BH's Ross Hales Inks with A&M

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Congrats Ross!!!!

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Congratulations, Ross. The Ags are getting a winner on and off the field. Best of luck !

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From the Baytown Sun

Eagle pitcher inks with A&M

By Michael Pineda

Baytown Sun 

Published November 16, 2007

Since the age of 12, Barbers Hill pitcher Ross Hales has had a dream — to play in the College World Series.

Hales will have the opportunity to fulfill that dream with Texas A&M. The senior pitcher committed to the Aggies this summer and made it official Wednesday.

“It’s a lot easier now, I’m not stressing,†Hales said. “I can focus on working harder and preparing for the season. I am going to work on gaining weight, getting stronger and gaining velocity. I’m hoping I can be a starter. They don’t want me to redshirt, they want me to pitch.â€

Hales is a lanky 6-foot-5 left-hander who throws in the low 90s. Since last season, he has grown an inch and added 10 pounds.

“I saw him pitch when he was 12 years old and knew he would be good even then,†Barbers Hill head coach Gil Stalbaum said. “He came up as a pitcher and he could throw strikes. He has continued to improve every year. His control was always good, but he now has more control over his second and third pitches.â€

Hales was the ace of the Eagles last season, helping lead the team to a regional semifinal appearance. He earned first team all-district honors and was named to the Class 4A All-State team.

Hales played select baseball this summer and had several offers to consider. But in the end, he chose Texas A&M.

“When I was younger, I was a Texas fan and my family was Texas fans,†Hales said. “I never saw myself at A&M. Now it’s pretty much the only place that I want to go.

“After I signed, the coaches kept calling me and telling me they were just glad that I would be coming and be a part of the tradition.â€

Hales carries a 3.8 grade point average and will major in business administration while playing baseball for the Aggies, a full-time job in itself.

“They require two hours of study hall a day,†Hales said. “It will be a lot harder than high school. I also saw some of the workouts they do and I know I will have to work harder.

“They run a lot more and work out four to five hours a day. At the beginning of the season, you have to run a mile in 5:40. The players that I talked to told me to show up for practice in shape.â€

Hales in the first player from Barbers Hill in the Gil Stalbaum era to sign with a Division I school out of high school. Chase Mitchell attended junior college before signing with Kansas State.

“I expect him to have his best year,†Stalbaum said. “Ross has as much composure on the mound as any high school pitcher that I have ever seen. You wouldn’t know if he was pitching a shutout or if the other team had 10 to 12 hits off of him.

“He’s more relaxed on the mound then any other place in the world.â€

The Eagles will return all four of their top pitchers from last season, but it will be Hales taking the mound for the big games. With a scholarship from a Big XII school, he expects to have a target on his chest.

“ I think it will be more of a challenge,†Hales said. “I love pitching in close games against the best teams. It brings more out of you.â€

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Congrats!!!!