Ben Ross takes the road less traveled to get to pro baseball

CEDAR RAPIDS — He is taking the road less traveled when it comes to professional baseball.

But for Ben Ross, he really didn’t have any other choice.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels infielder is the first and so far only player even taken in the Major League Baseball Draft out of Notre Dame College. This isn’t THE Notre Dame, rather an NCAA Division II school in South Euclid, Ohio, with a small enrollment of around 2,000.

Ross was just a little guy, a very little guy coming out of high school in Springfield, Ohio. Notre Dame College and some D-III schools were the only ones interested in him.

“It was pretty cool to be part of that program,” said Ross, who went 4-for-4 Saturday afternoon in his team’s 5-3 loss to Quad Cities at Veterans Memorial Stadium. “I grew there, being smaller my whole life. I think I graduated high school at 5-foot-5 maybe, about 100 pounds. So it was a nice little growing area there for me. I got comfortable in college ball, really got to be part of a good team there, so it was a lot of fun. It was a good experience, for sure.”

Notre Dame College’s head coach is Len Barker, a former Cleveland pitcher and MLB all-star. Ross’ hitting coach at the school was former Cleveland outfielder Joe Charbonneau.

He said yes, those two had a million stories to tell.

“It was special being part of a program where there were two well-known coaches like them there,” Ross said.

Ross grew physically at Notre Dame and into a two-time Division II All-American. He’s listed at 6 foot and 180 pounds on the Kernels roster, by the way.

The Minnesota Twins were intrigued by his bat-to-ball skills and having a higher upside considering he wasn’t from a school in a major D-I conference and drafted him in the fifth round last year. He’s the first player ever drafted out of Notre Dame College, though Miami Marlins pitcher Tanner Scott went to NDC before transferring to Howard (Texas) Junior College, where the Baltimore Orioles drafted him.

Ross got his professional feet wet with the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Twins, then got promoted to low-Class A Fort Myers, where he hit a respectable .257 in 22 games. A minor wrist issue forced him to miss C.R.’s opening three-game series at Peoria this past weekend, but he has played all five games of this series and has gone 9-for-20 at the plate with a home run and four RBIs.

“Strong kid,” said Kernels Manager Brian Dinkelman. “He’s had some good ABs, he has versatility, can play all over the field.”

“I’ve kind of moved into a utility role defensively here a little bit,” said Ross, who has played third and second base so far. “I’m excited to help out the team that way.”

He’s a smart kid, too, obtaining his degree in business administration in just three years. The 21-year-old said he had an opportunity to spend a year at D-I Kennesaw State in Georgia as a grad transfer but signing with the Twins was an easy decision.

The Kernels (5-3) dropped their third in a row in this six-game series, as Quad Cities scored three tiebreaking runs in the sixth inning. A two-run Emmanuel Rodriguez homer in the bottom of the sixth brought Cedar Rapids within a run, but it could get no closer.

The Kernels and parent Twins announced starting pitcher Connor Prielipp has been placed on the seven-day injured list with a sore elbow. Prielipp was a second-round draft pick of the Twins last year out of the University of Alabama, a premium left-handed arm that is highly thought of in prospect circles.

Prielipp had Tommy John elbow surgery at Alabama and didn’t pitch at all last season. He made one start for the Kernels last weekend at Peoria, giving up five hits and three earned runs in five innings.

“Yes, it is his elbow,” confirmed Twins assistant general manager Jeremy Stoll, in town to observe the Kernels. “We’re still trying to get to the bottom of it. He needs to go up and get evaluated by our doctors (in Minneapolis).”

“He was fine in his start,” Dinkelman said. “He came in the day after and just said he had some discomfort.”

Cedar Rapids and Quad Cities are scheduled to conclude their six-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:05.

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