BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bellevue University baseball coach Duane Monlux announced today the signing of Easton Brinton (Murray, Utah/Mesa CC) to a Letter of Intent to continue his academic and athletic careers at BU beginning in the fall.
Brinton, a 6-1 right-handed pitcher, comes to BU following a two-year stint at JuCo powerhouse Mesa Community College in Arizona. He pitched primarily in relief for MCC's 2019 National Runner-Up team prior to splitting the 2020 season in the rotation (5 starts) and the bullpen (4 relief appearances).
In 20 appearances, that included nine starts for the Thunderbirds, Brinton went 3-4 on the hill and posted a 4.42 ERA over 57.0 innings of work. He struck out 42 batters and issued just 13 walks (3.23 K/BB) while limiting opposing hitters to a just a .242 average.
Brinton logged four appearances against NAIA programs this season pitching to a 0.91 ERA and striking out 12 batters in 11 innings of work.
Coach Monlux on Brinton:
"We are thrilled to have Easton joining the Bellevue University baseball family. He is a tremendous young man and a very good student. He's a very solid right-handed pitcher that has really good command. He was a member of the Mesa Community College baseball team that was National Runner-Up at the 2019 NJCAA World Series. Easton has ties to Bellevue University as well. His high school coach, Marce Wilson, was the ace pitcher on BU's 1995 National Championship team. We expect Easton to come in and be a big part of our program for the next three years."
Brinton joins earlier signees Dalton Stamper (Lewiston, Idaho/Wenatchee Valley), Nate Smith (Eagle, Idaho/Blue Mountain CC), Matt Johnson (Meridian, Idaho/Blue Mountain CC), Cole Nordin (Omaha, Neb./Millard North HS), Alexandro Celiceo (Chula Vista, Calif./Southwestern), Cade Sakamoto (Bakersfield, Calif./College of the Sequoias), Nic Metcalf (Sedro-Woolley, Wash./Morningside), Brenton Davis (Raymond, Neb./Maryland), and Rigo Duarte (San Diego, Calif./Southwestern) in the Bruins' 2020 signing class.
Bellevue posted a 9-11 record in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. The Bruins reached for the Avista NAIA World Series twice in the previous four seasons and have qualified nine-straight NAIA National Tournaments. In the program's storied history, Bellevue has qualified for 22 National Tournaments, made 14 World Series Appearances, and won the 1995 NAIA National Championship.
Mesa CC Stats:
| Season | GP | GS | W-L | ERA | SV | IP | SO | BB |
| 2019 (Freshman) | 11 | 4 | 0-2 | 5.81 | 0 | 26.1 | 21 | 6 |
| 2020 (Sophomore) | 9 | 5 | 3-2 | 3.23 | 0 | 30.2 | 22 | 7 |
| Totals | 20 | 9 | 3-4 | 4.42 | 0 | 57.0 | 43 | 13 |
