Cody Ross had a November that he will never forget.
Ross, who is from Portales, N.M., and a graduate of Carlsbad High School is a Major League Baseball player who won the 2010 World Series with the San Francisco Giants.
Ross said winning the Fall Classic was bigger than life to him.
“It’s surreal,” he said.
Ross was honored by UNM and head Lobo baseball coach Ray Birmingham on Friday night at a UNM-sponsored banquet to celebrate Ross’s achievements at Ladera Golf Course.
“I’m about promoting baseball in this state, and what better poster child can you get than Cody Ross, a great human being and a great player?” Birmingham said.
Proceeds were given to the UNM baseball team.
Ross has played baseball professionally for seven seasons and has played for five different organizations.
In September, Ross was placed on waivers by the Florida Marlins and was picked up later by the Giants.
Ross played only about a month for the Giants. During his time with San Francisco, the Giants rallied late in the season to win the National League West Division.
The Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series and advanced to the NL Championship Series against the back-to-back NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies.
Ross exploded onto the national baseball scene with an outstanding performance against the Phillies.
In the NCLS, Ross earned MVP series honors hitting three home runs and had a batting average of .350.
Against the Texas Rangers in the World Series, Ross found some more magic.
Ross hit a homer in Game 3 of the World Series off of the Rangers’ starter Colby Lewis at the Ballpark in Arlington in Arlington, Texas.
Ross said the World Series homer was something he had always imagined doing.
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“You dream about scoring the winning touchdown of a Super Bowl or hitting a home run in the World Series,” he said. “When I was running around the bases I was trying to take it all in, remembering how it felt.”
For his postseason heroics, Ross was awarded a new contract by the team he ended a 56-year championship drought with.
During the winter break, the Giants signed Ross to a one-year deal worth $6.3 million to defend San Francisco’s World Series title.
But Ross is staying humble and remembering where he came from.
“It’s been quite a change, actually, an incredible experience and something you can’t explain” Ross said. “I had a guy in Albuquerque today tell me ‘Congratulations and thank you,’ and he was a longtime Giants fan. That stuff doesn’t get old.”
