RIPON, Wis. - Kyle Bosquez '13 was a four-time First Team All-Conference selection for the Ripon College baseball team, while also earning All-Region honors on two occasions, including once on the First Team. Bosquez ranks 10th in program history with a career batting average of .355. That helped the Red Hawks win three Midwest Conference Championships during his career, while also advancing to a trio of NCAA Tournaments.
Ripon's all-time leader in games played (155) and at bats (598), Bosquez also ranks in the top three in each of those categories in the MWC record book. In addition to that, he ranks fourth in program history for career hits (212), fourth in runs scored (157), third in doubles (49), seventh in RBI (106), and sixth in total bases (299), while also ranking in the top five in conference history in hits, runs, and doubles. Bosquez also is second in school history for defensive assists (415), while manning second base every year.
"Kyle was the best all-around player on our team during the four years he played in a Ripon uniform, and he's one of the greatest defensive second basemen the program has ever had," Ripon baseball coach
Eric Cruise said. "At the time he played, Kyle was a bit overlooked at the plate because of some of the great power hitters surrounding him in our lineup, but he's arguably one of the best pure hitters the program has seen and he put up productive numbers every single year of his career."
Consistency was the name of Bosquez's game, as he missed just three games during his collegiate career, all coming during his freshman year. He recorded at least 50 hits every season, while posting at least 35 runs scored and 10 doubles each year. Bosquez also stole 17 bases during his career.
"It was hard not to like 'Boz'. As a young man, he truly epitomizes what we believe in as a Red Hawk. Kyle worked his tail off, he was (and still is) loyal to the team and the College, and was always supportive of all his teammates," Cruise said. "He made the game more fun than we were already having. I couldn't dream of having a better young man on my team as a coach."
For Bosquez, the feeling is mutual, as he looks back fondly on his time spent at Ripon College.
"I have so many great memories from my time with the Ripon College baseball program," Bosquez said. "I learned some hard lessons and gained lifelong friends. I'm truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a Red Hawk."
Some of the greatest memories of Bosquez's career came in the final month of his senior season. He began that month by being named to the National D3baseball.com Team of the Week after hitting .520 (13-for-25) with three home runs, four doubles, nine RBI, and 13 runs scored in a five-game span. He then ended the month by playing in some of the most epic games in program history at the 2013 MWC Tournament. In that tournament, Bosquez batted .455 (10-for-22) in the four games hosted at Ripon's Francis Field.
After advancing to the MWC Championship game in that double elimination tournament with an 8-7 victory against St. Norbert on the first day, Ripon lost the first game of the second day to SNC, forcing a winner-take-all championship game that afternoon. In that final game, the Red Hawks won a grueling 13-inning contest against SNC to send Bosquez and his teammates to their third NCAA Tournament in four years.
"It felt like we played 50 innings of baseball on the final day of that tournament," Bosquez recalled. "We had missed the conference tournament the year before, so it was an incredible feeling to bounce back and win with such a great group of guys."
Bosquez currently lives in his hometown of Weyauwega, Wis. and works for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
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