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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Randy Ross officially entered the College Baseball Hall of Fame on Friday night, honored at the Night of Champions on Feb. 13 among six other baseball greats. Joining a group that featured MLB All Stars Mike Schmidt, Roger Clemens, and Mark Teixeira, The College Baseball Foundation honored Ross as one of the top players in College Baseball history.

One of the most accomplished Division III baseball players in history, Randy Ross was a star for North Park University from 1981 to 1984. The shortstop was a three-time first-team ABCA All-America selection (1982, 1983, 1984) and a four-time All-CCIW selection (1981, 982, 1983, 1984) for the Vikings. In fact, Ross is believed to be the first Division III player to be selected three times as a first-team Rawlings/ABCA All-American. When he finished his career, his lifetime .470 batting average was the highest in the history of NCAA Division III.  He slugged an astonishing .767 in his collegiate career and finished with a “Ruthian” career OPS of 1.292.  Ross also stole an astounding 93 bases in his career, placing him in the upper echelon of power/speed players in the history of the NCAA at any level.

When Ross finished his collegiate career in 1984, he owned the top career batting average in Division-III history as well as the most career hits. Ross led the nation in batting average in 1983 and helped lead his team to CCIW team championships in 1983 and 1984. After splitting time at third base and left field as a freshman, Ross was a three-year fixture as a shortstop and was a 15thround pick in 1983 by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He ultimately decided to return to North Park as a senior in 1984, becoming the first person in his family to graduate college.   

As a freshman, Ross hit .429, slugged .664, and was on base at a .485 clip. In his sophomore campaign, he posted a .511 batting average, .901 slugging percentage and .558 on-base percentage while earning 12 home runs and 74 RBI. His 83 hits as a sophomore led the NCAA. Ross capped his collegiate career by hitting .416 in his senior year while racking up 32 stolen bases.  

Remarkably, he put up those prolific career numbers while striking out only 20 times in four years. In addition to leading the nation in hits in 1983, he also led the CCIW in batting and hits twice (.492, 29 in 1981, .544, 23 in 1983), in home runs and RBI in 1983 (5, 28) and in stolen bases with in 1982 (13). He was awarded the CCIW’s Jack Horenberger Most Outstanding Player award in 1983.

 

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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).