Ben Petralli joins Grand Prairie after a stand-out college career and numerous MLB draft selections.

Prior to his 2009 Tommy John surgery, the switch-hitting catcher had been drafted a total of five times by Major League clubs.  Most recently drafted (’08) by the Texas Rangers following his junior year performance at Oral Roberts, Petralli batted .354 and tallied 81 hits and 70 RBI, and received both First Team-All Summit and Newcomer of the Year honors.

Prior to ORU, Petralli spent three seasons at Sacramento City College, where he was named first-team Northern California All-America as a catcher after leading the Panthers to a 35-15 record in 2007.  He batted .333 with 16 doubles, one home run and 26 RBI in 46 games played and garnered Big 7 All-Conference first-team honors.

Drafted out of high school (attended Weatherford High School in Weatherford, TX) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 26th round, Petralli enrolled in college and transitioned from a shortstop to a catcher in his freshman campaign. 

He was then drafted the by the Detroit Tigers in consecutive years (’05, ’06) in the 15th and 17th rounds, respectively.  In 2007 and 2008, Petralli was again drafted, this time by the Texas Rangers in the 47th and 33rd rounds.