Catching up with…Jason Ruiz

Thursday, May 6, 2004 | 9:19 a.m.

High school: Cimarron-Memorial ('01)

Where he is now: Southern Utah

Class: Junior

Sport: Baseball

Currently: Ruiz was named Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Week after a stellar showing against Centenary. Ruiz, a shortstop, batted .647 (11-for-17) and scored five runs as the Thunderbirds spilt four games over the weekend. He also drove in a run and stole a base. He is batting .605 (25-for-43) over an 11-game hitting streak, raising his season average to .395 -- second in the conference.

Looking back: Ruiz enjoyed success both at Cimarron and at the Community College of Southern Nevada. Ruiz batted .498 and stole 70 bases during his high school days and helped the Spartans to a zone title in 1999. He also earned numerous All-Division and All-Conference honors while at Cimarron. During his time with the Coyotes, Ruiz was part of the team's 2003 national championship run. He hit .309 with 31 RBIs and 12 steals in the championship season.

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