Adversity can’t hold Jamir Ross back from OCCAC Co-Player of the Year honors
PARMA, Ohio (athletics.tri-c.edu) – April 10, 2026, was a big day for Jamir Ross (R-Fr./Dayton, Ohio). As Ross and the rest of the Cuyahoga Community College Triceratops took the field against Clark State College Eagles, it wasn't like just any other game for Ross. He was home after a long, winding path to get back on the field.
While Ross pointed to that specific game – the first of a double-header April 10 against OCCAC foe the Eagles – as perhaps his biggest moment of the season and his time at Tri-C so far, he is fresh off another massive moment in his career just four days before at Ashland University.
But Ross's story doesn't start with that game at Ashland on April 6, 2026. To fully understand the impact of these two moments, Ross's journey needs to be understood.
Coming out of Northmont High School in Dayton, Ohio, Ross was under-recruited. In fact, he said he didn't have any offers after his high school career ended, which was not what he expected.
That changed when then-Tri-C head coach Kyle Stahlberg called Ross. The two talked about Ross's high school career and his possible fit on the Tri-C roster. Ahead of the 2025 season, shortly after that conversation, Ross signed on the dotted line to join the Triceratops.
Things were going well for Ross initially as he started to elevate his game and work out with the team over the Fall. That is, until a labrum injury ended his season before it could begin.
"It set me back an entire season," Ross said of his injury. "But it only made me grow as a baseball player. It helped me develop mentally to stay humble and work hard. Honestly, sitting out for a year wired me up to really want to be the best version of myself."
As the Triceratops started racking up wins, Ross was kept on the sideline to rehab his labrum injury. He watched from the bench as Stahlberg and the rest of the Triceratops racked up an astounding 41-game winning streak – a Tri-C record - and a spot into the NJCAA Division II Top 25 at No. 22.
During all that, Ross remained focused. Focused on being the best teammate he could. Focused on rehabbing and getting healthy so he could make an impact the next year. Focused on being the best version of himself.
When the Triceratops' season closed at the Region 12 playoffs, Ross was finally able to focus on what he wanted from the jump: getting on the field. He was healthy and ready to contribute for the first time as a redshirt freshman.
At the start of the team's 2025 fall season, adversity struck again as Stahlberg departed the program in September to take a managerial role in the Miami Marlins' minor league system. Just as Ross was getting back into playing shape and comfortable in the system, his head coach left. Assistant coach Nick Kaplack took the interim head coaching position after Stahlberg's departure and started installing his program.
"It was obviously rough seeing Coach Stahlberg leave," Ross said on the coaching change. "We had to really get used to Coach Kaplack's program and things like how he designed his practices. We had to really give him the chance to make us better baseball players."
Like any transition, there were some hiccups along the way. But overall, Ross was happy with it.
"It was a good smooth transition from Stahlberg to Kaplack," Ross said. "It took some time to adjust because I had been under Stahlberg's system for a year and the team had some rough times throughout the season, but in the long run, things worked out."
As the fall practices wore on, everyone started getting more comfortable. The players that played under Stahlberg and the new players that only knew Kaplack started to mesh. The coaching staff grew together alongside their players. Things started to feel right.
Finally, it was time to play real, competitive baseball. In February, as the season was about to kick off, Ross was finally ready to play. He got past the coaching change. He got past the labrum injury that cut off his freshman season entirely. Now was the time for him to finally take the field as a college baseball player for the first time.
"I did come in a little bit nervous for our first games," Ross recalled. "I had to realize that this is baseball, all I had to do was come out there and have fun. A lot of people don't really have the opportunity to come out and play college baseball, so I said I wasn't going to take this chance for granted."
He certainly didn't. Ross jumped out of the gate on fire. He hit .500 in February, racking up collegiate firsts like they were going out of style. His first month of action saw Ross notch his first career hit, run, extra-base hit and RBI. He was quickly developing into one of the most dangerous hitters on the roster in addition to playing outstanding defense in the center field.
But again, adversity struck as Ross suffered a quad injury in late February that put him back on the sidelines. Aside from two at-bats against Lansing Community College in mid-March, Ross missed an entire month due to that injury.
But then, that brings us to April 6 at Ashland University. The first big moment Ross pointed to when talking about his season. It's the top of the third inning with the Triceratops at bat; the score tied 0-0.
Ross steps up to the plate. It's his first game back from the quad injury. He's finally fully healthy and comfortable at the plate. He's quieted the mental noise, focusing on staying simple and having fun.
From the right-handed batter box, Ross turns on a pitch. In his first at bat in his first game since returning from injury, Ross launches an opposite-field home run over the right field fence. It was his first career home run.
"I didn't expect myself to do something like hitting a home run there," Ross said. "After that, it just kept happening."
He got the second half of the Ashland doubleheader off before the Triceratops went south to Clark State. As Ross arrived at the field on April 10, there was already a feeling that something special was happening.
"Dayton is my hometown," Ross said of that game, his favorite moment from this season. "I've played on Clark State's field before. I've practiced there many times."
In the friendly-to-Ross confines of Warren County Sports Park, Ross made his mark. The first game, Ross took over batting in the six-hole in the lineup, launching two home runs and a double with four RBIs in four at-bats in front of a hometown crowd. It was his first multiple home run game.
"It was amazing to hit two home runs in one game," Ross said. "That's something very rare in baseball and for me to do that felt amazing. Especially with my mom, my sister, my dad, my godmother, family members, and friends there. It was so beautiful to have them there and experience what I could showcase."
Throughout the rest of the season, Ross continued to showcase his talent. He finished with a .381 batting average, 48 RBIs and a team-high 29 stolen bases. He posted a hit in each of the Triceratops' postseason wins. All that led to him capturing the OCCAC Co-Player of the Year award.
"I really didn't expect to win any awards," Ross said while reminiscing on the season. "I just wanted myself to be better as a teammate and as a player, on and off the field. That's the thing I take pride in missing a year making me the better person I am now and a better ballplayer."
SUMMER FEATURE STORIES
This piece is the sixth in a series of profiles on players and coaches around the Cuyahoga Community College athletic department. See below to read the prior entries:
May 13, 2026 - Family and perserverance drive Cuyahoga Community College Men's Basketball's Frankie Evans IV to next chapter
June 10, 2026 - Relationships and bonding push young Cuyahoga Community College Women's Basketball team to new heights
June 15, 2026 - Brooke Brubaker gives back at Guardians Summer Camp
July 2, 2026 - Championship mindset from Day One: The 2025-26 Cuyahoga Community College softball season
July 3, 2026 - Former Cuyahoga Community College baseball coach thriving in Minor League Baseball
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