When Beaver Area High School graduate Austin Ross was forced to miss all of his 2017 season at Radford University after shoulder surgery, he figured his chance of playing at the next level might have slipped away.
Turns out, he was wrong.
Ross on Wednesday was chosen by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 35th round of the Major League Baseball Draft.
“I was surprised to be honest,” Ross said. “They (the Phillies) had called me during the 22nd round, but as the rounds got into the 30s, I just figured they had gone a different direction.”
Ross a 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-handed pitcher, said that coming into this season, the draft was the furthest thing from his mind.
“After having the surgery I kind of accepted that the draft might not happen for me,” Ross said. “I just focused on working hard and being the best I could be for my team. Then, as the season went along, things kept looking up, and I started hearing from some scouts."
Ross was named to the Big South Conference first team after beginning this season in a long relief role and joining the starting rotation midway through the season.
In 17 appearances, including 10 starts, he went 9-4 with a 3.54 ERA, striking out 69 batters in 68.2 innings. His ERA ranked fifth best in the conference, and opposing batters hit just .233 against him.
His performance over the course of the season may have drawn the attention of MLB scouts, but Ross believes it was a game against Liberty in the Big South Conference tournament that might have been the difference.
He pitched 5.2 innings and allowed just four hits and one unearned run as the Highlanders won 4-1.
“I pitched pretty well, and I guess my velocity got up to around 95,” Ross said. “That’s probably as high as it ever been.”
Ross said he will report to Phillies’ spring training facility in Clearwater, Fla. later this week and expects to be assigned to their short-season Class A team in Williamsport, Pa.
“That will be cool to be that close to home,” Ross said.
He is eager to take next step in his career, a step he was not sure he would ever get the chance to take.
“Now it’s just like starting over again,” Ross said, “just like going from high school to college. I am going to work hard, learn as much as I can and see what happens. It should be a lot of fun.”