#28 Steve Ruzich — Head Coach

Coach Steve Ruzich was an All-American catcher at the College of St. Francis.  He graduated in 1985 and was drafted that summer by the Chicago White Sox.  Steve had a short stint as a pro catcher before coming to South Suburban College as head baseball coach in 1987. 

Coach Ruzich heads into his twenty second year as head baseball coach and has compiled a record of 778 wins and 417 losses. Included in his tenure have been four sectional titles, six regional titles and two appearances at the JUCO World Series including a sixth place finish and eight regional runner-up finishes.  In 2005, under the guidance of Coach Ruzich, the Bulldogs set a school record for most wins and winning percentage in a season going 51-11 (.823).

2007 was another outstanding season for Coach Ruzich’s Bulldogs.  The Bulldogs claimed their 4th consecutive Regional Title and posted a 41 and 19 record.

His coaching awards have included N4C Coach of the Year, Region 4 Coach of the Year (six times), College Coach of the Year from the Pitch and Hit Club of Chicago (twice), Great Lakes District Coach of the Year and Diamond District Coach of the Year.

Steve’s student athletes’ graduation rate is 75%.  Steve has coached ten All-Americans including 2006 1st team Lee Fischer who was also voted best defensive player in the nation. "Coach Ru" also has had sixteen players drafted by major league teams including four players that have reached the big leagues.  Three are currently playing including Rob Mackowiak (Washington Nationals), Tim Brydak (Detroit Tigers), and Ron Mahay (Kansas City Royals).  161 players have continued on to four-year college programs.  As a player himself, Steve was named second team All-American Catcher, All-District Catcher and All-Area Catcher. 

Being a youth instructor, Head Catching Instructor at Midwest Sports Complex and Academy Director at Grandslam have kept him busy.  Coach Ruzich is particularly known as the Director and Coordinator of parent-child baseball camps locally, which over 1200 participants have attended.  Steve also works part time for the Chicago White Sox, instructing in their fundamentals area at home games at U. S. Cellular Field.

Steve completed his master’s degree in physical education at Chicago State University.

Coach Steve Ruzich resides in Joliet, Illinois with his wife, Patti and children Timothy, Nathan and Amanda.

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#22 Justin Papp — Assistant Coach

Coach Justin Papp enters his 4th season as an assistant and pitching coach.  Coach Papp pitched for Coach Ruzich from 2000 – 2002.  Justin was part of the 2002 Bulldog team that won 25 games in a row and a Regional Championship. In 2003-2004, Justin pitched for Coach Dooley at St. Xavier and was 9-1 his senior year.  He is a great addition to the staff.

In 2007, SSC once again lead the region with an excellent 3.4 ERA.  In the three seasons Coach Papp has served as the pitching coach, the Bulldogs have posted a 143 and 42 record.  He is also employed by SSC as manager of student programming.

He will also serve as the teams traveling secretary on road trips.  Coach Papp resides in South Holland with his dog Ava. 

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Ryan Sickles — Assistant Coach

Coach Ryan Sickles enters his 3rd season as an assistant coach.  Ryan will be in charge of handling the infielders and working with the outfielders.  Coach Sickles played for Coach Ruzich in the 2002-2003 season.  He was co-captain in 2003 and was also a recipient of the annual Michael Pippin Scholarship Award in 2002. Ryan helped the Bulldogs win 25 consecutive games. 

He also had the distinction of playing every inning of every game in 2003. Ryan transferred to Gardner-Webb where he played for two years.  In 2006, Ryan played professional baseball in Germany, where his team claimed the league championship and he was named the MVP of the series.  This May he will play for the Crestwood Thunderbolts of the Frontier League.