Team: Bellevue Community College
Conference: NWAC
College Level: JUCO
2021 Overall Record: 22-10
Location: Bellevue, WA
Head Coach: Mark Yoshino & David Olson
Assistant Coaches: Cody Anderson
Key Returning Position Players
Troy Baunsgard: So/MIF – .326BA, .413OBP, .605SLG, 3HR, 112B, Explosive middle infielder with speed and power for top or middle of lineup. Team captain this year, and we are expecting big things. Will be an impact player at the next level as well.
Josiah Santiago: So/Utl – .375BA, .439OBP, .479SLG. Primary center field, but can play anywhere on the field. Top of the order type of bat with speed and feel for running the bases. True switch hitter, with good numbers from both sides of the plate.
Tyler Miller: So/C – Left handed hitting catcher with pop in the bat and a strong arm. Also team captain this year, and we expect Tyler to be a big bat in the middle of the order.
Key Returning Pitchers
Jacob Dahlstrom: So/RHP – 6-0 record last year. 40ip, 37k, 15bb, opponent ba .194. Jacob is a strong pitcher with a lot of upside. We are looking forward to how he can help Bellevue this year, as well as a strong program in the future.
Dylan O’Connor: So/RHP – Had quality innings last year as a freshman and showed a lot of improvement this fall. Should be an impact arm for us this spring.
Impact Freshman/Transfers
Eunsang Yu: So/3B – Transfer this season from Bucknell. After showing improvement with his glove at 3B, Yu has a middle of the order type of bat. He is expected to add some power to the offense this season.
Rylen Bayne: Fr/RHP&UTL –Coming off a stellar senior year of high school baseball, he had a quality fall season. Bayne should be an impact for us this season both on the mound and with his bat.
Cam Hoiland: Fr/LHP&OF – Hoiland is a toolsey player showing arm strength, speed, and power. He should be a factor both on the mound and in the outfield.
Jack Rhea: Fr/C – Rhea was a high school standout at Eastside Catholic. We are looking for him to continue his stellar defense behind the plate and add productivity with the bat.
Kenji Suzuki: Fr/MIF – Suzuki is a transfer from University of Hawaii. Kenji was a standout in high school for Eastside Catholic and we are excited to add his bat into the lineup for us this season.
What things did you see from the team in the fall?
We are a young group this year, with a quality core of sophomore returners and a few quality transfer pickups. Offensively, we showed a lot of core speed with this group and are looking to showcase that part of our game this upcoming spring. On the mound, we host a quality group of arms that have continued to improve throughout the Fall and Winter.
What was the focus during the fall for the team?
Our focus during the fall is player development. At Bellevue, we pride ourselves in putting together a quality group of players and helping them to improve on their game. We try to accomplish this with specific game skill development and lots of focus in the weight room. As our players build their skills, we then challenge them in game situations to prepare for competition in the spring.
What are the expectations and goals for the team entering the season?
Expectations are twofold for our program. First of all, we want to compete and win an NWAC Championship. While winning a championship is a goal of ours, we understand that our players come to this program to develop and achieve the highest level in this game possible. This makes our primary focus to help our players get those opportunities to play at the next level. That twofold measure of success for us is to win games and help our players accomplish their goals of playing baseball at the next level.