Yanakopulos Signs Letter of Intent with UMass

Yanakopulus in the uniform of his summer team, the Andre Chiefs. Courtesy photo.

Medford native and Malden Catholic senior Paul Yanakopulos has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at UMass Amherst next season.

Yanakopulos has been a varsity starter for Head Coach Steve Freker’s baseball team for four years, not an easy accomplishment on a team usually stocked with top talent. The two-year captain led the Catholic Conference in home runs (six) and RBI’s (thirty-three) in 2010, earning him recognition as a league all-star and Medford Daily Mercury All-Scholastic. He finished third in the league behind two of his teammates with a .440 batting average.

Yanakopulos stole fourteen bases and had a perfect fielding percentage despite starting at all three outfield positions, pitching regularly and taking over as the Lancers’ everyday shortstop midway through the 2010 season. He was a standout player in the Intercity League in the summer, playing for the Andre Chiefs.

– Information from Malden Catholic and the Andre Chiefs