Bulls’ Claerhout to continue college baseball career with Bellevue University

By Lethbridge Herald on August 13, 2025.

Herald File photo by Nathan Reiter. Carter Claerhout of the Lethbridge Bulls stands in the batters’ box during WCBL action at Spitz Stadium earlier this season. Claerhout will continue his college baseball career with Bellevue University in Nebraska this fall.

Nathan Reiter

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Carter Claerhout isn’t quite ready for the sun to set on his college baseball career.

After completing his NCAA eligibility with the University of Southern Arkansas in the spring, the Lethbridge Bulls first baseman will be transferring to Bellevue University as a graduate transfer this fall.

Bellevue University is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics program located in Bellevue, Nebraska which is a suburban city on the outskirts of Omaha.

Claerhout will be pursuing his master’s degree in business management administration with a focus in finance.

In an interview with the Herald, Claerhout says he’s excited for the opportunity to keep playing the game he loves while continuing his education.

“It’s really cool to keep playing. I want to keep playing as long as I can, go until you’re told you can’t kind of thing. Getting another year at least is awesome. I feel like I’m getting better and better every time I play so going into another year where I’ve got more experience underneath my belt should be fun.”

In the world of college baseball, it’s often a game of connections that can lead to opportunities. For Claerhout, that connection came from one of Lethbridge’s biggest WCBL rivals, the Okotoks Dawgs.

Okotoks manager Mitch Schmidt has been on the coaching staff at Bellevue for more than 20 years and approached Claerhout about coming to play for the Bruins this fall.

“He’s had some problems playing against me for three years and wanted me to play for him instead of doing it against him kind of thing.” Claerhout explained. “He was excited to see if I had more eligibility with going to PBA and going to NCAA. The NCAA took all my four years whereas the NAIA didn’t. He saw I had at least one more year with the NAIA. He offered to take me in and do my master’s and I hopped on the opportunity.”

During the 2025 WCBL season, Claerhout was a fixture in the heart of the Bulls. Claerhout batted .321 with nine home runs and 43 RBI, helping Lethbridge finish in third place in the West Division.

“This summer was a lot of fun.” Claerhout says. “There were a lot of new guys, a lot of younger guys, and I kind of was asked to be a leader on the field. I thought I did that, my best year so far in WCBL, kind of leading by example. The team did well. Obviously, it was a little disappointing in the playoffs. We didn’t really put it together the way we wanted to. We showed flashes of greatness, and hopefully next year, it could be a full regular season campaign and a playoff run.”

While Claerhout is originally from Red Deer, Lethbridge has had a great impact on his college baseball career. Claerhout started his college career with the Prairie Baseball Academy before transferring to attend Southern Arkansas. 

Bulls head coach Ryan MacDonald, who is also an assistant with PBA, says Claerhout has grown tremendously as a player.

“Carter’s a great kid. Coming from playing PBA JV in a COVID year, he always had the bat speed. He was never the most athletic kid and he’s leaned down a little bit. He’s one of those guys that every time he comes to the plate, you expect something special to happen. He’s just one of those guys you never know he could go down 0-2 and he’ll lose one. It’s fun to watch and he’s grown so much.”

Claerhout says his time in Lethbridge has helped shape him off the field just as much as it has between the foul lines.

“PBA shaped me into the person I am today. Coach Hub (Todd Hubka) and Coach Mac (Ryan MacDonald) are a huge part of my life and I owe them a lot. They got me to Southern Arkansas and to Bellevue and to be the player I am today. Same thing with the Bulls. It’s been a lot of fun, met a lot of people and made some really good friendships. The Bulls and PBA have just made me a better person and a better baseball player in general.”