Shawnee grad drafted in fifth round by Twins

“Everybody was a little nervous, especially my family,” Ross said. “I was lucky to be with them when I got the call. It was great to share a moment like that with them because they’ve been there since the beginning, and I get a lot of support from them, which is great. I’m happy it worked out. It’s exciting.”

Playing for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Ross is hitting .421 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs in 42 games.

Ross, a redshirt junior at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio, last spring, was the first player from an Ohio college picked this year and the second player from Ohio after Liberty Union High School pitcher Jacob Miller, who was taken in the second round by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 46th overall selection.

Ross was also the first player from a Division II college drafted this year

Ross led Notre Dame College in batting average (.392), OPS (1.199), slugging percentage (.747), on base percentage (.452), hits (73), doubles (20), triples (2), home runs (14), RBIs (60), total bases (139) and runs scored (53) last season. He was named the Mountain East Conference Player of the Year and became the first player in school history to be named a NCAA Division II All-American.

Ross played for the Champion City Kings in 2021 and set a team record for hits in a season. As a senior at Shawnee in 2019, Ross hit .466 with 21 RBIs.