Ball State University Athletics
Ness Selected By Cleveland In Sixth Round of MLB Draft
June 07, 2005 | Baseball
Complete Joe Ness Release in PDF Format
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Ball State baseball junior starting pitcher Joe Ness (Logansport, Ind./Logansport H.S.) was selected in the sixth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Cleveland Indians with the 184th overall pick. Ness is the first sixth-round draft pick in school history, the ninth-highest selection in school annals and the second Cardinals player to be drafted by the Indians - - joining 2003 first-round pick Brad Snyder.
"We are very excited for Joe and his family with the opportunity this draft has given him," said BSU head coach Greg Beals. "Joe is a big, strong-arm pitcher which is very attractive to major league clubs, like the Cleveland Indians."
A 2005 All-Mid-American Conference Second Team selection, Ness finished the season with a 5-5 overall record as the Cardinals' No. 1 starter on the mound. A three-year letterwinner at Ball State, he has compiled a 17-10 career record in 49 appearances, including 36 starts.
Ness completed the 2005 season with a career-best 88 strikeouts which ranked third in the league. A 6-5 right-handed pitcher, Ness tallied a 4.01 ERA over 89.2 innings of work and earned MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week honors once (March 18) during the season. He held opposing batters to a .278 average, while allowing just 15 walks.
Ness turned the best performance of his career in the 2004 MAC Tournament, guiding the Cardinals to a 4-0 victory over Kent State to avoid elimination in the second day of the event. In the contest, Ness threw his first career complete game and shutout, limiting the eventual tournament champion Golden Flashes to two hits, while recording 10 strikeouts. Ness tallied a career-high 11 strikeouts on two occasions - - vs. North Carolina A&T (March 10, 2005) and vs. Marshall (May 15, 2004).
In three season's with the Cardinals, Ness has compiled a 4.07 ERA. He ranks eighth in school history in innings pitched (234.1) and strikeouts (203), while his 17 wins are tied for 14th in the BSU record books. Ness also recorded a pair of saves his freshman year.
