Northwoods Green Bay Rockers

Outfield Talent Stamped by Play of Ross

June 18, 2015 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Green Bay Rockers News Release


Connor Ross with Fort Hays State
Connor Ross with Fort Hays State
(Green Bay Rockers)

Green Bay, Wis.- When the Bullfrogs only had two outfielders on their active roster to start the season, Field Manager, Skip Handelsman, knew he needed to find more options. After some in-season recruiting, the Bullfrogs found outfielder Connor Ross (Ft. Hays State).

A former teammate in 2014 of Bullfrogs Sam Brunner (Dayton) and Luke Crabb (VCU) at Dodge City Community College, Ross always wanted a chance to play in the Northwoods League.

Sam Brunner had repeatedly assured the coaching staff that Ross was a capable player and one of achieving great success in a Bullfrogs' uniform.

"He kept asking me saying, 'Man get me up there [to Green Bay].' And I said, 'Alright Connor I'll get you up here as soon as I can,'" said Brunner. "As soon as the opportunity came, he came as soon as he could. And he's happy to be here. I'm happy to have him here."

While playing for the Junction City Brigade of the Mid-Plains League in Kansas, Ross was offered a spot with the Bullfrogs. He accepted, got over to Green Bay right away, and started in center field his first game on June 6th.

In just his second game, in a 10-7 win against Battle Creek, Ross showed off his power with his first home run of the year over the left field wall. Already, the decision to pick up Ross was showing to pay off immensely.

"It felt nice, but I never try to hit home runs," said Ross of his round-tripper. "But if it happens, I'm always excited about it. Anything you can do to help a team win is all that matters to me."

With an ability to hit for power and contact, Ross had nine runs for the Tigers of Ft. Hays State University in the spring. One of NCAA baseball's most formidable hitting programs, he was part of a team that slugged 76 home runs in just 47 games.

"We swing the bat really hard," said Ross. "We strike out a lot too, but we do hit a lot of home runs. Ft. Hays State has always been a really good hitting school."

In the outfield, Ross has slid over to left field with the addition of Logan Taylor (Louisville). With Ross, Taylor, Caleb Ratzman (Illinois State), and Paul Jacobson (South Dakota State), the Bullfrogs have pieced together one of the most talent outfield groups in the Northwoods League.

"We have unbelievable speed," said Ross of the Bullfrogs' outfield nucleus. "It's really nice knowing the guy next to you can run it down too. It allows you to trust the guy next to you a lot more."

Ross, a rising senior, has brought a hard-working ethos to the club that includes extra attention to elements of his game such as bunting before and after practice. He knows playing for a small-ball heavy Bullfrogs team will require improvements in that aspect of his game.

Ross is currently on a five-game hit streak, 7-for-17 during the stretch with 3 RBI.

"Lately I've been seeing the ball very well," said Ross. "It's nice having umpires out here that have a pretty true zone. The quality of pitching out here is unbelievable...it's helped me a lot."

Single game tickets are on sale now. Visit www.greenbaybullfrogs.com to purchase tickets. The Bullfrogs' business hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.




Images from this story

Connor Ross with Fort Hays State
Connor Ross with Fort Hays State
   



Northwoods League Stories from June 18, 2015


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