jersey |
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2B |
Tampa |
Jr. |
Winter Springs, Florida |
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|
3B |
Jeslyn Whitehead6 |
Rollins |
Gr. |
Orlando, Florida |
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SS |
Roylan Quevedo |
Nova Southeastern |
Jr. |
Miami, Florida |
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C |
Tampa |
Jr. |
Winter Garden, Florida |
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|
UT |
Ryan Crivello |
Saint Leo |
Jr. |
Odessa, Florida |
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OF |
Justin Wachs7 |
Nova Southeastern |
Sr. |
Pembroke Pines, Florida |
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OF |
Xavier Moronta |
Nova Southeastern |
Gr. |
Miramar, Florida |
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OF |
Leon Paulino8 |
Lynn |
Sr. |
Lawrence, Massachusetts |
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OF |
Thomas DeBrower |
Saint Leo |
Jr. |
Ankeny, Iowa |
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SP |
Sachem Ramos |
Florida Southern |
So. |
Woodacre, California |
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SP |
Logan Adams |
Florida Southern |
Jr. |
Arcadia, Florida |
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SP |
Keyler Gonzalez |
Nova Southeastern |
So. |
Santa Clara, Cuba |
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SP |
Federico Zapata |
Nova Southeastern |
Jr. |
Miami, Florida |
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RP |
Tampa |
Sr. |
Acworth, Georgia |
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2025 SSC Baseball All-Defensive Team |
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1B |
Tampa |
Sr. |
Tampa, Florida |
|
|
1B |
David Judge9 |
Lynn |
Gr. |
Troy, New York |
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2B |
Jimmy Thies |
Rollins |
Jr. |
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida |
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3B |
Rohsean Riley10 |
Florida Southern |
Sr. |
Winter Haven, Florida |
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SS |
Roylan Quevedo |
Nova Southeastern |
Jr. |
Miami, Florida |
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C |
Corey Filley |
Florida Southern |
Jr. |
Dade City, Florida |
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OF |
Grant Thoroman |
Florida Southern |
Gr. |
Girard, Illinois |
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OF |
Kendry Noriega |
Barry |
Sr. |
Havana, Cuba |
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OF |
Tampa |
Gr. |
Odessa, Florida |
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|
P |
Tristan Harley |
Embry-Riddle |
Jr. |
Tallahassee, Florida |
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1 Fowler (LU) - 2024 First Team (3B)
2 Urso (UT) - 2023 Second Team (SS), 2022 First Team (SS), 2022 Freshman of the Year
3 Scott (FS) - 2024 First Team (UT w/ Saint Leo)
4 Berger (RC) - 2024 First Team (SP), 2023 Second Team (SP)
5 Stipp (UT) - 2024 Second Team (SP)
6 Whitehead (RC) - 2023 First Team (1B), 2023 Defensive Team (1B)
7 Wachs (NS) - 2024 First Team (OF)
8 Paulino (LU) - 2024 First Team (OF)
9 Judge (LU) - 2023 Second Team (1B)
10 Riley (FS) - 2024 Defensive Team (3B), 2023 First Team (3B)
A Previous Lynn Players of the Year: Nicolas Boisvert (2007), Anthony Boza (2012), Jason Matusik (2013), Sal Giardina (2014), John Silviano (2016), Tyler Curtis (2017), Patrick Dorian (2018)
B Previous Tampa Pitcher of the Year Winners: Ricky Burton (1996), Mike Valdes (1998), Charlie Manning (2001), Eric Beattie (2003), Sergio Perez (2006), Kevin Ferguson (2007), Sean Bierman (2012), Mike Adams (2013), Preston Packrall (2014), David Lebron (2017-18), Jordan Leasure (2021), Alex Canney (2023), Skylar Gonzalez (2024)
C Previous Tampa Coach of the Year Winners: Ken Dominguez (1987), Lelo Prada (1989 & 1993), Terry Rupp (1997 & 2000), Joe Urso (2002-03, 2006-08, 2010, 2012-14, 2016-18, 2021, 2024)