Ross won the battle and earned the save.

"He was pretty tough," says Ross. "It was one of those things where he knew every pitch that was coming and he was just fighting it off.

"He was just battling and battling and I finally struck him out with an outside fastball to end the game."

It's moments like that that have Ross, a couple weeks shy of 22 years old and about to begin his first full season of professional Baseball, believing that he can pitch his way up the competitive ladder.

The 6-foot-5 right-hander is beginning the 2009 season close to home with the Stockton Ports, the Athletics' double-A affiliate. The Ports have their season opener scheduled for Thursday night against the San Jose Giants. Ross is slated to start.

After declaring for the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft following his junior season at Cal, Ross -- a Bay Area native and long-time A's fan -- was drafted by Oakland in the second round. Relocating immediately to Kane County, Ill., for his first professional assignment, took a little getting used to.

"My first summer out there was an eye-opening experience, getting thrown into the mix," he says. "I went out and joined with a low-A team right away and they'd already been playing for a couple months. They had the routine down and I was just coming out of college. The first couple weeks were kind of rough for me."

He settled down, though, limiting his Northwest League opponents to a .219 batting average in six appearances with Kane County, and worked his way up to the Ports' pitching staff for their 2008 postseason run. Ross then worked out with a personal trainer in Palo Alto over the offseason and reported to his first spring training in February.

"I didn't know what to expect," he says. "But really it was just like a tune-up for the season. I spent a couple weeks in big league camp and got into a couple games there -- that was pretty fun. And once minor league stuff got started it wasn't even about how you perform. It's more about what you need to get ready for the season."

Having landed in Stockton to begin the season, Ross isn't dealing with the same culture shock that moving halfway across the country dealt him in 2008. He's living with teammates in an apartment close to the stadium, but he's close enough to make the hour drive home and for family to watch him pitch regularly at Banner Island Ballpark.

"It's one of the main things that makes it more comfortable," says Ross. "When I first got out (to Kane County), I was completely out of my element. I didn't know anyone within like 500 miles. There was no one around that knew me or cared about how I pitched, so it's really great to have my family and friends out there now and then."

Otherwise, Ross has handled the transition from college to professional ball in stride. Ever the laid-back individual, he acknowledged that his trajectory through the minor leagues is largely out of his control. It's an attitude that lets him focus solely on his own day-to-day performance and allows him to enjoy the little things -- the "Hey, I'm playing Baseball in the pros" moments -- like giving up a double to Indians slugger Travis Hafner.

"That was pretty cool," Ross says with a laugh. "Rather give it up to him than some no-name guy."

And although he's still getting used to it, he admittedly can't find anything wrong about a schedule in which he "pretty much eats, sleeps and drinks Baseball."

"(On Monday), I went over to Berkeley and I was hanging out with (the Bears Baseball team), and they were talking about school and all this stuff they had to do, and I was like 'Man, that sucks,'" says Ross. "I've got one thing to focus on, and having just Baseball to focus on is just awesome."

(C) 2008 Daily Californian via UWIRE