Nov. 18, 2014
Baseball managers Mike Portu and Josh Ruchotzke have been named as two of the winners of CollegeBaseballInsiders.com’s Tom Walter/Pete Frates Award, given annually to inspirational people in college baseball.
Portu has overcome numerous heart surgeries since birth to become a manager for the Commodores and is in his senior year at Vanderbilt. Ruchotzke had both of his legs amputated along with parts of both hands due to an infection from streptococci bacteria as a teenager. The duo serve the Commodores in a variety of roles with Portu working as the team’s main bullpen catcher and Ruchotzke working as a statistician.
For the full list of Tom Walter/Pete Frates Award winners click here.