Several thousands come each year. Johnson County parents come to watch their sons compete. JCCC alumni come to see the next generation of Cavaliers. Johnson County students, faculty and staff members come for the sheer fun of it. When the Johnson County baseball team takes the field this spring, the JCCC Baseball Complex will have a new and improved look.
The Johnson County Community College board of trustees approved renovations and improvements to the Cavaliers baseball facility at their July 19, 2012, meeting, and construction began in the fall. Improvements included in the project are a new playing surface, underground drainage, new dugouts, new backstop and fencing, and installation of lighting to allow play at night.
A state-of-the-art AstroTurf Grass 3D60 infill system has been installed on the entire playing surface, joining Kansas, Kansas State and Wichita State as the only college baseball programs in the state with a full turf field. The new field replaced the natural grass field that was installed when the JCCC baseball program started in 1973. The new AstroTurf field is the same that was installed last summer at Kansas State University’s Tointon Family Stadium.
A natural grass-colored surface was installed in the infield, outfield and foul territory areas, while a traditional clay-infield color will cover the warning track, base paths, infield dirt area, home plate circle and pitching mound. Additionally, permanent white lines will be installed for the foul lines and batter’s boxes.
This renovation gives JCCC baseball one of the top playing surfaces in the Kansas Jayhawk Conference and provides the team opportunities to practice and compete in all type weather conditions, as well as host top-notch amateur baseball championships during the year.
There is a second phase planned for the project as well, which includes a 1,000-seat stadium with chairback seats behind home plate, an enclosed press box, a clubhouse and coaches’ offices behind the first base dugouts, restroom facilities and a concession stand.
Over the years, JCCC’s baseball facility has become accustomed to record-setting performances and postseason play. Johnson County has hosted on several occasions the Eastern Sub-Regional Tournament, the Region VI championship and the Central District championship. JCCC’s field has even graced the cover of Sports Illustrated -– the July 6, 1992, issue featuring former Major League umpire Steve Palermo. In August 2007, JCCC faced the Croatian Olympic Team in an exhibition game.
That is not the only tie Johnson County has to professional baseball. Seventy former Cavaliers have signed as free agents or been drafted by Major League organizations. In 2002, former JCCC All-American Kit Pellow became the first former Cavalier to make it to the Major League level, when he was called up by the Kansas City Royals. Two years later, he was the starting left fielder on opening day for the Colorado Rockies.
Johnson County sport has a great tradition and success than baseball. Since the program’s inception in 1973, Johnson County baseball squads have posted a .683 winning percentage and experienced 49 winning seasons in 52 years. The program has produced 1,857 wins, 13 conference championships, eight sub-regional championships, 10 Region VI titles, five NJCAA JUCO World Series, five top 10 National finish, and 19 NJCAA All-Americans, six JUCO Baseball Blog All-Americans, one JUCO Baseball Blog Player of the Year, seven USA Junior College All-Stars, two NJCAA Rawlings Gold Glove winners and two Rawlings Big Stick Award winners.
The 1974 squad, led by JCCC hall-of-fame coach Sonny Maynard, featured first-team All-American pitcher Bob Downs and honorable mention All-American second baseman Mark Balderston. Those players propelled Johnson County to its first championship season and a No. 13 national ranking. Maynard’s 1985 team set the standard for wins, posting 48 triumphs against just 14 losses.
The 1990 team, the fourth under head coach Kent Shelley, witnessed the first player in the program’s history to top .500 in hitting. Scott Hennessey hit .508 while leading Johnson County to sub-region and region titles.
In 1994, Kit Pellow garnered second-team All-America honors while pounding 20 round-trippers, the country’s second highest total and new school record. Shelley’s 1996 squad, possibly his most talented, belted a school record 50 home runs and finished the regular season ranked 11th in the country. That season, the Cavaliers recorded one of the best starts in the program’s history, racing to an 18-4 mark on their way to a 36-14 record.
The 2002 squad, led by Joe Gullion, established a new club record for home runs, belting 54 home runs. Highlighting the season was Gullion breaking Pellow’s career mark for home runs. He ended his career with 38. Gullion tied Pellow’s season mark of 20 homers in the 2001 season. JCCC also set stadium records for runs scored (35) and margin of victory (32) against Haskell.
The 2008 squad might go down as the greatest of all time. The Cavaliers finished 41-18, won a region title and qualified for the NJCAA JUCO World Series for the first time in school history. JCCC also produced two All-Americans in shortstop Doug Otto and pitcher Brandon Droge, and Otto became the first player in team history to earn a national Rawlings Gold Glove award.
