2009 Preview: Cory is confident and experienced and he will be seeking a third consecutive season as a starter in the Buckeye infield ... he already has made 79 career starts and has played in 88 games ... he is proficient as a third baseman and as a shortstop ... he has increased his career batting average to near .300 after a .313 year in 2008... hits equally well vs. right- and left-handers and is coming off a season in which he virtually doubled his key numbers from his frosh campaign.
2008 (Sophomore): Cory made 39 starts at third base (and nine at shortstop), moving over from shortstop where he started 31 games as a freshman ... hit .313 with 52 hits and 39 RBI ... hit .325 in 27 Big Ten Conference games (all starts) with 26 hits and 15 RBI ... team’s second-best run producer with 39 RBI with RBI in 25 games including 11 multi-RBI games ... led team by driving in an RBI 85 percent of the time with a runner on third and less than two outs ... 15 multi-hit games ... went 6-for-12 vs. Iowa with four RBI and four runs ... was 10-for-19 with eight RBI over last six games of regular season ... hit leadoff double to start ninth inning rally in win over Buffalo...went 3-for-6 with five RBI in Illinois series ... hit .448 with runners in scoring position.
2007 (Freshman): Played in 37 games as a true freshman with 31 starts, all at shortstop ... hit .257 overall with 17 runs scored and 17 RBI ... played in 14 Big Ten Conference games with 11 starts ... reached base 40 percent of the time when leading off an inning (10-25) ... hit an impressive .625 with a runner on third and less than two outs (10-16) ... recorded first collegiate hit and RBI in his fourth game, vs. Seton Hall ... had two hits and a career-high four RBI in a win over Yale ... had three hits and a pair of runs against Akron ... had two hits and two RBI in the 10-9 win over Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament ... hit .417 – third-highest on the team – in the three NCAA tournament games with team-high four runs scored ... had two hits against Louisiana Lafayette and LeMoyne, and had a two-run home run – his first as a collegian – against Texas A&M to get the Buckeyes back into the game after trailing 4-0.
Mansfield Madison H.S.: 2006 Ohio Division I Player of the Year ... Cardinal Conference player of the year as a senior ... two-time district player of the year ... three-time all-Ohio Cardinal Conference honoree ... team finished 27-3 his senior year to win the conference and finish second in the Northwest District ... batted .515 with 50 hits, 33 RBI and scored 55 runs as a senior ... finished career with a .465 batting average with 46 doubles and 14 home runs ... earned four letters ... three-year starting quarterback ... ran for 960 yards, threw for 815 yards and 11 touchdowns ... named the conference player of the year and was a first team all-district selection ... also named honorable mention all-state ... a member of the Varsity “M.”
Personal: Cory is the son of Tim and Debbie Rupert ... has one brother, Zach ... enjoys working out, playing video games, watching movies and hanging out with friends ... father, Tim, played baseball at Ashland University (1970-74) and his brother, Zach, is a running back on the football team at Johns Hopkins.
Overall AVG G/GS AB R H HR RBI BB SO
2007 .257 37/31 109 17 28 1 17 4 26
2008 .313 41/48 166 32 52 1 39 21 30
Totals .291 88/79 275 49 80 2 56 25 56
Big Ten AVG G/GS AB R H HR RBI BB SO
2007 .161 14/11 31 5 5 0 4 1 10
2008 .325 27/27 80 18 26 0 15 12 14
Totals .279 41/38 111 23 31 0 19 13 24
Postseason AVG G AB R H HR RBI BB SO
Big Ten Tour. .153 6 26 2 4 0 3 1 4
NCAA Tour. .417 3 12 4 5 1 2 1 1
Totals .236 9 38 6 9 1 5 2 5
