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JCCC Softball and Baseball teams open season ranked nationally

Zachary Ebert selected the KJCCC Pitcher of the Week for week 6
Zachary Ebert selected the KJCCC Pitcher of the Week for week 6
Posted: Jan 24, 2019

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.- The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) released its Division II softball and Division I baseball polls on Wednesday afternoon, and Johnson County Community College softball and baseball teams have spot in the top-20. 

Softball D-II Poll
Baseball D-I Poll 

Head coach Aubree Brattin-Volkens' Lady Cavalers softball team are rated 11th, while hall of fame head coach Kent Shelley's Cavaliers baseball team is preseason No. 16. 

ON Tuesday, JCCC's softball program was picked to win the Kansas Jayhawk Division II Conference. Brattin-Volkens 2018 team finished 31-16, tied for second in the conference, won the District D title and finished in a tie for seventh at the NJCAA National Tournament. 

Brattin-Volkens will be entering her eighth season as JCCC's head softball coach. She has a record of 252-84. Her teams has qualified for nationals three times, placing third, fifth and seventh. She returns eight players from last season, including four all-district and one all-conference selection. 

JCCC's baseball team was not the pick to win the conference in 2019, but they were close, earning the second spot. Johnson County has finished in the top-two in the standings in eight of the last 12 years. They were 38-23 last year and tied for third place. 

Shelley will be entering his 32nd season at the team's skipper. Last year he surpassed the 1,000 win mark for his career, which now stands at 1009-588-1. He is one of 10 active coaches in the NJCAAA who have won 1,000 or more games. In 2008, Shelley led his team to the program's first NJCAA World Series, and four years later they returned for a second time. 

In 2019, the Cavaliers returns 13 players from last seasons' squad, including All-American first baseman Malik Williams. He was not only one of the top producers on the team, but also in the conference and NJCAA. Another key returner is right-handed pitcher Zachary Ebert. An all-conference pick last year, Ebert finished 7-5 with 105 strikeouts in 81 innings. He ranked fourth in the conference and 18th in the NJCAA in strikeouts.