In 2010, JCCC won 44 games, the most by a Shelley-led team, and captured the East Jayhawk Conference title, the first for the program since 1984. The team also finished No. 12 in the final regular season poll. That season also saw All-American Davis Morgan cap an amazing career. He hit .442 (92-for-208) with 17 doubles, four triples, 22 home runs and 92 RBI. His season totals for at-bats, hits, home runs and RBI set new team records. He also set the single season doubles record as a freshman. For his career, Morgan set new standards in doubles with 41 and RBI with 150. He also ranked second in career homers with 29 and hits with 157.
In 2018, Malik Williams became the 14th player to be selected All-American. He it .397 (89-for-224) with 15 doubles, two triples, a team-high 17 home runs, 62 runs and 78 driven in. His 89 hits are the third most and ranked 14th nationally, and his 78 RBI tie the third most. Williams also set a team record with 31 multiple-hit games and is third all-time with 21 multi-RBI games.
The following season, Anthony Amicangello became just the fourth player in team history to be selected first-team All-American by the NJCAA. Also voted the conference MVP, Amicangello batted .492 (91-for-185) with 23 doubles, five triples, six home runs, 62 runs scored and 68 RBI. He led the conference in batting average and ranked second in the NJCAA. He also collected 29 multi-hit games and 21 multi-RBI games.
Kent Shelley retired following the 2020 season after 33 years as skipper of the Cavaliers baseball program. He amassed an impressive 1075-603-1 mark, led four teams to Eastern Sub-Regional championships, four squads won NJCAA Region VI titles, three East Jayhawk Conference titles and two NJCAA World Series appearances. That season, the Cavaliers got off to a tremendously hot start, winning 20 of 23 games play, including 18 straight, but the season was stopped in March due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. JCCC did have three players receive postseason honors from JUCO Baseball Blog. Sophomore slugger Brady Slavens was named the National Player of the Year by JBB. He was on pace for a historic season, batting .507 while leading the NJCAA with 14 home runs and 47 RBI when the season was cut short. Freshman outfielder Quinton Hall joined Slavens on the JBB All-America first-team and freshman pitcher Jay Long earned honorable mention.
In 2021, long-time Shelley assistant coach Eric Horner was hired to take over the program. In his first season, the Cavaliers raced out of the game winning its first 25 gamed and were ranked as high as No. 5 in early April. His team would go on to finish the season 43-10 and ranked 16th. His 43 wins are the most by a JCCC coach in their first season. Now through three seasons at the helm, Horner has compiled a 145-37 record. His 145 wins are the most by any coach in Kansas Jayhawk Conference history through their first three seasons.
In 2023, Horner and his Cavaliers posted a record-breaking season. The Cavaliers reached the NJCAA D-I World Series for the third time in program history and the first since 2014. JCCC went 56-10, including a 30-3 mark in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference East Division to capture the program’s 11th title. Their 56 wins set a new team mark and tie the second most in Kansas Jayhawk Conference history. Fourteen Cavaliers were named All-KJCCC East Division, including conference Pitcher of the Year Luc Fladda and Co-Freshman of the Year Dagen Brewer. Fladda was also named National Junior College Athletic Association, American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second-team and Baseball Blog first-team All-American. Also earning Baseball Blog All-America were sophomore pitcher Gabe Nutter and freshman Pitcher John Chambers. Both were named to the third-team. Jeremy Radar the 2023 ABCA/Rawlings NJCAA Division I Gold Glove Award® winner at third base, becoming just the second Cavalier player in program history to receive the prestigious Gold Glove Award®. Head coach Eric Horner Cavaliers was named the NJCAA D-I Central District Coach of the Year by American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and ATEC. He was named the Kansas Jayhawk Conference East Division Coach of the Year.
In 2024, Johnson County made team history by qualifying for the NJCAA World Series in consecutive seasons, and fourth time overall. The team ended the year ranked No. 1 in the final NJCAA Poll and were awarded the No. 1 seed in the World Series, a first in program history. JCCC would place sixth in World Series, their highest finish ever. They closed out the year with a record of 53-11, including a 28-4 mark in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference East Division to capture the program’s 12th title. Johnson County led the conference in batting average (.355), doubles (142), extra base hits (238), total bases (1099), slugging percentage (.561), strikeouts by pitchers (583) and K/9 (10.67). They were second in hits (696), triples (27), RBI (539) and runs (612), and third in home runs (69). Nationally they ranked third in strikeouts, fifth in hits, tied for fifth in triples, sixth in average and runs, seventh in doubles, total bases and RBI. Individually first baseman Dagen Brewer and pitcher Brandon Stone were named first-team All-America by both the NJCAA and ABCA, marking the third time in program history that two players were selected as All-Americans in the same season.
