TicketsCINCINNATI – Former Cincinnati baseball player and All-Big 12 honoree Josh Kross was back on campus last week attending an open scrimmage at UC Baseball Stadium.
Kross was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft this past July and recently completed his first season of professional ball, appearing in 23 games for the Class-A Palm Beach Cardinals.
Kross helped Palm Beach to a Florida State League (FSL) Championship, the third title in team history and first since 2017.
A First-Team All-Big 12 selection and an ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honoree in 2024, Kross left his mark on Cincinnati Baseball in his lone season with the program. He started all 57 games and hit .317 with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, 50 runs scored and a school-record 26 HBP. Kross' 19 homers are tied for third-most in a season in school history, and his 65 RBI are tied for eighth-most in a season. His three-homer game at Saint Louis on March 22 tied the single-game school record.
Kross was kind enough to take some time to catch us up on how his baseball career is going since being drafted in July:
How did everything go in your first year of pro ball?
"I thought everything went well. I think that everyone who got drafted had a little bit of pressure going into their debut, but I just had to learn how to not let that pressure affect me. Just being myself really helped."
What was the moment like when you got drafted?
"I was at home with my family and some friends, we had the draft on a TV. My advisor told me that I had a chance to get drafted in the sixth round and then I heard my name get called. It was definitely a memorable moment."
How did you handle the immediate aftermath of being drafted, given how hectic everything was?
"I was really just trying to stay the same, keep being myself. It didn't matter where I was headed, it was important to me to be who I am and focus on playing the game I love. It was a big change going from Ohio to Florida, but I think I was able to adapt pretty well."
What was it like having to join a team in the middle of the season?
"It was a cool experience, being able to play with a bunch of guys from all different backgrounds. Getting to know them and being exposed to different cultures was cool. It was a big learning curve, but it was it was pretty sweet."
Do you remember you first professional hit?
"Honestly I don't really remember much, but it was a big sigh of relief to get one and not have to stress about it anymore. It felt great to get it out of the way."
Kross' first professional hit came in his second career game on July 31. In the fourth inning of a game against the Bradenton Marauders he singled to right field.
What was the biggest difference between college baseball and pro baseball?
"Pro ball is definitely more independent. It's a job. You're not always doing things as a whole team, like scheduling lifts or workouts or anything like that. You have to show up and get your work done. We have scheduled times to do things but it's up to you to get it done."
What's been the coolest part of being in pro ball?
"I've really enjoyed getting to meet my international teammates, getting to learn their language and their culture. I haven't been exposed to many different cultures before, so it was all new to me."
How did playing at UC prepare you for being a professional baseball player?
"Playing at Cincinnati under Coach Bischel helped teach me that baseball is a game, it's supposed to be fun, and that if I keep my head on straight and stay balanced I'll find success."
Kross was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft this past July and recently completed his first season of professional ball, appearing in 23 games for the Class-A Palm Beach Cardinals.
Kross helped Palm Beach to a Florida State League (FSL) Championship, the third title in team history and first since 2017.
A First-Team All-Big 12 selection and an ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honoree in 2024, Kross left his mark on Cincinnati Baseball in his lone season with the program. He started all 57 games and hit .317 with 19 home runs, 65 RBI, 50 runs scored and a school-record 26 HBP. Kross' 19 homers are tied for third-most in a season in school history, and his 65 RBI are tied for eighth-most in a season. His three-homer game at Saint Louis on March 22 tied the single-game school record.
Kross was kind enough to take some time to catch us up on how his baseball career is going since being drafted in July:
How did everything go in your first year of pro ball?
"I thought everything went well. I think that everyone who got drafted had a little bit of pressure going into their debut, but I just had to learn how to not let that pressure affect me. Just being myself really helped."
What was the moment like when you got drafted?
"I was at home with my family and some friends, we had the draft on a TV. My advisor told me that I had a chance to get drafted in the sixth round and then I heard my name get called. It was definitely a memorable moment."
How did you handle the immediate aftermath of being drafted, given how hectic everything was?
"I was really just trying to stay the same, keep being myself. It didn't matter where I was headed, it was important to me to be who I am and focus on playing the game I love. It was a big change going from Ohio to Florida, but I think I was able to adapt pretty well."
What was it like having to join a team in the middle of the season?
"It was a cool experience, being able to play with a bunch of guys from all different backgrounds. Getting to know them and being exposed to different cultures was cool. It was a big learning curve, but it was it was pretty sweet."
Do you remember you first professional hit?
"Honestly I don't really remember much, but it was a big sigh of relief to get one and not have to stress about it anymore. It felt great to get it out of the way."
Kross' first professional hit came in his second career game on July 31. In the fourth inning of a game against the Bradenton Marauders he singled to right field.
What was the biggest difference between college baseball and pro baseball?
"Pro ball is definitely more independent. It's a job. You're not always doing things as a whole team, like scheduling lifts or workouts or anything like that. You have to show up and get your work done. We have scheduled times to do things but it's up to you to get it done."
What's been the coolest part of being in pro ball?
"I've really enjoyed getting to meet my international teammates, getting to learn their language and their culture. I haven't been exposed to many different cultures before, so it was all new to me."
How did playing at UC prepare you for being a professional baseball player?
"Playing at Cincinnati under Coach Bischel helped teach me that baseball is a game, it's supposed to be fun, and that if I keep my head on straight and stay balanced I'll find success."