Lakeland College

Lakeland College Baseball Coaches

Michael Bachar
Head Coach

E-mail: bacharma@lakeland.edu
Phone: 920-565-1411
Twitter: @Muskie_Baseball

Mike Bachar enters his second season as Lakeland's head baseball coach.

Bachar was promoted to head coach after serving as an assistant coach at Lakeland for five years following a standout two-year career at shortstop with the Muskies. He helped the Muskies reach the NCAA regionals in 2003 and 2004, earning first team all-Lake Michigan Conference honors in 2004. During his senior year, he led the conference in walks (16), was fifth in runs scored (17) and was No. 4 in defensive assists (44) while being a vacuum up the middle. He also holds the Lakeland record for walks in a season (29).

During his time at Lakeland, 2003-04, the Muskies set top-five marks as a team in runs, hits, runs batted in, home runs, batting average, stolen bases, doubles and walks. The Muskies also won 50 games and reached the NCAA Regionals in back-to-back seasons, the last time the Muskies made an NCAA appearance.

In his first season as head coach, Bachar led the Muskies to a 17-21 overall record. The Muskies posted one of their best appearances at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., with a 6-3 mark. Senior Mike Ruzek received first team All-Northern Athletics Conference recognition and was named second team All-Midwest by d3baseball.com.

A native of Berwyn, Ill., he graduated from Lakeland in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science, and he received his master of arts in counseling from Lakeland in May 2010.

Bachar and his wife, Kristi (Thill), a 2006 LC graduate, were married in 2008 and reside in Plymouth, Wis., with their daughter, Kaelyn and son Landon.

 

Mitch Heinemeyer
Assistant Coach

E-mail: heinemeyerm@lakeland.edu
Phone: 920-565-1449

Mitch Heinemeyer enters his sixth year as a college coach and his second as the top assistant for Lakeland. He will primarily work as the hitting coach.

Heinemeyer started his coaching career at Lakeland in 2008 as a student assistant before heading to Purdue University North Central (Ind.). Heinemeyer was PNC’s hitting coach in 2009. The Panthers broke several offensive school records under Heinemeyer’s tutelage. Heinemeyer returned to Lakeland in 2010 to become the graduate assistant for the Muskies, where his offense continued to set records.  The Muskies finished in the top five in six different team categories over his two years, while placing eight players in the top five for individual records.

During his playing days at Lakeland, Heinemeyer set several career and single-season records. His 20 doubles are good enough for first all-time, and his seven home runs are tied for fifth in a single season. He finished third in program history with a .328 career batting average and is tied for third in career doubles with 33. His 15 career home runs are one short of the school record.

Heinemeyer graduated from Lakeland in 2007, and he earned a master of arts in counseling from Lakeland in 2010.

Heinemeyer and his wife Connie (Thousand), a 2007 LC graduate, reside in Sheboygan.

Steve Boucher
Assistant Coach

Email: bouchersg@lakeland.edu
Phone: 920-565-1450

Steve Boucher enters his second season as a graduate assistant for the Lakeland baseball team. He will be working primarily with catchers and pitchers.

A native of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, Steve attended Wayland Academy (Beaver Dam, WI). Boucher was a 1st team All-Midwest Classic Conference catcher in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, Wayland won its first conference title in baseball since 1912, with a second consecutive conference title the following year. Boucher was awarded team captain and MVP in 2005 and 2007.

Steve received a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Ripon College, where he played four years with the Red Hawks.Boucher was a member of 2010 and 2011 MWC Championship teams, as well as a NCAA playoff participant. It was at Ripon College where Boucher realized his love for the game of baseball, and desire to coach in the future.

Steve is currently working towards his Masters of Arts in Counseling.

Mike Ruzek
Assistant Coach

Email: ruzekm@lakeland.edu

Lakeland College has hired Mike Ruzek to be the pitching and hitting coach for the Muskies.

Ruzek was a standout student-athlete at Lakeland, earning first team All-Northern Athletics Conference as a utility player and Second Team All-Midwest Region honors by d3baseball.com in his senior year in 2012. As a senior Ruzek led the Muskies in batting average (.386), hits (56), doubles (17), runs scored (31), RBIs (29) and innings pitched (64.2). He also was second among the team’s pitchers with 45 strikeouts. He finished among the top 10 all-time in a single season at Lakeland in a number of categories, as he finishing second in doubles, sixth in hits, batting average and earned run average (2.51), and eighth in on-base percentage (.462).

Ruzek also finished with some remarkable career totals. At the plate he is first all-time in Muskie history in on-base percentage (.460), second in batting average (.382) and fourth in slugging percentage (.503). On the mound, Ruzek finished second in strikeouts (178), third in innings pitched (221.1) and fourth in games pitched (39) and games started (29).

Ruzek is a native of Manitowoc, Wis., and a 2012 graduate of Lakeland with a degree in exercise science and sport studies. He is currently working towards his master’s degree in business administration.