University of Mary Athletics

A first team All-American, Esperanza “Hope” Ruiz was a spectacular player for the University of Mary in the short two years she played softball for the Marauders, earning top conference and regional honors in consecutive seasons as a shortstop.
 
After earning her associate of arts degree at Eastern Arizona College, the highly recruited Ruiz transferred to Mary and immediately stepped in to play a major role on two straight conference title teams for the Marauders. In the 1996 season, her first at Mary, she hit over .480 with an on-base percentage above .600 and a handful of home runs. Her efforts helped lead the Marauders to a perfect 21-0 record in North Dakota College Athletic Conference league and tournament play and a 26-7 record overall. Her performance didn’t go without notice as Ruiz was selected to the All-NDCAC and all-region teams and was named the NDCAC Most Valuable Player. Her junior year was capped by earning first team All-American recognition, an extremely rare honor.
 
One of just four upperclassmen on the 1997 squad, the native of Glendale, AZ, had another exceptional season as the Marauders finished 23-14 with another conference championship. Ruiz wrapped up her Marauders career by again receiving All-NDCAC and All-Great Plains region team recognition and NDCAC MVP honors for a second straight year.
 
The daughter of John and Myrna Ruiz, Esperanza lives in her hometown of Glendale, where she is a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service and has a daughter named Gabriela.