HIGH SCHOOL
Four-year letterwinner for coach Craig da Luz at St. Augustine ... helped squad win Eastern League titles as a junior with a 22-10 record and again while serving as team captain as a senior at 27-8 ... earned second-team All-Eastern League honors as a sophomore, first team as a junior ... also team MVP, All-Academic San Diego County First Team, All-Division III San Diego County First Team and all-state first team (for medium schools) that season ... also lettered in football as a senior ... St. Augustine Distinguished Student Award ... treasurer of the associated student body.

PERSONAL
Full name is Nicklaus Karl Ruppert ... son of Ken and Linda has one brother and one sister ... born Sept. 14, 1993 in La Mesa, Calif. ... father played rugby at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo ... grandfather Harry Steinriede reached AAA in the Detroit Tigers organization, then worked in the Cincinnati Red organization for 25 years ... enjoys golf and sailing ... thinking of majoring in economics.