For starters: A two-year starter with All-Conference ability, who will see time at third, second, and possibly designated hitter…A 2007 co-captain…Player with a blue-collar work ethic who gives 100 percent every inning of every game…In two seasons, he has only been charged with 11 errors at second base in 233 opportunities, for a .953 percentage at the position…Enters the season with 94 hits and should become the 26th member of the 100-hit club early in the season…A career .331 hitter (94-284), he has 47 runs and 63 RBIs with 29 extra-base hits…Has totaled 20 doubles, four triples and five homeruns in 73 games (71 starts)…Successful in 13-of-14 career stolen base attempts…Has 21 walks and has fanned only 31 times overall…Needs just 10 more doubles to become NJCU’s all-time leader…Enters the year exactly halfway from the career record for RBIs (126)…Tied for seventh in school history with eight sacrifice flies...Has reached base on an error 15 times in two years.
Heaton on Borges: ““Rube” is one of our top, if not most consistent offensive weapons. With his lightning fast bat he is able to fight off the tough pitches and drive the ball well into the gaps. We look for Ruben to be either in the two or three spot in our order this year.”
2006: Selected Honorable Mention Division II/III All-State by the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association at second base, in voting by the organization’s 17 member coaches…Posted another solid campaign for NJCU as the leader of the infield…Beginning the season at second base, he played 25 games at the position, before moving to third for the final 15 games of the season, helping the Gothic Knights to sure up the left side of its infield…In 40 games (39 starts), he batted .306 (44-144) with 22 RBIs, 18 runs, six doubles, one triple and one homerun…The 144 at-bats tied for third most in single-season history…He tallied 55 total bases and eight walks, and posted a .382 slugging and .333 on-base percentage…He combined for a .931 fielding percentage at the two positions, committing only nine errors in 130 chances…By playing 40 games, he tied teammates Rob Sumner and Matt Caravano for the single-season record…His 39 starts are third most in a season…Among regular players, Borges—the team leader in sacrifice flies (4)—ranked tied for the team lead in at bats, second on NJCU in batting average, total bases, and hits, third in RBIs, tied for third in homers, and fourth in runs and doubles…Was 6-for-6 in steals and had eight walks…Struck out only 18 times in 156 plate appearances…Hit .588 with runners on third and less than two outs (10-17) and had a 50.6 percent success rate in advancing runners (40-79)…Had a .462 average with two outs (12-26), and .338 with runners on base (25-74)…Ranked second on the team with 12 multiple hit games, including four with three hits…Had six multiple RBI games…Had an eight-game hitting streak…Batted in the second slot 12 times and 10 in the third position…Overall, batted at least once in every position in the lineup except leadoff.
2005: The 2005 Association of Division III Independents Rookie of the Year…First-Team All-CUNYAC…Second-Team All-Association of Division III Independents…New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) Division II/III All-State Rookie Team…Runner-up for NJCBA Rookie Player of the Year honors…Ranked 38th un Division III in RBIs per game (1.24) and 39th in doubles per game (0.42)…Named the ECAC Division III Metro Region Player of the Week on March 21…CUNYAC Player of the Week on March 21…NJCBA Rookie Player of the Week on March 21 and May 2…Led the CUNYAC in RBIs by five over any player, doubles by two, and total bases by 11…Was third in the league in hits and at-bats, tied for third in homers, tied for fourth in triples, and eighth in slugging…Defensively, he tied for third in double plays (17) and fourth in assists (73)…Had a sensational rookie campaign batting .357 with 50 hits (50-140), 29 runs and 41 RBIs in 33 games (32 starts)…His 41 RBIs tied for second on NJCU’s single-season list…Had 14 doubles, three triples, and four homeruns…The 14 doubles are tied for fourth on the single-season charts and his 82 total bases are sixth best…Was 7-for-8 in steals…Walked 13 times and struck out just 13 times in 140 at bats…Had a solid defensive year with a .969 fielding percentage and just four errors in 130 chances…Was 5-for-10 with bases loaded…Hit an even .357 against both left and right-handed pitching…Had a .586 slugging percentage…Led the team with 16 multiple-hit games, including three of five or more…Also had a team-high 13 multi-RBI contests, including four games of at least three ribbies…Posted a nine-game hitting streak...Recovered from a summer shoulder injury to have an excellent campaign. (03/08, Swarthmore College): Drove in a career five RBIs, highlighted by a three-run double and two-run triple, while going 2-for-5 in a 14-3 win…(03/10, Bluffton University): Tied a single-game school record when he launched two homeruns in a 13-3 rout in game two of a doubleheader…Finished 2-foe-3 with four RBIs and two runs…First career homer came in third inning when he launched a three-run shot…(03/12, Baldwin-Wallace College): Was 2-for-4 with a double…(03/17, USMMA): Drove in three runs, scored twice, and was 3-for-5 in a 13-4 win…(03/19, Lincoln University): Went 5-for-6 with four RBIs and three runs in a 16-5 victory in game two of a doubleheader…Collected six total RBIs in the twinbill, with NJCU taking game one, 8-1…(03/21)…Named NJCBA Rookie Player of the Week, CUNY Player of the Week and ECAC Metro Player of the Week after batting .562 (9-for-16) with nine RBIs, nine runs, three doubles, and s