BELLEVUE, Neb. — Bellevue University baseball coach Duane Monlux announced six signees in the Bruins’ 2024 recruiting class.
Among the signees were a pair of right-handed pitches and four position players (two infielders, two outfielders).
Gage Ingram RHP, University of Nebraska Omaha (Papillion, Neb.)
Ingram was a first team All-Region and All-ICCAC selection as sophomore in 2023 for Northeast Community College before moving on to the University of Nebraska Omaha. He has totaled 125 strikeouts in 118.2 collegiate innings and posted a 1.42 WHIP while opponents have hit .272 against him. He helped Northeast to a 78-39 record with a pair of Region XI Tournament appearances in his two seasons.
Coach Monlux: “Gage is coming to our Bellevue baseball family with one year of eligibility remaining. He has pitched a lot of competitive innings in his career. He enjoyed a great deal of success during his sophomore season at Northeast Community College. He pitched over 60 innings and had 64 strikeouts and only 18 free passes on route to being named first team All-Region. We are expecting Gage to come in and compete for some major innings for us this year.”
Rafael Nakandakari MIF, Lakeland Community College (Brasilia, Dominican Republic)
Nakandakari hit .451 as a freshman with an 1.140 OPS for Lakeland Community College in Ohio and this past season he notched career highs with six doubles and 22 RBI. He excels at getting on-base with a .471 career on-base percentage, having recorded 70 base hits, drawn 30 walks and six hit-by pitches in 62 career games.
Coach Monlux: “Rafael is a player we are thrilled to have signed. He is a solid middle infielder that really had a great offensive performance during his two-year stint at Lakeland CC. He batted .370 at LCC while playing both second base and shortstop. We graduated some key players in the middle of our infield and we feel that Rafael will have a chance to come in and compete at a high level for us this season. We are looking forward to seeing what Rafael can do in a Bruin uniform.”
Jaylan Ruffin OF, Northeastern Junior College (North Platte, Neb.)
Ruffin hit .353 in two seasons at Northeastern Junior College, including a .391 clip last season while also posting an .858 OPS which featured at 1.029 this past spring. He totaled 14 extra-base hits, 46 RBI, and 79 runs scored in his two seasons while stealing 23 bases in 28 attempts and drawing more walks (35) than strikeouts (31).
Coach Monlux: “We are really excited for Jaylan to be joining the Bruin family this fall. He was a very reliable, solid player for Northeastern Junior College in the two seasons he played for the Plainsmen. He was a mainstay in their lineup as a freshman and sophomore. He has accumulated a lot of college at-bats and we are really looking forward to seeing what he can do as a Bruin. He is a really good defender that has the ability to hit for a high averaged as well as steal some bases. He was coached in American Legion baseball by former Bruin Ricky Holm.”
Christian Sabagala RHP, Umpqua Community College (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Sabagala sports a career 4-0 record, 2.18 ERA, and 1.06 WHIP across nine appearances the last two years. Opponents have hit just .195 against him, including a .192 average this past season, while only recording four extra-base hits off the right-hander as the RiverHawks reached the NWAC South Super Reigonal.
Coach Monlux: “Christian is a player we are really excited to have signed. He is an upper 80s-low 90s arm that has really come into his own over the last year. He was injured in 2023 and only threw a few innings. However, he bounced back in 2024 to start seven games on the mound for Umpqua Community College and had a really good season. He struck out a guy an inning and only allowed 10 free passes in 30 innings on the mound. We expect him to come in and really compete for big innings for us this season. He played for former (Lewis-State State College) NAIA baseball coach Jeremiah Robbins while at Umpqua so we know he knows what winning baseball is.”
Elijah Tanner OF, Whitworth University (Kennewick, Wash.)
Tanner was a second team all-Northwest Conference selection last season after hitting .327 with an .844 OPS, 14 extra-base hits, 32 RBI, 37 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases. He has already racked up over 100 collegiate hits in three seasons at Whitworth where he helped the Pirates post a 28-14 record and reach the NWC Tournament last season. The wins were the program’s most since 2016 while the tournament appearance was the first for the Pirates since 2019.
Coach Monlux: “Elijah was a real solid sign for us. He is a veteran player that was an everyday starter for NCAA Division III Whitworth University the past two seasons, hitting over .320 during that span. He has tallied over 340 college at-bats and only struck out 39 times and has a .310 career average. We expect him to come in and compete for one of our outfield spots this season.”
Nolan Walther C/IF, Southwest Mississippi Community College (Carriere, Miss.)
Walther hit a career-high .307 with an .822 OPS this spring for Southwest Mississippi Community College in the deep and talented NJCAA Region XXIII. There, he racked up 10 extra-base hits, 17 RBI, and scored 29 runs. He owns a .396 on-base percentage for his career and has fielded at a .972 clip during his junior college career.
Coach Monlux: “Nolan is an extremely versatile player that could fit multiple roles for us this next season. His primary position is catcher, but he can also play multiple infield spots as well. He was a mainstay in the lineup this past season for Southwest Mississippi State, batting .307 in over 150 at-bats. We are looking for him to help provide some veteran leadership to our team as we embark on the 2025 season and aim for our sixth-straight NSAA title.”
These six signees join previously announced commitments from Kody Butt (LHP, St. John’s, Newfoundland/Williston State College) and Cannon Close (RHP, Bonney Lake, Wash./Olympic College) in BU’s 2024 class.
Bellevue finished the 2024 seasons with a 39-14 overall record, going 21-2 in NSAA play to capture both the regular season and tournament titles. The Bruins, who spent the entire season ranked inside the top 20 of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll, made their 26th appearance in the NAIA National Tournament where they competed in the Opening Round – Williamsburg Bracket.
