Ross Stripling: On baseball, bloodlines & Malibu

A&M's senior RHP talks with Jordan K before the Pepperdine series

Jordan Kirkland: Ross, you pitched a great complete game on Saturday against Kansas State, only allowing two runs while striking out eight. Let’s discuss your performance Saturday.

Ross Stripling: “They definitely came out hot against [Michael] Wacha Friday night. I don’t think I’ve seen Michael get hit like that in three years. It made me kinda nervous, and if anything, I think it made me step my game up a little bit. I knew we needed a big win because we struggled all last week and we needed to get back on track, especially with the Big 12 starting up.

“Kansas State is a good team. I just went out there and threw all my pitches for strikes, was able to get some outs in some key spots, and I just wanted to put the team in a position to win like I try to do every week. We just ended up with a good result.”

JK: The 1-2 punch that Texas A&M has with Michael Wacha on Fridays and yourself on Saturdays is talked about as one of the greatest duos in the nation. Wacha even mentioned in his interview that you would be pitching Fridays anywhere else in the country. What does all that talk and the dynamic duo mean to you and the team?

Stripling: “It’s a huge advantage anytime to have two starters that can get you into the 7th or 8th inning any day, but we’re more than just a 1-2 punch. We have a great bullpen and Rafael Pineda has stepped up a lot when we needed him this year. Obviously I think it’s good when you have two great starters, any team would like that. But Wacha and I know our role with the team ... we’re just designed to go out there and put our team in a position to win and then hand it over to the bullpen.

“There are more games than just Friday and Saturday. You can’t win a regional with just two pitchers. We have to continue to develop the younger guys and keep hitting. It should be a good season.”

JK: The Texas A&M heritage runs deep in your family. Your grandfather was a Yell Leader; your father and brother went here, as well as your uncle. Apparently all the men in your family came to A&M. What does Aggieland and playing on the baseball team mean to you and your family?

Stripling: “It means a lot to my family. I was raised around here. I’ve known the yells since I was a little kid, especially with my grandfather being a Yell Leader. My mother actually went to Texas, so that actually makes all of this even funnier. I love going to Kyle Field and basketball games. I treat this like I’m just a college student enjoying all the Aggie athletics and everything College Station has to offer.

“It’s just a real privilege to go to the school I was raised around, especially to play baseball. That’s even a greater privilege. I just take every year one at a time. It just went by so fast. It seems like yesterday I was a freshman. I wish I could do it all over again, but it was just a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see what this senior year has in store for me.”

JK: You mentioned that you are in fact a ‘college student.’ You do actually take classes in between all of the baseball. How do you balance the tough course load of being a finance major in Mays Business School and being a starting pitcher?

Stripling: “It’s definitely something I had to learn early. When I was a freshman, I got my butt kicked a little bit and tried to hang in there with a few classes. You just have to learn time management, and you have to start studying 3-4 days before a test instead of the night before like in high school. Especially as I have gotten into some upper-level classes that are much more difficult, I’ve just had to persevere through it.

“I think I was blessed in the fact that I’m smart and my parents taught me that school’s important. I’ve just tried to maintain playing on the field with school, and it’s gone well so far.”

JK: Obviously school is very important to you, since you elected to stay for your senior season here at A&M instead of playing for the Rockies, the team that drafted you in the 9th round. What made you decide to stay here in College Station for one more year?

Stripling: “Just like I said, school is very important to me and very important to my parents. I just wanted to get my degree. I went through three years of a tough degree and I wanted to just get it done. Not that the Rockies weren’t going to let me [receive my degree], but I just wanted to stay and get it over with. I’m going to go play pro baseball and give it everything I have, but I definitely wanted something to fall back on.

“I think finance is a good degree, and I think it should open up some doors if baseball doesn’t work out. I just wanted to keep all my options open and finish my degree because that obviously was very important to me.”

JK: You actually didn’t start pitching until your senior year. Looking back, did you ever imagine the development you would have here at A&M and do you credit a lot to Coach Childress?

Stripling: “Yes, it’s kind of a weird story. I started out playing three sports in high school. I broke my leg playing basketball and I just started messing around on the mound and had a good senior year. I was fortunate enough to get recruited, and then from there I was able to learn from Brooks Raley my freshman year, Barrett Loux took me under his wing, and especially Coach Childress. Coach taught me how important it is to go out there and throw strikes, to compete.

“Obviously my body kept developing and I learned more pitches. I’ve been fortunate enough to play on some great Texas A&M baseball teams, we’ve made it to a regional all three years that I‘ve been here, and we’re hoping to do that again this year. All of that accumulated has helped a lot. Having older guys taking me under their wings and teaching me to be confident, and all the friends I’ve made here, it’s just been a great experience.”

JK: Looking ahead to this weekend, you're away from Blue Bell Park for the first time this season as you take on Pepperdine in Malibu, California. Childress mentioned there’s not going to be any surfing going on, it’s all business. What are you personally looking to do this weekend in playing Pepperdine?

Stripling: “Thursdays are our day to go over the team and learn what to expect. They are a good team and they definitely play California-style baseball. They’re going to put a lot of pressure on us with good pitching and good defense. We’re just going to take it one game at a time like we always do. Wacha is going to go out and give a good performance and then Pineda and I are going to follow suit. It should be great.

”Hopefully we can go out and surf … maybe we just won’t tell him about it. We’re going to go out and have fun, but we’re going to treat it like a business trip. We expect to win all three games and give it our best performance and come back with a good RPI since they are a good team. It should be a big weekend for us.”