triple in a 3-0 week…(03/25, Stevens): Went 2-for-5…(03/31, Mount Saint Vincent): Went 3-for-6 with two RBIs and one run in an 11-1 rout…(04/07, USMMA): Knocked in three RBIs in a 2-for-5 showing as NJCU prevailed, 15-11…(04/09, Staten Island): Scored three times and went 3-for-5 in game two as NJCU split the doubleheader, winning the nightcap, 14-6…Went a combined 4-for-9 in the doubleheader…(04/20, D’Youville): Knocked in two runs on an inside-the-park homerun to center in an 11-3 game one win…Went 2-for-6 in a 22-1 victory in the nightcap……(04/20, Lehman): Was 3-for-4 with one run, an RBI and triple as NJCU smoked the Lightning, 15-4…(05/01, John Jay): Helped NJCU gain sole possession of first place in the CUNYAC, by going 3-for-7 with four RBIs and three runs in a 13-0 and 5-3 sweep…(05/01): Ranked 16th in the nation in doubles per game…(05/05): Named NJCBA Rookie Player of the Week after the sweep of John Jay…(05/07, John Jay): Notched three RBIs in a 3-for-4 effort, as NJCU rallied to win 16-10 in the CUNYAC semifinals…(05/08, Staten Island): In a 5-4 loss in the CUNYAC championship game, was 2-for-4 with one run.
High School: A June 2004 graduate of Union High School in Union, NJ, where he played three seasons of baseball, all on the varsity level for coach Mike Hamberg…A three-time All-Union County selection, earning First-Team All-County honors as a senior in 2004, after getting the nod for Second-Team All-County as a sophomore and junior in 2002 and 2003…Totaled five homeruns and 85 RBIs in three years…Played in county and state playoff games in 2002, 2003, and 2004, and was a member of the Farmers’ 2002 NJSIAA Group IV state championship club, its first title since 1974…Union was 26-3 record and the No. 1 overall ranking in the state of New Jersey…Posted five career homeruns and 84 RBIs for Union…In 2002, batted .421 with one homer and 28 RBIs…Hit .388 with one homerun and 20 RBIs in 2003…Had a career year in 2004, batting .481 with three homers and 37 RBIs…In 2004, Union, the No. 5 seed, ousted Bayonne in the North II, Group IV quarterfinals (May 21), 10-3, and upset top-seeded Kearny, 8-4, before losing to Watching Hills in the sectional finals…A high school teammate of current NJCU players Tom Cruder, Rob Motacki and Rob Sumner.
Personal: Ruben Luis Borges, Jr…Born January 29, 1986 in Newark, NJ…Parents are Vivian and Ruben Borges…Has two sisters, Cecilia, 22, and Alyssa, 10, and a brother, Chris, 16… Bats and throws right-handed…Declared major at NJCU is Fire Science…Would like to become a history teacher and coach…His most memorable sports memory is winning the Group IV state championship in 2002…Claims he can flip a water bottle faster than anyone in the world.
Favorites:
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Hobbies/interest:
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Weightlifting, baseball, and sports
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NJCU Class:
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Fire Science
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Hero/Idol:
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Hulk Hogan
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Sports Team:
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New York Mets
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Song:
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“Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor
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Music Artist:
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Dizzy Bone, Madonna
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Movie:
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Rocky I thru V, “Scarface”
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Food:
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Pizza, cheeseburgers, rice with chicken
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Favorite TV Show:
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“Baseball Tonight” on ESPN
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Favorite Baseball Player:
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David Wright
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What do you like most about NJCU?:
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“The baseball team.”
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2007 Highlights: (03/12 vs. University of Scranton at Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic): Entered the game with 99 hits in three years, and went 2-for-5, to become the 26th member of the 100hit club... (03/27 vs. College of Mount Saint Vincent): 1-for-4 with two RBIs in the win... (03/29 at SUNY-Farmingdale): Went 2-for-3 with one RBI in game two of the sweep... (03/31 vs. William Paterson University): Extended his hitting streak to 10 games by going 2-for-5 with two runs ...(03/30 at Rutgers-Newark): 2-for-4 with two RBIs, hitting safely in his eighth straight game... (04/03 at John Jay College): Extended his hitting streak to 11 games by going 1-for-4 with one RBI...(04/05 at Ramapo College): Ended his 11 game batting streak... (04/06 vs. Montclair State University): Shaved the margin to 6-3 with no outs, before scoring on a ground out... (04/09 vs. United States Merchant Marines Academy): Added a 2-for-5, one-run outing...(04/11 at Lehman College): Added a 2-for-5, one-RBI outing...(04/20 at Kean University): 2-for-4. No other player had multiple hits... (4/30 vs. Kean University): After Kean opened a 1-0 lead in the first on a throwing error, the Knights pulled in front 2-1 in the bottom of the inning he tallied his 90th career RBI, before a Kean error forced in a run..
