Former Irvine Valley baseball player Nolan Cusey finished his career at NAIA Johnson University Tennessee on a high note.
The team ost to Mid-America Christian University in the NAIA Opening Round last month, but still concuded a remarkable season filled with record-breaking performances, milestone achievements, and the program's first-ever appearance on the national stage.
The Royals turned in one of the most impressive seasons in program history in 2025, setting a new standard of excellence through team achievements that showcased their consistency, resilience, and dominance.
The Royals finished the regular season with 33 wins (36 overall), including an outstanding 21-9 record in Appalachian Athletic Conference play, securing a third-place finish in the standings and earning the #3 seed heading into the AAC Tournament.
Johnson's success was fueled by an incredible level of consistency, as they won 10 out of 11 conference series, including four series sweeps throughout the season.
Offensively, the Royals were a force all year long, finishing with a .315 team batting average and scoring 350 total runs. On the bases, Johnson's aggressive style paid off, stealing a program-record 147 bases over the course of the season.
Cusey, a senior infielder out of Mission Viejo High, was a big part of that.
He played in 49 games and hit .391 with two home runs, 39 RBI, 48 runs and eight stolen bases.
Cusey had 84 total bases, including 50 in conference play, a .533 on base percentage overall and .576 in conference.
He also finished with a 538 slugging percentage, which incuded a .617 mark in conference.
During his junior year in 2024 at Johnson, he played in 45 games and ended the year with a .343 batting average. He had 48 hits overall and 33 in AAC action.
Cusey batted .347 in conference.
He also finshed with two home runs, 26 runs scored, 29 RBI, eight doubles, 10 stolen bases and 62 total bases.
Cusey also ended with 26 walks and a .449 on base percentage and a .443 slugging percentage.
Cusey, a left-handed hitter and right-handed fielder was a starting second baseman for IVC during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
He batted .272 with 37 hits, five doubles, one home run and 23 RBI during the 2023 campaign. He also stole nine bases on the year.
Cusey had nine-multi hit games in 2023, including three-hit contests at LA Valley on Feb. 28 and Mar. 24 at Riverside.
