Radford redshirt senior pitcher Austin Ross became the 21st player in program history to be taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft as the Philadelphia Phillies selected Ross with the 1,037th pick in the 35th round of the 2018 draft on Wednesday afternoon.
“I cannot wait to be a part of the Phillies organization. It took a lot of hard work and mental toughness to overcome labrum surgery but now I’m ready to compete at the next level,” Ross stated. “I’m very thankful Philadelphia gave me this chance and opportunity to pursue my dream.”
Ross is the 11th Highlander pitcher to be taken in the draft and the fourth in the last four seasons. The Beaver, Pa., native is the first Highlander to be selected by the Phillies. When he steps on the mound; Ross will join former Highlander pitchers Eddie Butler, Ryan Meisinger, Michael Boyle, Kyle Zurak and Danny Hrbek on MLB/MiLB rosters.
“Austin deserved an opportunity to go out and reach his dream. I am excited for him and his family,” said head coach Joe Raccuia. “He has been a role model for guys that have had injuries in our program by showing them it’s only a setback and not a dream ender. I expect Austin to have a solid career in professional baseball and the Radford baseball family is very proud of him.”
After missing the 2017 season with labrum surgery, Ross put together a career year in the 2018 campaign. He became only the fourth Highlander in program history to win nine-plus games in a season, finishing with a 9-4 mark. Ross turned in a 3.54 ERA and held opposing bats to a .233 clip.
Leading the Big South in wins, Ross struck out 69 batters in 68.2 innings, walking only 22. He finished the season with a 3.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio and struck out 9.04 batters per nine innings. Ross finished his Radford career ranking sixth all-time with an 8.53 strikeouts per nine innings mark.
Ross finished with a 6-3 record in Big South play, leading the league in conference wins. Appearing in seven games out of the bullpen, he turned in a 4-2 mark and 3.50 ERA. Ross finished with eight games of four-plus strikeouts, crossing the six-strikeout plateau on four occasions.
The 2018 season saw Ross earn his first Big South honor after being named to the first team and finishing second in conference pitcher of the year voting.
Ross will report to the Phillies spring training complex in Clearwater, Fla., to sign his professional contract. He will then await his assignment with the possibility of heading to the Phillies’ Class A Short Season team in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
–RU Athletics
