Costoulas Heads into Second Season of NJCAA Baseball in Tennessee
Tristan Costoulas didn’t make the decision to play college baseball until late until his senior year at Fellowship Christian School.
Even though he had limited choices, the 2025 graduate of FCS feels like he made the right choice to attend Roane State Community College (NJCAA) in Herriman, Tenn.
“I decided to pursue college baseball in May of my senior year,” he said. “I played for a U18 team that summer and my coach gave me a list of schools he was connected to, and where I could play. My goal is to play at a four-year school, but I have enjoyed it here. I am excited for my sophomore season and want to do better and help the team won more games.”
The freshman outfielder finished with a .253 batting average for the Raiders in 33 games. He made 10 starts and recorded 20 hits, five doubles, one triple and knocked in 17 runs (which was tied for ninth on the club). In the field, he recorded 56 putouts and finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Roane State finished 15-32 overall, including a 10-20 record in the Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletics Association. The Raiders went 0-2 against Southwest Tennessee Community College in the playoffs. During the postseason, Costoulas went 5-for-9 and finished with a .556 batting average and a .600 OBP.
The season had its share of ups and downs for Costoulas.
“I hit just under .400 in the fall when we played other schools as intrasquads,” Costoulas said. “I started the spring pretty good in the first 15 games, then I got into a slump, and got hot at the end. Overall, the first half of the season wasn’t great, the middle was atrocious and then I hit .357 in April, so it all evened out.”
Costoulas excelled in the classroom at Roane State. The pre-law major made the Dean’s List with a 4.0 GPA and was inducted into the Pi Theta Kappa Honors Society.
“I am really excited about my major,” he said. “I have taken a lot of political science courses, and I really like it. I look forward to my sophomore year and finishing up my associate’s degree.”
The biggest difference between high school and junior college baseball for Costoulas was the need to take more personal ownership.
“There was a big difference in how hard we have to work,” Costoulas said. “More is put on you as an individual in college. We have two-a-days of practice, lift five to six days a week and are expected to work on our own. The coaches expect you to spend time hitting on your own at our batting cages. They are open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, so the coaches want you to put in time there on your own.“
While he considers a four-year school for his junior year, academics is very important for Costoulas.
“I want to transfer somewhere where I can play,” he said. “I have the grades for an Ivy League school. Harvard is my goal. My friend Jack Rickheim plays there and loves it. But I am open to other schools in Division I, II or NAIA.”
Other schools on Costoulas’ list include any other Ivy League school, and potentially Georgia College and State University, where former Paladin teammate Carson Phillips played, or Columbus State, where FCS graduate Isaac Boutin played.
Fellowship helped prepare Costoulas for college baseball.
“It’s a great connector,” Costoulas said. “It is a great program. Coach O [Shawn Oliver] has done a great job. I have seen a lot of guys this summer hitting at the cages [at FCS]. I greatly enjoyed my time at Fellowship.”
(Photos courtesy of Tristan Costoulas)