OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Johnson County Community College baseball team has finished in the top two in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference standing in eight of the last 12 years, so should be no surprise that the Cavaliers have been tabbed to finish runner-up to Cowley College for this season's run at the title. Johnson County was 38-23 and tied for third place last season.
Neosho County Community College was picked third, followed by Fort Scott Community College, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Allen Community College, Coffeyville Community College, Highland Community College and Labette Community College.
Hall of Fame coach Kent Shelley returns 13 players from last year's squad, including All-American first baseman Malik Williams. Williams began his career at Odessa College in the fall of 2017, but joined JCCC to open the spring season. He hit .397 (89-for-224), second-best on the team, along with 15 doubles, two triples, a team-high 17 home runs, 62 runs scored and a team-high 78 runs driven in. He also set a new team record with 31 multiple-hit games. He was selected NJCAA third-team All-American, first-team All-Region VI and All-KJCCC.
Infielder Mason Hartman was an all-conference honorable mention selection last season after batting .368 (71-for-193) with eight doubles, three triples, a home run, 52 runs scored and 47 drive in. He had 24 multi-hit and 13 multi-RBI games. He also drew 30 walks and had a team-high 13 sacrifices.
Another key returner is right-handed pitcher Zachary Ebert. An all-conference second-team selection last year, Ebert finished with a record of 7-5 with 105 strikeouts in 81.0 innings on the hill. He ranked fourth in the conference and 18th in the NJCAA in strikeouts. He had two 15-strikeout performances that rank as the second-best ever in team history.
Two other key returnees are outfielder Jacob Owens and infielder Chris Esposito. Owens was in the starting lineup in 59 of 60 games and batted .335 (71-for-212) with 10 doubles, seven triples, four home runs, 59 runs scored and 49 driven in. He also drew 31 walks and stole 14 bases, both second-best on the team. He collected 20 multi-hit and 13 multi-RBI games.
Esposito started his college career at Washburn, but joined the Cavaliers last spring. He batted 382 (34-for-89) with six doubles, two home runs, 29 runs and 17 RBI. His .382 average was third-best on the squad. He also collected 10 multi-hit and four multi-RBI games.
Johnson County opens its 2019 season in Dallas, Texas, Thursday Feb. 7 against Brookhaven. They will play four games over three days. They return home to host Ellsworth in a four-game series beginning on Friday, Feb. 15.