Lake County captain: Stevenson's Kyle Ruchim

He can't get the image out of his head.

Stevenson senior Kyle Ruchim has an 8-year-old brother named Drew. He's envisioned many times what it will be like when he one day returns to his alma mater to watch his brother follow in his footsteps and play baseball for the Patriots.

He says he pictures taking his little brother for a stroll by the trophy case before the game starts.

If Ruchim has his way, he'll be able to show his brother a state championship trophy from the 2010 season.

"That's the dream. I think about that all the time because I really want to win a state championship," said Ruchim, who leads Stevenson today into its first game downstate in school history. The Patriots will face Naperville Central in the 3 p.m. Class 4A state semifinal at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.

"What I envision is taking Drew by that trophy case and saying 'This is what we did and I was a part of it.'"

Check that, Ruchim would be a big, big part of any state championship for the Patriots.

A three-year starter on varsity, Ruchim has been a gigantic part of Stevenson's program for quite some time now, and his role has only mushroomed this season.

In fact, Ruchim has gotten so big that his influence has been felt throughout the North Suburban Conference and all through Lake County, which is why he has been selected the honorary captain of the Daily Herald's Lake County all-area baseball team.

"I really think Kyle has actually had an all-state type of year," Stevenson coach Paul Mazzuca said. "He's done it all for us. What can you say about him? He's pitched big games for us. He's been great at shortstop. He's had so many big at-bats for us. He's had a great year all the way around."

A shortstop on most days, Ruchim answered the call of his coaches at the beginning of the season when they were worried about the team's lack of pitching depth.

Because of injuries and various other issues, the Patriots were suddenly without a few of the pitchers they had spent months developing in the off-season.

Ruchim, who had some pitching experience, wound up pitching way more than he and his coaches could have ever anticipated, partly because he was needed, but mostly because he pitched so well.

Ruchim became the team's ace and has led the Patriots to many big wins, including a regular-season triumph over perennial power Carmel in which he rolled up 10 strikeouts as well as the victory in the supersectional that clinched the trip downstate.

He currently owns a 7-2 record on the mound.

"I've definitely gained a lot of confidence on the mound this season. That's been big for me," Ruchim said. "I've felt more comfortable out there with all my pitches and I've realized how much control you have of the game when you're pitching and that's a great feeling. I like that.

"Pitching as much as I have this season has shown me that maybe I should consider it as more of a possibility for myself (in the future)."

Ruchim, who committed to play at Northwestern before his junior season even started, envisioned himself as simply a shortstop for the Wildcats. But now, he says he'd also be interested in pitching at the collegiate level.

"It seems like my coaches at Northwestern have been keeping track of my pitching," Ruchim said. "I think they might be looking at having me pitch, too."

That would make Ruchim very busy: pitching, playing shortstop, and don't forget about hitting.

With a .463 batting average, Ruchim is also one of Stevenson's best hitters.

He'll graduate as the all-time leader in home runs with 16, 10 of which came this season alone.

"I've really improved on my hitting since I was a scared little sophomore on the varsity who used to not be able to sleep before every game," Ruchim said. "The one thing I pride myself on is getting better every year."

Soon, there might be another thing Ruchim prides himself on: his status as a state champion.

He hopes for that every day.

He says a state championship would be the ultimate achievement in his high school career, trumping all the all-conference, all-area and personal awards he's rolled up along the way.

"If you're playing high school baseball, winning state has got to be the ultimate goal, before anything personal," Ruchim said. "I tell my teammates all the time that there are tons of kids who can play Division I baseball, there are tons of kids who can make all-area, all-state, whatever. But there's only a select few who can say they won a state championship. I think that would be the one thing every single person on our team could keep with them for the rest of their lives."

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<h1>More Coverage</h1>

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<h2>Related documents</h2>

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<li><a href="/pdf/lakebaseballfront10.pdf">Lake Co. all-area team Page 1</a></li>

<li><a href="/pdf/lakebaseballteam110.pdf">Lake Co. all-area team Page 2</a></li>

<li><a href="/pdf/lakebaseballteam210.pdf">Lake Co. all-area team Page 3</a></li>

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