PHSC Men's Baseball Program History

In 1992, PHSC's men's baseball started competing in the Suncoast Conference as a NJCAA Division I program. In just the third year of the program, PHSC finished runner-up in the 1994 FCCAA state tournament. Other state tournament appearances were in 1995 and 1997. Also in 1995, the team won the Suncoast Conference championship.

In 2010, the athletics program switched to Division II status. Since then, the men's baseball team has appeared in the NJCAA Region 10 District Tournament in North Carolina seven times. In 2014, we were NJCAA Region 10 Champions and advanced to the World Series finishing fourth nationally. We are proud to have had over 30 players sign professional contracts; many have gone on to top universities throughout the country. Most recently, Tyler Beck ('17) was selected in the 2019 MLB Draft; he goes to Minnesota Twins in 30th round.

Baseball Coaching Staff

  • Lyndon Coleman Head Baseball Coach

    Lyndon Coleman

    Head Coach

    Lyndon Coleman begins his second season as head coach with his eyes on leading the Bobcats back to the World Series. In his first year as head coach, Coleman led his 2018-2019 team to a third place finish in Enid, Oklahoma at the NJCAA Division II World Series. His first year as head coach also led him to the honor of being named NJCAA D2 Southeast District Coach of the Year and American Baseball Coaches Association/Diamond NJCAA D2 District 10 Coach of the Year.

    Read More about Coach Lyndon Coleman

    Previously, Coleman had served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for three years prior to his head coach appointment. During Coleman’s tenure, PHSC has a 93-50-1 record with two NJCAA Dll Region 8 championships and trips to the NJCAA Dll Southeast District Tournament. In 2018 PHSC recorded one of the best seasons in program history winning 36 games and moving on to the NJCAA regional tournament in North Carolina. Coleman helped move 11 players to four-year schools including (4) D-1 players, most notably Ryan Russell (High Point University) and Caleb Walls (University of Maryland).

    Coleman started his college baseball career at Pasco-Hernando State College. Coleman hit .314 in 2009 and was a key player in setting a school record with 37 wins. Coleman hit .353 in 2010 and was All-Suncoast Conference. Coleman finished the last two years of his college career at Barry University in Miami, Florida.  In 2011, the Bucs went 20-4 and won the Sunshine State Conference.  In the summer of 2011, he played for the Covington Lumberjacks in the Valley Baseball League where he finished the season hitting .343 which was third best in the league. Covington also won the Valley Baseball League championship that summer. Coleman graduated from Barry University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a minor in coaching. Coleman has since graduated from Capella University with a masters in sport psychology.  

    Lyndon Coleman has gained the reputation for developing quality baseball players on and off the field during his six years of coaching college and summer collegiate baseball. Prior to taking over at PHSC, Coleman coached in two of the most historic summer collegiate summer leagues. the Valley Baseball League and the New England Collegiate Baseball League. During his time with the Winchester Royals he acted as the pitching coach for the first season and the head coach, pitching coach, and recruiting coordinator for the next two seasons. Coleman led Winchester to two consecutive playoff appearances and went 43-41 overall as the head coach. In 2016, the Royals pitching staff had a 4.44 ERA, which was fifth best in the league. They also dominated the league in stolen bases with 120 in 42 games, leading the league by nearly 40, and finishing nationally in the top five for summer collegiate baseball.

    In 2017, The Royals finished third in the league for ERA at 4.36 and stolen bases at 86. Coleman’s teams finished in the top half of the league in almost every other offensive category both seasons. In the summer of 2018, Coleman was the manager of the Keene Swampbats in the NECBL where they posted a record of 24-20. That year Keene made the playoffs and set a league record for strike outs as a pitching staff and finished leading the league in stolen bases (111), 5 stolen bases shy of the league record. The stolen bases were good for a top 5 national ranking in summer collegiate baseball. Coleman coached the MVP of the NECBL and new single season RBI record holder Brandon Smith. Coleman sent eight players to the All-Star game and also coached the NECBL Homerun Derby Champion Lorenzo Hampton. 

    Coleman started his coaching career in 2013 at Barry University in Miami, Florida under then Head Coach Marc Pavao. Coleman acted as the catching coach during his two seasons with the Bucs, Both catchers that he mentored signed to play professional baseball. In 2015, Coleman was an infield coach under head coach Ryan Beckman at St. Petersburg College in Clearwater before coaching under Steve Winterling for three years. Coleman has coached 17 players that have gone on to play professional baseball and many others who have played in independent leagues. Tyler Kinley with the Miami Marlins and Josh James with the Houston Astros are two of Coleman's former players that moved on to the Major leagues.

  • Portrait of Derek Kuryliw

    Derek Kuryliw

    Assistant Coach

    Derek Kuryliw enters his third year as the strength/nutritionist coordinator at Pasco-Hernando State College. Kuryliw currently is the owner and operator of Live Fit Gym in New Port Richey, Fla., since 2011. In 2011, he started what would eventually evolve into LiveFit Bootcamps. The original outdoor bootcamp location with a handful of clients has grown into more than 200 motivated and hard working women, men, moms, dads and grandparents. Over 3,500 clients have trained with Kuryliw and the LiveFit team, since 2011.

    Read more about Coach Derek Kuryliw

    In 2010, he was nominated for the Tampa Bay Business Journal “Health Care Heroes” award for top community educators for his public speaking and volunteer work. Kuryliw is frequently requested to speak at businesses, schools, clubs, association meetings and gyms. His topics vary from “7 Steps to Peak Energy” to “Exercise IS Medicine” to "Nutrition Basics to Burn, Build and Recover Faster".

    In 2003, he was certified through American Muscle and Fitness, an international certification. Kuryliw began personal training and conducting nutritional consultations in the West Palm Beach area. In 2006, he returned to New Port Richey to work as a personal trainer for Richey Racquet and Fitness Club and Kuryliw Chiropractic Rehab Center, where he managed the clinic for seven years.

    In 2001, Kuryliw was named "Athlete of the Year" by the Tampa Bay Tribune and St. Petersburg Times for his senior baseball season at Ridgewood High School. After high school, he went on to play at Pasco-Hernando Community College. Two injury-plagued seasons (shoulder surgery and a broken femur) led him to hang up his spikes and in 2003, he continued his education at Florida Atlantic University pursuing a bachelor's degree in biological science.