William and Mary hurler Craig Ruyak wasn't expecting to be drafted, he told The Virginia Gazette in June 1990.
So, when the Cardinals selected him late, he was excited, The Gazette wrote.
"I thought I might get a chance to prove myself, but I was never expecting a call," Ruyak told The Gazette. "I didn't care who might've picked me, I just wanted a shot."
Ruyak got his shot, but it didn't last long. He played a single season as a pro.
Ruyak's career began that year in 1990, taken by the Cardinals in the 44th round out of the College of William and Mary.
At William & Mary, Ruyak picked up a May 1988 win, combining with a reliever on a five-hitter.
With the Cardinals, he played at rookie Johnson City. He picked up a loss in relief in a June game, on two unearned runs.
Overall, he saw 24 outings, one start. He went 1-4, with a 5.49 ERA to mark the extent of his pro career.
Ruyak then made the transition to local softball, playing in Virginia, then in his native New Jersey, "where he became a fixture," The Trentonian wrote in 2017, on the occasion of Ruyak making the local Trenton Softball Hall of Fame.
Made the Majors:1,417-32.1
Never Made Majors:2,996-67.9%-X
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