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08/03/2017 12:00 AMJosh Ross recently completed a sophomore season in which he not only reprised his role as the starting catcher for the Valley Regional baseball team, but also became a more vocal presence behind the plate. Josh, who was the Warriors’ Rookie of the Year as a freshman, followed up his great rookie campaign by winning the team’s Defensive Player of the Year Award this spring. Throw in a .280 batting average, and it’s safe to say that Josh was solid as a rock for Valley during the 2017 season.
Josh went out for the Warriors determined to catch in his freshman year, even though he’s a good middle infielder, too. While catcher isn’t exactly the most glamorous position on the field, that doesn’t bother Josh in the slightest, because it’s the place he wants to play.
“I played at second one game this season, but I caught my freshman year and my sophomore year, primarily,” says Josh, a Chester resident. “I prefer catching just because you have a bigger impact. At second, you only have those few plays. When you’re behind the plate, you can impact the game in a bunch of different ways.”
One year after reaching the Shoreline Conference final, Valley had a respectable campaign in which it won 10 games and returned to the State Tournament this season. The Warriors struggled at the beginning of the year, but Josh felt that his team started turning things around at the midway juncture, when they beat previously undefeated Morgan by a 10-1 score. Valley went on to win three of its next four games on its way to clinching a spot in states.
“I felt like the Morgan game was a big game as a team,” says Josh. “That was a big turning point in our season. We picked things up after that, after we started a little slow.”
Josh played a big part in Valley’s statement victory by helping call the game for pitcher Colin Sparaco, who tossed a three-hitter. He also scored a run and worked three walks, with one of them pushing home a run. Josh thinks being a catcher helps him see the strike zone better and display a more discerning eye when he’s in the batter’s box.
“I feel like it helps me a lot at the plate,” he says. “I had a fair amount of walks on the season. I know what the umpire is calling, so I have a better idea of what the strike zone is.”
Head Coach Brian Drinkard saw how much Josh’s stabilizing presence helped his team. Drinkard says that Josh is the epitome of a strong defender up the middle and adds that his leadership skills flourished throughout his sophomore year.
“He’s actually one of the best fielding infielders we have, but he’s too valuable behind the plate to get time at shortstop or second base,” Drinkard says. “He emerged this year as a leader on the field, particularly with how hard he works at practice. He’s the ultimate team player and loves the game of baseball. It shows in his effort.”
Josh knows that providing quality leadership is important, even though that’s not something that really shows up in the box score or on the highlight reel.
“It doesn’t stick out as much as making a diving play,” says Josh. “But if you have a guy behind the plate that can control the pitcher and control the infield, it makes the game go smoother.”
Josh is grateful to former Warriors’ Head Coach Gary Marineau for giving him a chance in his freshman season. He also thanks Coach Drinkard and assistant coach Lou Rolon, as well as his parents, Rick and Lisa, for their support.
Looking ahead to next season, Josh believes the Warriors can make it back to the Shoreline final on the strength of their pitching staff, along with several players who will be taking on bigger roles.
“We’re graduating a lot of guys, so some guys will have to step up. We have some guys coming back from injury, so that should help us,” Josh says. “I think we need to score more runs and, defensively, we have to shore some things up and not have our pitchers throw extra pitches. We have a good team and some good pitching, and that goes a long way in the Shoreline Conference.”