Sophomore: In his
sophomore year, Rust played in 48 games and started 38 of those. He started 20 games at designated hitter and
the other 18 starts were at first base.
Rust hit .326 on the season including 13 doubles, two triples, two home
runs and an on-base percentage of .431. In a game against San Jose State on May
20, Rust earned four hits which was a season high. Rust contributed on defense
for the Aggies as well as he had 252 putouts, held a fielding percentage of
.982 and turned 18 double plays.
Freshman: Rust saw action in 25 games his freshman
year, including starting three games as the designated hitter for the
Aggies. Although he only had 30 at-bats during the season, Rust had a
.367 batting average, a .441 on-base percentage and a .700 slugging percentage.
He also had two doubles, a triple, two home runs and 10 RBIs. During a game
against Hawai'i (May 19) Rust went 3 for 3 at the plate and had four
RBIs.
Rust is coming back from a broken right arm during the
off-season but is expected to make a full recovery in time for the beginning of
the 2012 season.
High School: Rust was an all-around player playing
multiple positions in the infield from 2006-09at El Capitan High, which was
part of the Grossmont North League. He was a four-year starter under
coach Steve Vickery and named a first-team all-league honoree and all
east-county utility player after his sophomore year. As a junior Rust
earned first team all East-County, first team all-league, and first team
all-San Diego after hitting .410 with 43 hits, 12 doubles and 10 stolen
bases. He hit .400 as a senior with five home runs, 12 doubles and 31 RBI
to help earn first team all-East County honors as well as first team all-league
honors. He was named the team most valuable player twice and earned the Mr. Baseball
Award. As a senior, he led his team to a CIF Championship.
FOOTBALL
2010 (Redshirt Freshman): Rust played in 11 games for
the Aggies in 2010, starting one game at quarterback and was NM State's
starting punter for the first three games of the season. On the year, Rust
threw for 33 yards on 8-of-18 passing with an interception. He did most of his
damage on the ground, rushing for 103 yards on 37 carries. As the team's
punter, Rust averaged 37.3 yards per punt, downing six of his 22 punts inside the
20. He also had the Aggies' kickoff duties in the first three games of the
season, taking 11 kicks for 699 yards, averaging 63.5 yards per kick. Against
No. 3 Boise State (Oct. 1), Rust carried the ball 10 times for 25 yards. Versus
in-state rival New Mexico (Oct. 9), he got his first start, rushing for 31
yards on 14 carries both season-highs, helping the Aggies to a 16-14 win. Over
the next five games, Rust rushed for 49 yards on 13 carries.
2009 (Freshman): Rust redshirted his freshman year at NM State.
High School: Rust was a standout quarterback for El Capitan High School.
In 2008, Rust threw for 2,700 yards and 28 touchdown passes, while rushing for
385 yards and four touchdowns. Rust was named the Grossmont North Player of the
Year, the All-Area East Player of the Year, a second team all-section member, a
first team San Diego Hall of Champions selection, a National Football
Foundation Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete and to the first team all-area
academic. As a junior, Rust passed for 3,200 yards and 32 touchdowns, while
rushing for 210 yards and five touchdowns. He earned first team all-state
honors, as well as the Grossmont North Player of the Year, the all-area East
Player of the Year and was a first team all-section. Rust was also an
all-academic selection as a junior. During his sophomore season, Rust was the
team's back-up quarterback and the team's punter. As El Capitan's punter, he
ranked third in the county in punting average and earned All-CIF punter honors.
At quarterback, he threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns at the back-up
position.
Personal: Rust is the son of Tory and Tracey Rust. He plans to major in
business management.
