(Rochester, MN)-The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club announced today that Ryan Ruiz, Assistant Coach at Central Arizona College (Coolidge, AZ) as their new Field Manager for the 2010 season. Ruiz replaces Thom Dreier who stepped down after accepting a full time position as the Midwest Video Coordinator with the Toronto Blue Jays. Ruiz becomes the Honkers’ 9th field manager since 1994.
“I am extremely honored to be a part of a winning franchise in Rochester,” said Ruiz “I am eager to get back on the field and guide this franchise to another Northwoods League Championship. The front office, fans and city have all been first class!”
Ruiz is no stranger to the Northwoods League or the Rochester Honkers. He served as the Associate Head Coach of the Mankato MoonDogs last summer, in charge of their offense and coaching 3rd base. He guided the MoonDogs to the first half championship in the North Division.
“Rochester has always put a great product on the field. I went through that from the other side while I was in Mankato but glad to be on this side now.” said Ruiz. “I expect nothing less than excellence this year and to continue a winning tradition while teaching these kids how to play the game the way it used to be played. We will play this game hard on every pitch of every out and every inning while still having fun and experiencing baseball in a professional environment.”
Ruiz spent eight years of playing professionally in the Northern and American Association of the Independent leagues. He spent 4 years with the St. Paul Saints, and 4 with the Sioux City Explorers. The left handed hitting centerfielder completed his playing career in 2006, with a career .288 average. His best year was in 2004 where he hit .310 with 22 doubles and 35 stolen bases and was named to the North All-Star Team. Ruiz finished his collegiate career at Texas Tech in 1999 where he led the team in hitting (.363) and stole 35 bases in 37 attempts. He was honored by the Big XII as a second-team all-conference pick as a junior and senior and was nominated for the Easton’s defensive Player of the Year award in 1999.
Ruiz, now in his third year at Central Arizona, is in charge of handling the hitters, outfielders and the team’s strength and conditioning coach. He also assists in the recruiting process. The Lake Forest, CA native is married and holds an AA degree from Saddleback College and a BA from Texas Tech in Sports Psychology.
