BATTLE CREEK — Joseph Nate, of Stevensville, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Kellogg Community College and will begin playing for the Bruins next season.

Nate, a first-baseman/left-handed pitcher and senior at Lakeshore High School, was named a first-team all-conference and first-team all-district player his junior year. Also a football player, Nate was named to the all-conference first team as a senior for that sport this past fall.

Eric Laskovy, head baseball coach at KCC, said he expects Nate to come in strong for the Bruins next season.

“Joey has a strong left-handed bat and will also help us on the mound,” Laskovy said.

KCC’s Bruins finished second in the National Junior College Athletic Association regional tournament last spring after finishing third in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association with a 17-9 conference record. The team also finished the 2013-14 season with a 3.28 team GPA — tied for the 10th highest out of more than 400 NJCAA baseball teams in the nation.