The impact Zach Ross has made on this year's Cartersville baseball team could be described as immeasurable.

Sure, it isn't all that difficult to get a read on his tape-measure home runs, but how does one account for the many runs he saves running down long flyballs in the outfield?

Stuart Chester, the Purple Hurricanes' longtime head coach, used a play made in last Friday's first-round sweep over Oconee County to illustrate the impact made by his center fielder, who has signed to play collegiately for Tusculum College, an NCAA Division II program near Knoxville, Tenn.

"We come out and score [in the top of the first inning] and then they get a runner on, and then that guy hits that deep ball to center field and he Willie Mays' the catch, and he's made a lot of catches like that this year," Chester said of Ross' over-the-shoulder grab. "Defensively he has turned into probably one of the best center fielders to come through this school.

"Very seldom do I get up to greet the guys [when we have two outs], but when it's hit to center field, I get up [to greet the team coming into the dugout]."

Though he leads the Canes in home runs, including two in the opening round of the state playoffs, the outfielder enjoys robbing others of hits just as well as collecting his own.

"I like running 'em down. That's the best part about outfield is running that long ball down," Ross admitted. "I tell myself I can go get everything so ... [I make sure] I catch it first."

One of two returning starters for Cartersville this season, Ross was thrust into a leadership role, where he has excelled.

"He's not real vocal, but when he says something, everybody listens," Chester said. "At the plate, it's hard to be a leadoff hitter. To step in there and be our leadoff hitter and to lead the team in home runs as well, that speaks for his ability ... He's been blessed with good baseball talent; he's always had good baseball talent. He works year-round, plays baseball year-round, and physically, from his sophomore to junior and junior to senior year, he really has changed his body with his workout ethics and habits.

"He's just strong," the coach continued. "[In] batting practice he's the most consistent home run hitter we've got. He hits for power; he hits doubles; he can bunt; he handles the bat real well. He's got a lot of tools."

Ross, who made his college decision nearly three weeks ago, liked the campus as well as Pioneer Park, which is home to Tusculum's baseball team and also the Greeneville Astros, the rookie league affiliate of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros.

"To play in a nice stadium, why not?" Ross reasoned. "And then I got a couple of buddies that are going up there that I've played with in the summer so that's gonna make it a lot easier [of a transition] for me."

Tusculum likely will slot Ross into the outfield -- if not center field, then somewhere else. The Pioneers have two senior outfielders that are scheduled to graduate, he said.

"They're gonna have open spots out there," Ross said. "I'm gonna have a good chance at working for a [starting outfield] spot and going out there, maybe starting right off the bat. That was another reason why I chose Tusculum. I can go up there and get started."

"He'll step in and start from Day 1 as a freshman, I think," Chester added of Ross' chances to play immediately. "I kind of gauge our guys on our outside region opponents, when we play our Parkviews and Marist and Lassiter and people like that. Zach could start on any baseball team in high school in the state. Watching him compete against those guys, I think he's very well prepared for the next level.

"If he doesn't bat leadoff, he'll be top five [in the batting order], and he'll make an impact from the get-go."

Ever the proud coach, there was one thing Ross did that Chester was none too pleased about over the years -- his imitation of the Texas Rangers' claw celebration, made famous by Josh Hamilton and others on the MLB team.

"One day I hit a double, came in on second, turned around, looked at the dugout and just threw it up. ... [Chester] just kind of stared at me, and it didn't happen again," Ross smiled.

Chester probably would ease his restriction on the celebration should Ross help the Canes win their sixth state championship.

Cartersville heads down to middle Georgia today for its second-round, best-of-three series against the Veterans Warhawks.

"[We] definitely don't want it to end ... that's the main thing," Ross said. "We got the talent right now. Everybody's working together. Chemistry's rolling. Everybody's pulling for each other.

"We've done what we had to do so far. Hopefully we can keep it rolling for another three weeks, down to that last game."