1985 Season Statistics
| BA | Gms | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | TB | SLG% | BB | SO | OBP | OPS |
| .484 | 50 | 186 | 79 | 90 | 17 | 3 | 22 | 90 | 179 | .962 | 53 | 15 | .645 | 1.607 |
|
In the highly competitive Division II Sunshine State Conference, in which Saint Leo played, Ross was the first player to win the triple crown (Batting Average, HRs, and RBIs). The Sunshine State Conference has had 14 NCAA Division II College World Series champions since 1968.
Ross’ performance in 1985 earned him 1st Team All-Sunshine State Conference, 1st Team All-South, and 1st Team All-American (the only unanimous choice that year).
His excellence was remarkable in that the prior season for Saint Leo he hit .313 with only 8 HRs and 38 RBIs in 59 games (he was 2nd Team All-Conference at 1st Base). His turnaround was largely attributable to first-year Saint Leo head baseball coach and legendary Major League Baseball pitcher Mike Marshall (baseball pitcher). Marshall trusted on Ross team captain responsibility and made numerous refinements to his batting stance and swing.
At 6’2” and 215 lbs. Ross was an imposing and strong figure. Marshall, who played Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1981, commented that “there was only one player stronger than Ross” he had ever seen or played against; and “it was Willie Stargell.”
Of Ross’ 22 HRs, 16 were with men on base, 3 were leadoff solo HRs. He hit 2 HRs in a game 3 times. His slugging percentage was .962; his on-base percentage was .645. He had 53 walks in 50 games. In the 19 games in which he hit his 22 HRs, his batting average was .623 with 67 RBIs (3.5 RBI per game).
He only struck out 15 times in 248 plate appearances (an average of 6 strikeouts per 100 plate appearances). He scored 79 times, 1.58 times per game.
As a first baseman Ross was near perfect. The left-hander made only 6 errors in 516 total plays for a .988 fielding percentage.
2 Grand Slams in One Inning
On March 18, 1985, in a home game against Division I Florida A&M, Ross went 3–4, including 2 Grand Slams in the second inning, a stand up double (a lined shot off the center field fence) with the bases loaded in the 4th inning, and he reached 1st base on a fielders choice in the 1st inning. He scored 4 times in 4 plate appearances, and had 11 RBIs. In a measure of professionalism and an acknowledgement of the incredible accomplishment on the afternoon, Coach Marshall removed Ross from the game to a standing ovation to teammates and fans on hand after Ross fielded a grounder in the top of the 4th inning. Ross was featured that evening on CNN Sports by anchor Jim Huber.
Ross was 1 of 3 seniors on a Saint Leo team that went 22-26-2 (4-20 in Sunshine State Conference play). The previous year Ross started at 1st base on a Saint Leo team that started 7 seniors, was ranked 5th in the nation in the final regular season Collegiate Baseball Poll, and went 46-13 (17-11 in Conference play, and 13-1 vs. Division I schools), and tied for the second most wins in the nation in Division II during the regular season.
In Ross’ final game of his college career, at home versus Conference rival Eckerd College, Ross hit a home run in his last at-bat. While rounding third base, in an incredible show of sportsmanship, the Eckerd players emptied the dugout and shook hands with Ross before he reached home plate.
Mysteriously Ross was not drafted that summer in the Major League Baseball draft and never attempted to try out for a major league club.
Ross was inducted into the Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame in the class of 1992–93. In the Conference he is #1 in career batting average, #1 in slugging percentage, and 3rd in RBIs.
Ross was inducted into the Saint Leo Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.
NCAA Division II Records
| Record # | What | How Many | NCAA Div II Rank | Notes |
| 1 | 2 Grand Slams in 1 inning | 1 | Tied 1st | 1st player ever to accomplish in Div II (had been done twice before in Div 1, never in Div III at that point) |
| 2 | Grand Slams in 1 game | 2 | Tied 1st | 3rd player ever in Div II to accomplish |
| 3 | RBIs in 1 inning | 8 | Tied 2nd | Held the record until 1996 |
| 4 | RBIs in 1 game | 11 | Tied 3rd | Accomplished in only 4 plate appearances |
| 5 | RBIs per game | 1.80 | Tied 9th | 90 RBIs in 50 games; Was ranked 4th after the 1985 season |
| 6 | RBIs season | 90 | No longer ranked | Was 4th after the 1985 season; 11 of the Top 15 players ahead in this category played in 60 or more games, 10 or more than Ross |
| 7 | Slugging percentage | .962 | No longer ranked | Was ranked 8th after the 1985 season; of the Top 15 in this category, 14 played in less games than Ross |
| 8 | HRs per game average | .44 | No longer ranked | 22 HRs in 50 games |
|
Baseball statistics play an important role in evaluating the progress of a player or team.
