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IF Ronnie Bourquin (St. Paul Saints)

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OSUBasketballJunkie

OSUBasketballJunkie

Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch

4/7/06

OSU BASEBALL

Buckeyes’ Bourquin, Howell battling back

Injuries disrupted their 2005 seasons

Friday, April 07, 2006

Mark Znidar
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




Jacob Howell and Ronnie Bourquin will never forget the 2005 baseball season. It was a mix of good, bad and too often very ugly.

Ohio State came from oblivion to win the Big Ten tournament and gave Oregon State, the No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, all it could handle before losing 4-3 in the ninth inning.

Howell and Bourquin also will remember the pain and frustration from freak injuries.

Six games into the season, Howell suffered a dislocated right shoulder when North Florida’s first baseman fell on him during a pick-off play.

In the ninth inning of the third Big Ten game against Illinois, Bourquin broke his right thumb sliding headfirst into first base trying to beat out a grounder.

Although they returned to the lineup after missing 12 and 11 games, respectively, they were never the same players.

"They showed what type of players they are by just coming back," Buckeyes coach Bob Todd said. "I think people who watch them play this year will notice a huge difference in the quality of their play."

Their statistics loudly say that heading into a four-game series against Illinois (14-9, 2-2) in Bill Davis Stadium. The opener is at 6:35 tonight.

Bourquin, a junior third baseman from Canton, leads the Buckeyes (16-6, 3-1) in batting with a .440 average and in RBI with 30. He has struck out only 12 times in 95 at-bats.

Howell, a junior from Ashland, is second on the team with a .416 average. He has 15 RBI and just 10 strikeouts in 89 at-bats.

It’s a chore for them to talk about last season.

"I was told I’d be out three weeks, but it absolutely killed me to sit out two weeks," Bourquin said. "I had never missed a practice — ever. That included high school. I wasn’t close to being 100 percent when I came back. I was probably 85 percent or 90 percent, but that was good enough for me.

There were times when I’d catch the ball in a certain spot and I’d be in shock because of the pain. At the plate, the thumb was still in the back of my mind. I wasn’t swinging the way I should."

Bourquin batted .268 — a 65-point drop from his freshman year — and drove in 23 runs.

"Now I’m healthy and it feels good to be able the play the way I want," he said. "I’m hitting in the four hole and I’m just trying to get the right pitch to hit."

As a freshman, Howell batted .336 and was one of the most exciting players in the Big Ten. Last season, he missed 21 games and was reduced to being a pinch runner in the conference and NCAA tournaments. He batted .270.

The injury forced Howell, a left-handed batter, to make drastic changes in his swing just to make contact.

Howell’s swing was still off playing with the Columbus All-Americans of the Great Lakes Summer League.

"I knew what I was doing wrong," he said. "I was lunging at the ball instead of waiting for the ball to get to my hands. I had fallen into some bad habits.

It wasn’t until fall practice that I got straightened out. It took a toll on me mentally. My confidence is back. My body feels good and my swing is back.

I’m just glad to be healthy and contributing. This team is confident. The confidence is through the roof."

[email protected]
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IF Ronnie Bourquin (Official Thread)

From the Official Site

Ronnie Bourquin Named Big Ten Player of the Week for Third Time

Buckeye third baseman hit four home runs in five games last week

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Ronnie Bourquin hit four
home runs in five games
last week and leads all
Big Ten batters with a
.426 average.

May 22, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State third baseman Ronnie Bourquin was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the third time this season Monday after batting .429 (6-for-14) last week in four games vs. Penn State and a non-conference game vs. Pittsburgh.
Bourquin, one of 16 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy and one of 30 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, had hit four home runs in the five games and drove in eight runs and scored five times. Bourquin drew three walks and added a sacrifice fly. He was 2-for-2 with a home run and drove in two runs in a 3-0 shutout victory over Penn State and then followed it up with a 2-for-3 day that had two home runs, including a two-run laser in the fourth and a solo shot in the sixth to help Ohio State to a 12-2 win the clinched the series. The Big Ten's leading batter with a .426 average, also had a home run in the midweek game vs. Pittsburgh and finished the week with a 1.296 slugging percentage and had an on-base percentage of .500. He now has eight home runs on the year, the third most in the Big Ten and the most by a Buckeye this year. Jedidiah Stephen also has eight. Bourquin previously was the Big Ten Player of the Week March 20 and May 1.
The Buckeyes (35-19 overall and 19-12 in the Big Ten) are the third seed in this week's Big Ten tournament at Ray Fisher Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. Ohio State will meet No. 6 seed Purdue Wednesday at 3:35 p.m.
 
