By: Travis Connelley
Southwest Sports Information

SMCC Baseball’s Nolan Walther signs with Bellevue (NE), becomes 11 th Bear headed to a four-year school
After flashing his offensive and defensive skills on the diamond for the past two seasons, Southwest's
Nolan Walther now gets the chance to continue his academics and athletics at a four-year school after
recently signing with Bellevue University in Nebraska.
“I’m definitely excited to get to go to a new place and play,” Walther said. “If you were to ask me a year
ago if I thought that I would go to Nebraska, I would have said that there is no shot. But after talking
with coach, I thought that it was the best place for me to go and I feel like I fit in well there.”
Walther chose to sign with the Bruins over an offer from Purdue University Northwest in Indiana. He
adds that Bellevue has a great business school and it’ll allow him to continue to pursue his degree in
Business Management.
Last year, Walther finished the season hitting .307 (2 nd on team) with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 17
RBIs and 29 runs. He also finished tied for third in on-base percentage with .430. One factor that helped
Walther improve his batting average was his ability to lay down successful bunts. He adds that it was
something he worked to improve and it showed in the stat book as he believes it easily added over 100
points to his average.
Another factor that helped Walther on the diamond was his versatility. In addition to playing his primary
role at catcher, Walther also showed the ability to thrive at every other position on the infield.
“If definitely helped me a lot,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, coach originally thought that my
best chance of going to play at the next level will be just at catcher. With me being able to go off and
play summer ball, it really helped me build my skills in the infield and proving to coach that I can actually
go play the infield for him this past year.”
Looking back on his time at Southwest, Walther is grateful for what he learned and the relationships
that he built, not only with his teammates but also with the coaching staff, who he gives credit for
helping to motivate him.
“Coach (Jack) Edmonson did a really good job of keeping us straight on and off the field, making us got

to study hall and making that a priority first,” he said. “And just having him talk to us and help us grow
off of the field. I feel like my growth off the field helped me on the field.”
Walther also gave praise to Southwest assistant baseball coach Tyler Graham for working with him and
helping him sharpen his skills as a catcher.
Coach Edmonson is thrilled that Walther got the opportunity to move on to a four-year school and
continue playing.
“He did a good job of being patient and making sure that he found the right fit for him and his family,”
he said. “I’m really excited to see him continue his career.”
Walther’s signing moves the total number of Bears who signed with four-year programs up to 11,
something that Coach Edmonson is really proud of.
“I’m so excited about this year’s group of players who are moving on to play at four-year schools,”
Edmonson said. “This group of players was the first that was signed when I took over as the head coach
at Southwest. These are the guys that trusted us to help them develop as people and baseball players
and I’m so proud of what they’ve accomplished. Eleven players moving on is a huge accomplishment for
our program and it helps lay the foundation of what will come in the years ahead. I am also very proud
of the work my staff put into recruiting and developing these guys. They spend so much time running
the roads and grinding with our players daily. I appreciate all of them for being willing to do that!”

 

Photo Credit: Chuck Barnes