for cross, despite strong season he remains humble ahead of mlb draft

Ryan Duvall

Contributing Writer

September 13, 2021

BLACKSBURG — In late February, Gavin Cross dug into the left-handed batter's box during the second game of an Opening Day doubleheader to open the 2021 season against Kent State.

It was frigid, barely 40 degrees in the New River Valley — the wind gusted in from center field, too — but Cross didn’t let the wintry conditions get the best of him.

He stared at his bat for one, two, three seconds before stepping in and ripping a high fastball over the visiting bullpen in right field for his first home run of the campaign.

And after he rounded the bases, stepped on home plate, and pounded the Hokies’ home run hammer into the artificial warning track just outside the third base dugout, a star was truly born at English Field.

Since then, the Virginia Tech outfielder has transformed himself into one of the top outfielders in college baseball and a top five collegiate draft prospect entering the 2022 MLB Draft. All while managing the brand new Name, Image and Likeness rules, which includes the sale of his game-used jerseys and other memorabilia.

Coming out of high school, Cross was a tad overlooked as a potential draft prospect. Perfect Game rated him as the No. 269 outfielder in the nation in the 2019 class, which is no small feat by any means, but since he has vaulted up scouting boards.

His rise began after hitting .369 in 16 games during his true freshman season that was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. And for an encore, after the NCAA granted spring athletes an extra year of eligibility — once again classified as a freshman — the former two-way player followed his shortened-season up with a standout 2021 season.

Cross raked. And then, he raked some more.

The 6-foot-3, 215 pounder led the Hokies in numerous of offensive categories, including batting average (.345), hits (70), doubles (13), triples (5), and home runs (11); making him a key reason why Tech shot on to the national scene early in the season, and was ranked in the Baseball America poll for the first time since 2013.

One school that Cross seemed to hammer in particular was East Tennessee State, where his father, Adam, had played. In two mid-week games against the Buccaneers, the outfielder totaled nine RBIs, along with a homer. He hit for the cycle in Tennessee during the first matchup between the teams and followed that up with a two-RBI performance a few weeks later at home.

“Playing there is just so special for me,” Cross said. “It’s where my parents went, and I’m from the area.”

Cross went on to finish the year with awards and recognitions that were highlighted by All-ACC First Team, and ACC All-Freshman team, and was the first freshman in program history to be named All-ACC First Team.

After making noise in the spring, Cross was selected to the 2021 USA Collegiate National Team, where he played this past summer, along with some of the best college baseball players in the country. He became the fourth Hokie to be named to the team, the first since Trey McCoy in 1986.

Thirty-four of the country’s best non-draft eligible players received the same honor as Cross, playing exhibition games across up-and-down the east coast during the summer. And on July 8, playing in his hometown of Bristol, Tenn., Cross hit a grand slam in front of his family and friends in attendance.

Cross called it a “surreal feeling” to get to put on the red, white, and blue all summer, detailing that representing his country, “with all the guys you read and hear about,” was one of the best experiences he said he had on a baseball field.

And overall, the summer was quite successful for the rising sophomore, as he shot up draft boards, becoming the No. 5 college baseball prospect in the country for the 2022 MLB draft, according to D1Baseball.

However, Cross is focused on staying humble despite potentially being the Hokies first round one selection since pitcher Joe Saunders was taken No. 12 overall by the Los Angeles Angels in 2002.

“I try not to get caught up in all the draft talk,” Cross continued. “I’m just gonna let the chips fall and see what happens from there.”

Cross said that he’s not focused on the stats or accolades that come with individual success. Instead, he says that he wants to be a team player and wants to win as many games as possible.

Now in his sophomore year, Cross has some new business ventures thanks to the NCAA allowing athletes to profit off themselves through NIL deals.

For Cross, so far his big venture is the Gavin Cross Official Fan Site, where the Hokie star hopes to kick start his brand by offering up his own memorabilia and merchandise.

Cross said that he’s still learning about the NIL deals and what the NCAA will and won’t allow. Though, he said that he is a proponent of college athletes being able to make money off of themselves as they earn it through their work and production for the school.

While Cross does not have any brand deals right now, he hopes to partner with smaller, local businesses in the Blacksburg area if he were to have a future in pro-ball.

He’s looking forward to another season of Hokie baseball this spring, where the humble star won’t be too focused on his own numbers, rather the only thing that matters to him is that the Hokies are winning ball games.