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Drafted in the 2nd Round of the MLB Draft by the Detriot Tigers

Comments:

He has very good power potential, though he hasn't shown it in games. His bat will carry him, as his defense is adequate at best, meaning a move to first base or the outfield is likely.
 
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Canton

6/14/06

Bourquin turning pro

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Joe Frollo Jr. Repository assistant sports editor [/FONT]


For a few more days, at least, Ronnie Bourquin will enjoy being a college kid.
Soon, though, it will be time to get a job, earn some money and start learning about the real world. Granted, his summer gig won’t be bagging groceries or cutting lawns.
The Canton South High School graduate has agreed to a professional baseball contract with the Detroit Tigers and will sign Thursday or Sunday. Jeff Neumann of Paragon Sports Management out of Santa Monica, Calif., represents Bourquin.
Bourquin will earn a $690,000 signing bonus, and the Tigers will pay for whatever classes remain toward him earning a degree in early childhood development.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity my whole life,” Bourquin said. “Now that it’s here, I want to take advantage of it and ... start playing.”
The Tigers selected Bourquin, 21, in the second round of last week’s Major League Baseball Draft. The Ohio State third baseman was named 2006 Big Ten Most Valuable Player after leading the conference in batting average (.416), slugging percentage (.612), on-base percentage (.492), hits (91) and RBIs (66). He also is a first-team All-America selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. If Bourquin signs Thursday, he will fly to the Tigers’ spring training site in Lakeland, Fla., to take part in workouts. If he waits until Sunday, he will travel directly to Oneonta, N.Y., to prepare for the upcoming Class A New York-Penn League season. “Whenever I sign, I’ll leave that day,” Bourquin said.
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Link

Minor-league report
It's not all pretty in minors
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News



Apart from success on the big league field, nothing quite boosts a major league franchise like the steady development of quality prospects in its minor leagues.
If only reality were so charitable.
There are injuries along the way, bumps in the road.
Some prospects take an up-and-down sequence in stride and claw their way to the big leagues. Sometimes, it just doesn't work out.
Bad times have arrived for three well-regarded players who might yet turn things around. But this is not likely to be a year Brent Clevlen, Kyle Sleeth or Ronnie Bourquin will happily remember.

Cont...

Cont...
 
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.2?? He is lucky this is all that happened...

Link

Whitecaps' Bourquin to begin jail sentence

by Gary Bond | The Grand Rapids Press Friday October 31, 2008, 9:00 AM


small_BOURQUIN_RON.JPG
Ron Bourquin
COMSTOCK PARK -- West Michigan Whitecaps infielder Ronnie Bourquin was sentenced to 15 days in jail, ordered to pay fines and court costs of $1,300 and is on probation for two years after pleading guilty to a drunken-driving charge.
Bourquin, 23, entered the plea Wednesday in front of 63rd District Court Judge Steven Servaas.
Bourquin was stopped the morning of Sept. 3 for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI). He refused to take a breathalyzer test after being stopped for speeding by Rockford police, who obtained a search warrant for his blood.
The blood test showed Bourquin had a blood-alcohol level of 0.20. The legal limit in Michigan is 0.08.
Bourquin will begin serving his 15-day jail sentence in Kent County Jail on Nov. 13.
His brush with the law took place the morning of the Whitecaps' first game of the Midwest League playoffs against the South Bend Silver Hawks in South Bend, Ind.
He was released from jail that day after posting a $500 bond, but Dan Lunetta, director of minor league operations for the Detroit Tigers, suspended the former Ohio State standout for the remainder of the playoffs.
The Whitecaps lost the best-of-three series 2-1.
Bourquin's attorney, Michael F. Kelly, read a statement in court before his client's sentencing:
"Mr. Bourquin is remorseful and deeply regrets having used such poor judgment. ... He wants to apologize to the citizens who he may have endangered, the Whitecaps and their fans and the entire Tigers' organization. He also wants to thank Sgt. (Mike) Miller of the Rockford Police Department for stopping him when he did and preventing him from harming other motorists and himself.
Cont..
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Whitecaps' Bourquin named MWL player of week
by Gary Bond | The Grand Rapids Press
Monday May 18, 2009

