In the Coastal Plain League, team building can be one of the more difficult elements. These teams are made up of college players from all over the country, and teams are thrown together in a short time frame. Getting these players to gel and gain chemistry can be difficult in that kind of environment.
For the Lexington County Blowfish, relief pitcher Beau Ross helps that process along.

Ross is a college baseball journeyman. He started his career at a junior college in Louisiana, transferred to division one Tarleton State and will finish his collegiate career at division two Louisiana Christian next season. As a well-traveled vet who, with the help of a COVID-19 year and an additional year of graduate eligibility, has been on many different types of teams, he understands the need for someone to help bring everyone together and feel comfortable. Ross has embraced that role in his second season with the Blowfish.

“I knew probably three or four guys coming back at most,” Ross said. “And so you know, you got a group of guys that you’re told to mesh with and go out and win a bunch of games and try to win a championship with and that’s hard you know?”

He uses his humor and greater picture perspective to get his teammates to settle in and be comfortable.

“The biggest thing is to just enjoy it,” Ross said. “It is a game, that is the thing. It’s serious and we want to win when we go out there but at the same time, we’re fortunate enough to be out here playing in the summer. I have a bunch of friends that are back home working and stuff. So just enjoy it, you know? I’m 11 hours from home, halfway across the country and having the time of my life.”

Ross is a big personality. He bares a similar appearance to the “Eastbound and Down” character Kenny Powers and if you ask him, he’s been compared to famous baseball comedian Kent Murphy. During the Blowfish’s Home Grown Home Run night, Ross was one of two Blowfish players to milk a goat on the field. He also participated in all of the mid-inning festivities which also included the racing of mini tractors.

His humor and personality have been a thing of legend in the Blowfish clubhouse. Blowfish outfielder Wells Sykes remembers a time on the road when they played the Florence Flamingos and in the most Ross way possible, takes care of an unwanted bullpen visitor.

“There was a bunch of fans standing over by the bullpen and Beau is a pitcher, so he’s standing down there getting ready to pitch,” Sykes recalled. “And all these fans out of nowhere started freaking out because there were some mice running around. And Beau just goes, ‘I’ll take care of this,’ and right before he was about to pitch, he just went over there and picked up the mouse with his bare hands and he was just like showing it to all the fans and all the players and it was pretty funny because all these people were just scared to death and then you got Beau from Louisiana and he ain’t scared of nothing.”

Sykes also witnessed Ross help get the team out of Florence whenever they encountered issues with the team’s bus.

“It was probably 11 o’clock and we got back to our bus and the bus wouldn’t crank and we didn’t know what happened,” Sykes said. “So we sat there until like three in the morning and Beau was like ‘You know, I’m gonna figure out how to fix this bus, I’m gonna get it cranked up so we could go home’. It’s been such a long night. We’ve been sitting here for four hours in the parking lot and the bus driver tried to go and crank the bus multiple times and Beau is sitting around there looking around at all the tires and looked at the engine and stuff and goes, ‘You know what, I think I’m gonna go try to crank it up’. And then Beau just walks up to the bus, turned the ignition and it cranked up right there and we finally got home at like four in the morning.”

Blowfish head coach KC Brown has noticed Ross’ ability to get along with anyone and understands the value of having someone like that on the team and the effect it has on team chemistry.

“He’s from Louisiana and you can hear it from the first sentence he talks. The first time I met him I’m like, ‘Holy cow this guy is not like nothing I’ve ever met before,’ but honestly I love him,” Brown said. “He treats everybody the same all the time. There’s no one I’ve ever met like him. He’s probably the most unique person I’ve ever met.”

Ross’ baseball experience also helps him be like another coach on the field, which can help Brown talk through some strategy and in-game decisions.

“Beau is a great baseball mind,” Brown said. “He’s gonna go to law school when he gets done with playing his college ball and get his masters so he’s obviously a really smart dude. So, on the field, he’s a good guy to bounce ideas off of.”

Ross wants to get into corporate law in the Dallas Fort-Worth area once his baseball playing days are over. However, he doesn’t rule out getting into coaching one day to scratch the baseball itch.

“I grew up on a really big fishing lake in my hometown,” Ross said. “So I want to retire there, open my own little firm and do that half the time and go back and coach baseball there.”

Sykes said that despite the humor and large persona, he would trust Ross to represent him as a lawyer and that he will be successful in that chapter of his life.

“I would definitely hire Beau as my lawyer because he definitely has my back,” Sykes said. “He can argue pretty good and he always has a good point to back up whatever he’s talking about and he’s very knowledgeable about the stuff he talks about. He’s gonna be a really good lawyer.”