Norman realizes dream by signing with Georgia State
The Ringgold Tigers have sent many a player on to the next level, especially pitchers, and that legacy recently added another name as senior Ross Norman signed on with Georgia State University on Nov. 9.
“You know, it’s my dream come true,” Norman said. “This is something I’ve always worked for in my life and it’s just awesome to know it’s finally come true.”
Norman has been a fixture with the Tigers since his freshman season, but had a breakout sophomore campaign. As the only underclassman in the starting nine for a Ringgold team that advanced to the Final Four, Norman was a standout at the hot corner and had six doubles and 25 RBIs at the plate.
He stepped up his game even more as a junior, batting .350 with 10 extra base hits last spring, including eight doubles, a triple and one homer, to go with 28 RBIs, six stolen bases and 23 runs scored. He also started 10 games on the mound and threw 46 innings with 80 strikeouts and a 2.58 ERA.
He was named first team All-Region 6-AAA and was later tabbed as a Class 3A All-State honorable mention selection by Georgia Dugout Preview.
“He’s had an impact on our program since the first day he got here,” said Ringgold head baseball coach Drew Walker. “He started as a freshman, which was the COVID year. As a sophomore, it was
all seniors and him. That showed a lot about him and maturity he had early on.”
The 6-foot-7 flame-thrower also showed what he could do on the football field this past season.
After an injury forced him into the starting quarterback position in the second game of the season, he started the last 10 games and threw for 1,366 yards (94 of 193) and 13 touchdowns, while rushing 61 times for 278 yards and eight more scores. Those numbers helped lead the Tigers to second place in the region standings and earn them a home playoff
game for the second consecutive year.
While many schools would love to have a 6-7 quarterback with a cannon for an arm, Norman said his future is definitely in baseball.
“I played football my senior year just to have fun with my friends and stuff,” he said. “I had taken off my junior year to really work on baseball and get better and it really paid off. I was able to get in the weight room, work on my arm and stay healthy.”
Norman said he chose the Panthers for the high interest they showed in him for more than a year.
“I started talking to them a little over a year ago and I went down to their facility just about a year ago,” he explained. “The facilities and the coaches are awesome. I had talked to some other schools, but Georgia State just really stuck out a lot.
“I felt like the coaches really wanted me, really cared about me and wanted me to be down there. That was one of my main considerations... how much they truly wanted me and believed in me. I’m hoping to be a good teammate, just bring energy to the team and hopefully have a great four years there.”
Walker called Norman “an
unbelievable athlete with marvelous talents and abilities”, adding that his potential is still untapped.
“When he strides off the mound, he’s probably only 52 or 54 feet from the plate, so everything gets on (the hitter) pretty quick,” he added. “He’s come so far since he started here at Ringgold and it’s been awesome to see him from the middle school to where he is now. He’s developed and flourished into the leader that he is today and I think football helped him out a ton with that.
“He’s going to get down (to Georgia State), learn how to pitch and get command of
that fastball. We’ll be working with him on that this offseason too because if he can control his command, by the time he gets in college, he’s going to be throwing 95 or 96 (mph) easily. Plus, when he gets to college, he’s probably got about 20 or 30 more pounds he can put on his frame.
“He’s going to be a high velocity guy, but if he can learn that command and throw some breaking balls up there, he’s going to be tough to deal with.”
Norman said he is undecided on a major, but is seriously considering engineering or business.