Vruggink is entering his second year on the Patriots staff. Prior to his time here, he spent three years as an assistant coach at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Missouri. Vruggink manages the pitching staff on a daily basis. He graduated from Arkansas Tech with a bachelor's degree in business administration, and he completed his Master of Education degree from Central Methodist University while coaching at Mineral Area.
In his first season with the Patriots, the pitching staff led all divisions in strikeouts with 206. The Patriots also held a 3.03 ERA during the shortended season which was best in the Lone Star Conference and 13th nationally. The Patriots also led the LSC in K/9, opponnent batting average, and walks and hits per inning pitched. Their four shutouts ranked second nationally. Austin Schneider broke the school record for strikeouts against Cameron University with 17 and Reagan MacDonald also threw a no-hitter against Eastern New Mexico.
In Vruggink's three years at Mineral Area College, the Cardinals posted a pair of third-place finishes in the challenging Region 16. In his three years, the team went 95-60, and in 2019 the Cardinals registered their best ERA in seven years. The program helped 20 pitchers advance to four-year schools during his three years on the coaching staff.
In 2019, Vruggink also served as the head coach of the Florence RedWolves of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league on the east coast. He served as a pitching coach in the league for the previous three years with stints in Martinsville and Macon. Several players he worked with in the CPL have been drafted and started professional baseball careers.
Vruggink started his collegiate career at the University of Houston before transferring to Arkansas Tech to finish his career.
