BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bellevue University baseball coach Duane Monlux announced today the signing of Nick Johnstone (Brisbane, Australia/South Suburban College) to a letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic careers at BU beginning in the fall.
Johnstone, a 6-0, 185-pound backstop from Brisbane, Australia, joins the Bruin program via South Suburban College in South Holland, Ill. A durable catcher, Johnstone appeared in 116 games, starting all but one, over the last two seasons registering 797 putouts and nailing 30 would-be base stealers, cutting down 33% of attempts this past season.
A two-time first team all-region selection, Johnstone also earned NJCAA Division I Honorable Mention All-American Accolades in 2023.
Offensively, he hit .365 with a 1.043 OPS during his JuCo career, totaling 43 extra-base hits, 114 RBI, and scoring 128 runs. This past year he batted a career-high .380 with an 1.131 OPS, 15 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 61 RBI, and 65 runs scored.
Coach Monlux on Johnstone:
"Nick is a very good sign for us. He is a very good catcher that is really solid both offensively and defensively. He was one of only four catchers in all of NJCAA Division I that was named an All-American. Nick has shown the ability to be extremely durable behind the dish. We like that he controls the running game and is also able to be very productive offensive."
Johnstone joins the previously announced Brady Toth (RHP, Boise, Idaho/Columbia Basin College), Jace Wessels (RHP, Clarkston, Wash./Columbia Basin College), Danny Spongberg (OF, Omaha, Neb./Southeast CC), and Steven Elsner (1B/OF, San Francisco, Calif./College of Marin) in the Bruins' 2023 recruiting class.
Bellevue is coming off a 2023 season in which the program reached the Avista NAIA World Series for the 16th time in program history. During the campaign, the Bruins posted a 48-10 overall mark, going 25-3 in conference play while sweeping both the NSAA Regular-Season and Tournament titles. BU parlayed the league's lone automatic bid into the program's 25th NAIA National Tournament Appearance, hosting their fifth Opening Round at Don Roddy Field and defeating Oklahoma City in the Championship Game to reach the Avista NAIA World Series for the third time in four seasons.
