By HARVEY SIMPSON

Dispatch Sports Editor

PINEHURST — Billy Ruis hopes to do for Fullington Academy’s softball squad what he has previously done for other teams as both a player and coach —help win not only a lot of games but also several championships.

The newly-named Lady Trojans mentor was a member of Cordele’s first Senior Little League all-star team that in 1966 won a district crown and reached the state semifinals. A year later, he was on virtually that same crew that won both district and state.

Later came three years of prep play at Crisp County High which also fared well during the time he played as did regular season and travel slow-pitch softball teams on which he participated.

He began working with girls softball programs in 2003 when he helped Mike Morris lead a 17-and-under fast-pitch squad to district and state championships.

Ruis’ interest in that sport really blossomed when his younger daughter, Brandi, became a mound standout first at Crisp County High where she made all-region. She later transferred to Tiftarea where she was a two-year all-region and all-state selection. She also played two years at Georgia Southwestern before giving up the sport.

More state crowns came the way of teams Billy Ruis was associated with when he, too, went to Tiftarea Academy in Chula as an assistant. During his four-year stint there, the Lady Panthers won region every year, took state honors in 2002 and 2003, finished third in ’04 and wound up second in ’05.

When Darby Veazey elected to step down as Tiftarea’s head coach after the latter season, Ruis took over the reigns and continued the tradition of success the school has had in that sport.

Despite welcoming just two players back from the previous season, he led the Lady Panthers to a fifth straight region title. He repeated the act in 2007 when his team went 15-11 for a two-year won-loss record of 26-23.

And just for good measure, he coached Tiftarea’s jayvee baseball teams to report cards of 10-6 in 2007 and 11-1-1 in 2008.

“I resigned from Tiftarea not because of any pressure or dissatisfaction at the school, but rather because of all the traveling I was having to do to fulfill my duties,” said Ruis who continues to reside in Cordele.

“I wanted to find a place closer to home so when Fullington called and asked me to come for an interview I was glad to do so,” Ruis said in reflecting upon the new route he’s taking in his athletic journeys.

“Then when I found out I had gotten the job I was ecstatic as I know the school has a lot of good coaches in other sports. I’ve known some of them for a long time, especiallly (head basketball coach Mike Cason).