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1 Nick Ratajczak Class: Junior Hometown: Joliet, Ill. High School: Joliet Catholic Academy Last College: Gulf Coast CC Height / Weight: 5-10 / 180 Position: 2B Experience: TR B/T: L/R

Before U of L: Played two seasons at Gulf Coast Community College (Fla.) where he was a two-time First Team All-Panhandle Conference selection. In 2011, he was named Panhandle Conference Defensive Player of the Year while hitting .329 with three home runs, 43 RBI, 15 doubles, five triples, 11 stolen bases, 42 runs scored and 19 walks. In his first season, he hit .342 with 13 home runs, 10 doubles, 41 RBI and 45 runs scored as Gulf Coast finished 41-12 while winning a conference title.

High School: Played three varsity seasons for coach Jared Voss at Joliet Catholic Academy where he earned All-State, All-Conference and All-Area honors. As a senior, he was selected as the 3A Player of the Year for the state of Illinois after hitting .479 with six home runs and 36 RBI while leading Joliet to the 2009 state title. As a junior, he hit .491 with two home runs, 55 RBI and 12 stolen bases after hitting .405 with a home run as a sophomore. Also was a two-year letterwinner in football as a defensive back. Earned All-Conference and All-Area honors on the football field and was a contributor to Joliet's 2007 state title on the gridiron.

Personal: Born on Nov. 11, 1990 in Joliet, Ill. Son of Greg and Diane Ratajczak. Has one brother, Brett, who played four years of baseball at St. Xavier University in Chicago, Ill. Majoring in sport administration at U of L. Biggest thrills in sports include winning high school state football title as a junior, high school state baseball title as a senior and winning junior college conference title in first year at Gulf Coast. After college, he plans to play baseball professionally as long as he can before working in pro baseball away from the field after his playing career is over. His family has provided the greatest influence on his career by giving him all the opportunities and confidence he needed to succeed. Hobbies and outside interests include going to the beach, playing beach volleyball and fishing. Favorite movies are Shooter, For the Love of the Game and Four Brothers. Favorite TV shows include Entourage, Dexter, Seinfeld, King of Queens and Jersey Shore. Favorite athletes are Dustin Pedroia, Josh Hamilton, Chase Utley and Derek Jeter. Favorite foods include Italian, seafood and country style barbecue. Favorite teams include Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Red Sox. Enjoys listening to just about every kind of music. Something many people may not know about him is that he loves hockey.