Ruggiano talks grand slam vs. Rice in '04, new A&M park, etc.

Notes from Justin Ruggiano Interview

* Very excited about the chance the Houston Astros organization has given him. It’s been a long eight year career for him already and he is happy to get back with a Texas organization.

* Beating Rice in regionals was a surreal moment in his career thus far. It’s something he will never forget. It has been a pleasure to play with Rice alumnus Jeff Niemann the past few years in Tampa Bay and the two of them reminisce about that regional almost daily. They have a good time and laugh about it now, but for the first couple of years, Niemann was pretty bitter towards him.

* Playing in Aggieland was an absolute honor. The fans and atmosphere were amazing and it really prepares you for big league baseball. Playing on a stage as big as the one at A&M really transfers over to the big leagues.

* After playing baseball at Blinn College, he didn’t have any really big scholarship offers but went ahead and called Mark Johnson anyways. He was told that center fielder Eric Reed had just signed but also that Coach Johnson had unexpectedly lost a center fielder. It was getting close to August and he hadn’t found out where he was playing yet but ended up getting the call from Coach Johnson and signed with the Aggies. The way he signed with the Aggies has really personified his career as a whole because he has had to “pack it up and go” multiple times.

* 2004 was the first time he was unable to play in games due to injury and being able to hit the game-winner against Rice was a relieving moment because of that. To be able to get in at the end of the season and produce for the team was unbelievable and something that he will never forget.

* Was immediately looking for a fastball during the at-bat against Rice in 2004. The inning happened so fast. He remembers being up fourth or fifth that inning and didn’t even have time to think about what was going on because the game was moving so quickly. Everything happened really fast and worked out great in the end but so many other things had to happen to even give him a shot to hit the walk-off and he couldn’t have done it without his teammates. Rice had just lost in unbelievable fashion to Texas Southern which also allowed the series between Rice and A&M to be played. Matt Alexander also came in during the middle of an at-bat because Austin Boggs cramped up and hit a pinch-hit single which allowed him to get up to the plate and end the game.

* Four days after his first triple A season was over, right after his team had lost The Govenor’s Cup, the triple A championship, he was heading home. After getting home he took a trip with his then girlfriend, now wife, to Dallas. While he was on that trip he got a phone call telling him to pack his bags and to get on the next plane to Anaheim because he was being called up by the Rays. Carl Crawford had been injured and the team decided to make a move and pull him up to finish out the season. In a matter of four hours after the phone call, he was on a plane headed to California.

* Being a part of the 2008 AL Champion Rays team was incredible. His year was spent going up and down filling in for guys when injuries happened but there were times in the season that he got serious playing time. Being a role player on that team, he learned so much from being able to watch the veterans every day. His numbers weren’t the greatest that year because he was never able to get comfortable but he was able to learn more in that one year than he was in any other year.

* Has heard that Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park will be a top-notch facility which is nothing but expected from Texas A&M. He’s excited to come down for an alumni game next fall and get to check out the place for himself.

* The place he is at with the Houston Astros right now is the perfect place to help accelerate his career. None of the Astros players are locked into big contracts so everyone will get their shot to play. Had the opportunity to elect free agency instead of going back to Tampa Bay’s triple A team in Durham and he had to take the chance to show his talents another place to gain more exposure. Playing for a team from your home state makes it that much better and he is thrilled to be part of the rebuilding of the Astros organization.

* His two-and-a-half year old son, Brooks, loves to be in the batting cages. He’s a lefty and lives and breathes baseball. He wakes up in the morning and has either a bat or a ball in his hands wanting to go play. It’s been an absolute joy to have him and see his passion he already has for the game. Thinks that stems from his wife, Shelly, who takes him to all of the games and has helped him grow up in a baseball environment.

* Would love to come back after his playing career and help out with the baseball program at Texas A&M. He is excited about coming back this fall to play in the alumni game and see some old faces and meet some new ones.

* Never played for Coach Childress, but his brother who has nothing but good things to say about him and the type of program he runs. He is a tough coach but has done great things at A&M in the short amount of time he has been there. You can’t help but be excited about the future of Aggie baseball because he has turned the program into a national contender year in and year out.