small_borquin_mug.jpg

Ronnie Bourquin

COMSTOCK PARK -- West Michigan Whitecaps first baseman Ronnie Bourquin has been named the Midwest League player of the week.

The former Ohio State standout, who was named the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year after batting .416 in 2006, has a .556 batting average in the last five games with one home run and five RBIs. Bourquin went 4-for-5 against the Dayton Dragons on May 14.

For the season, Bourquin is batting .336 with two home runs and 20 RBIs in 31 games. The second-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2006 is the second Whitecaps player to be named the MWL player of the week this season. Outfielder Billy Nowlin was the first.
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Whitecaps' Bourquin named MWL player of week - West Michigan Whitecaps Baseball: News, Blogs, Photos, Video & Audio - MLive.com

Whitecaps' Ronnie Bourquin continues strong play
by Steve Vedder | The Grand Rapids Press
Monday May 18, 2009

Ronnie Bourquin has had little trouble in avoiding a second straight disappointing season.

The West Michigan Whitecaps infielder batted just .235 here a year ago in his third professional season. The former second-round draft choice out of Ohio State and former Big Ten Player of the Year hit only three homers in 409 at-bats while driving in 46 runs.

But Bourquin, who turned 24 on April 29, has been one of the most productive hitters in the Midwest League is his second go-round as a Whitecap. For a turnaround that's included batting.400 in his last 11 games, Bourquin is The Grand Rapids Press' Whitecaps Player of the Week.

Bourquin has gone 2-for-6 in the last two games against Great Lakes, but he's scored three runs and driven in two. His sacrifice fly that drove in a run and his run scored on Saturday helped Tigers right-hander Jeremy Bonderman win his rehab start.

On Sunday, Bourquin walked and scored on a double by Jordan Lennerton in the first inning, then drove in a key run with a two-out double in the eighth.

In the Whitecaps' recent four-game series against Dayton, in which they won three of four, Bourquin went 8-for-17 with two homers, two doubles, three runs and six RBIs.

The hot streak has lifted Bourquin into the Midwest League batting race. He took a .336 average into Sunday's game, good for seventh in the league. His 20 RBIs are the second-highest number of any hitter among the league's top 10 hitters.

More on Bourquin

If he wasn't playing baseball: Bourquin was a two-sport star in high school and could have played basketball in college. Bourquin said he'd be coaching basketball if not playing in the Tigers organization.

Favorite postgame activity: Getting something to eat and relaxing.

Favorite hobby: Playing golf. But how good is he? "Not bad if I could play more."

Most asked question about playing professional baseball: What life is like on the road. After all, the Midwest League does include stops in mysterious destinations such as Davenport, Iowa; Peoria and Geneva, Illinois; and, not to be forgotten, Burliington, Iowa. "They ask what living out of a suitcase is like," he said.
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http://www.mlive.com/whitecaps/index.ssf/2009/05/whitecaps_ronnie_bourquin_cont.html
 
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Playing for the St. Paul Saints of the Independent League

#25 Ronnie Bourquin, 3B

Active

dc54629625a879deb61b4989e4c7a434.200.jpg
Position: 3B
Date of Birth: 04/29/1985
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 215 lbs
Pro Experience: LS-3
College Experience: Ohio State University
Bats: L
Throws: R
Resides: Canton, OH
 
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