Larry Kenneth Robert Walker is a Canadian former professional baseball right fielder. During his 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1997, he became the only player in major league history to register both a .700 slugging percentage (SLG) and 30 stolen bases in the same season, on his way to winning the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). The first player in more than 60 years to record a batting average of .360 in three consecutive seasons from 1997 to 1999, Walker also won three NL batting championships. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2009, and was named the 13th-greatest sporting figure from Canada by Sports Illustrated in 1999. In 2020, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
José Miguel Cabrera Torres, nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter who played for the Florida Marlins and the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Debuting in 2003, he was a two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winner, a four-time AL batting champion, and a 12-time MLB All-Star. He played at first and third base for most of his major league career, but primarily played left and right field before 2006. He claimed the 17th MLB Triple Crown in 2012, the first to do so in 45 seasons. Cabrera is one of three players in MLB history to have a career batting average above .300, 500 home runs, and 3,000 hits, joining Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Cabrera is regarded as one of the greatest hitters of all time.
Troy Franklin O'Leary is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played with the Milwaukee Brewers (1993-1994), Boston Red Sox (1995-2001), Montreal Expos (2002) and Chicago Cubs (2003).
William Walker Cooper was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1940 to 1957, most notably as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals with whom he won two World Series championships. An eight-time All-Star, Cooper was known as one of the top catchers in baseball during the 1940s and early 1950s. His elder brother Mort Cooper, also played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher.
Matthew Thomas Holliday is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2018 for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees. A World Series champion in 2011 with the Cardinals, Holliday played a key role in seven postseasons, including the Rockies' first-ever World Series appearance in 2007 and Cardinals' playoff success in the 2010s. His distinctions include a National League (NL) batting championship, the 2007 NL Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award, seven All-Star selections, and four Silver Slugger Awards. Other career accomplishments include 300 home runs, more than 2,000 hits, and batting over .300 eight times.
Joseph Daniel Votto is a Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2007. He is the first Canadian MLB player since Larry Walker to hit 300 home runs and have 1,000 career runs batted in (RBI). Votto is also the second Canadian to have 2,000 hits, the first also being Walker.
Christopher Michael Coletta is a retired professional baseball player who played one season for the California Angels of Major League Baseball. Coletta was also with the Boston Red Sox organization and had an impressive career in the International League. He played for the now defunct Louisville Colonels—the AAA farm club for Boston at that time. He was teammates with Carlton Fisk and Jim Lonborg during that period of his career.
The 1984 Detroit Tigers won the 1984 World Series, defeating the San Diego Padres, 4 games to 1. The season was their 84th since they entered the American League in 1901.
The Houston Astros' 1994 season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Houston Astros attempting to win the inaugural season of the National League Central division; they finished in second place. First baseman Jeff Bagwell was a unanimous selection for the National League Most Valuable Player Award. Despite nearly the last two months of the being cancelled due to the 1994–95 strike, Bagwell set a then-club record for home runs with 39 and a club record for batting average (.368) and slugging percentage (.750).
The 1911 Detroit Tigers had a record of 89–65 and finished in second place in the American League, 131⁄2 games behind the Philadelphia Athletics. They outscored their opponents 831–776, and drew 484,988 fans to Bennett Park.
Dae-ho Lee is a former South Korean professional baseball player who played as a first baseman. During his career, he played for the Lotte Giants of the KBO League, Orix Buffaloes and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Matthew Martin Lee Carpenter is an American professional baseball infielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees. A left-handed batter and right-handed thrower, Carpenter stands 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and weighs 205 pounds (93 kg).
Julio Daniel Martinez is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Boston Red Sox. He made his MLB debut in 2011. A right-handed thrower and batter, Martinez stands 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighs 230 pounds (100 kg).
Jenny Dalton-Hill is an American former collegiate All-American softball player and current sports commentator. She played for the Arizona Wildcats from 1993 to 1996 where she won three Women's College World Series championships. Having also played baseball, Dalton-Hill is a former member of the Colorado Silver Bullets and United States women's national baseball team, earning a bronze medal at the 2010 Women's Baseball World Cup. She holds the career Pac-12 and NCAA Division I records in RBIs. She is the first and one of nine NCAA players to hit .400 with 200 RBIs, 50 home runs and an .800 slugging percentage in her career.
Alexander David Bregman is an American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Kyle Daniel Tucker, nicknamed ”King Tuck”, is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Astros selected Tucker with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2018.
Eric Rigoberto Gutierrez is an American college baseball coach and former professional baseball first basemen. He is the volunteer assistant coach at Texas Tech University. He played college baseball at Texas Tech University from 2013 to 2016. He was drafted in the 20th round by the Miami Marlins in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, where he would play in their organization until 2018.
Yordan Ruben Álvarez is a Cuban professional baseball designated hitter and left fielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2019 for the Astros. Nicknamed "Air Yordan", Álvarez stands 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), weighs 225 pounds (102 kg), bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
The 2021 San Francisco Giants season was the 139th season for the franchise in Major League Baseball, their 64th year in San Francisco, and their 22nd at Oracle Park. It was the Giants' second season under manager Gabe Kapler, who managed his first 162-game season with the club, and he led them to the best record in the league.