The 2025 season saw history being made again as the Cavaliers returned to Grand Junction for a third consecutive year. JCCC ended the season ranked fourth in the final NJCAA Poll and would go on to place sixth in the World Series, closing out the season with a 53-13 mark, including a 28-6 to claim the 13th conference title in team history. JCCC led the conference in hits (714), runs (626) and RBI (550) and were second in average (.351), triples (135), home runs (76) and extra base hits (239) and third in doubles (135). On the mound, JCCC pitcher led in ERA (3.94), strikeouts (577) and saves (18). Nationally, the Cavaliers ranked second in hits, fourth in runs and RBI, sixth in triples, seventh in extra base hits, ninth in average and 10th in doubles and home runs. The season also saw a record 15 players selected as All-KJCCC East Division performers, and right-hand pitcher Denton Biller was selected as an honorable mention All-American by the NJCAA.
JCCC Baseball Stadium Facts
Year Opened: 1973
Year Remodeled: Fall, 2012
First Game: March, 1974 (JCCC 14, Allen County 3)
Current Dimensions: LF: 320, LCF: 365, CF: 400, RCF: 370, RF: 320
Previous Dimensions: LF: 330, CF: 410, RF: 330
Current Surface: AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D60
Previous Surface: Outfield Grass, Infield Grass and Dirt
JCCC Baseball Stadium Records (1973-2014)
Most Runs by JCCC: 35 vs. Haskell Indian Nations (4-17-02)
Most Runs Doubleheaders by JCCC: 55 vs. Haskell Indian Nations (4-17-96)
Largest Shutout by JCCC: 29-0 vs. Haskell Indian Nations (4-17-96)
Largest Margin of Victory: 32 (35-3) vs. Haskell Indian Nation (4-17-02)
Most Runs by a JCCC Opponent: 23 vs. Seminole (1983)
Most Runs Doubleheader by a JCCC Opponent: 39 vs. Seminole (1983)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 18 (22-4) vs. MCC-Maple Woods (3-26-14)
Largest Shutout by JCCC: 29-0 vs. Haskell Indian Nations (4-16-96)
Largest Shutout Loss: 16-0 vs. Seminole (1983)
JCCC Baseball Stadium Records (2015-Present)
Most Runs Scored Game: 37 vs. Ottawa JV (3-13-19)
Most Runs Scored 2 Games: 61 vs. Rockhurst JV (3-6-21)
Most Runs Allowed Game: 17 vs. Ellsworth (2-18-18), Coffeyville (3-9-18) , KCKCC (4-19-18), vs. Metropolitan (4-21-21)
Most Runs Allowed 2 Games: 28 vs. Ellsworth (2-18-18)
Largest Margin of Victory: 35 (37-2) vs. Ottawa JV (3-13-19)
Largest Margin of Defeat: 12 (17-5) vs. Kansas City Kansas (4-19-18)
Longest Win Streak: 19 Games (2-22 to 4-1, 2021)
Most Shutouts Season: 8 (2025)
Fewest Shutouts Season: 1 (2015)
Largest Shutout by JCCC: 17-0 vs. Shawnee (2-12-17)
Largest Shutout by Opponent: 7-0 vs. Cowley (2017)
Longest Game: 10 Innings vs. Des Moines Area (2017)
Most Home Wins: 30 (2017, 2023)
Fewest Home Losses: 1 (2020)
Most Home Losses: 13 (2018)
Best Home Winning Percentage: .933 (14-1 / 2020)
Worst Home Winning Percentage: .658 (25-13 / 2018)
Individual Game Records
Hits in a Game:
5 – Jesse Vann vs. Barton (4-80)
5 – Lenny Jennings vs. Barton (4-80)
5 – Jim Broer vs. Cowley (3-85)
5 – Michel Fletcher vs. Brookhaven (3-1-86)
5 – Adam Smith vs. Independence (4-19-02)
5 – Andy Hockensen vs. Haskell Indian Nations (4-17-02)
5 – Josiah Enyart vs. Pratt (5-7-05)
5 – Kyle blyer vs. MCC-Longview (2-22-06)
5 – Derek Hinke vs. Fort Scott (4-8-06)
5 – Davis Morgan vs. Neosho County (4-13-10)
5 – L.J. Hatch vs. Fort Scott (2-24-15)
5 – Tanner Padgett vs. Hutchinson (5-12-17)
5 - Nick Iannantone vs. Rockhurst JV (3-6-21)
5 - Wyatt Morgan vs. Rockhurst JV (3-6-21)
5 - Bo Shinkle vs. Neosho County (4-12-25)
Doubles in a Game:
3 – Ron Douglas vs. Highland (4-7-75)
3 – Josiah Enyart vs. Pratt (5-7-05)
3 – Skylar Murray vs. Baker JV (3-11-10)
3 – Davis Morgan vs. Coffeyville (4-17-10)
3 – Andrew Warner vs. Southeast (4-14-15)
3 – Brandt Ollinger vs. Allen (4-13-17)
3 - Nick Iannantone vs. Rockhurst JV (3-6-21)
3 - Nate Stevens vs. Baker JV (3-25-21)
3 - Jeremy Comer vs. Garden City (5-8-25)
Triples in a Game:
3 – Antonio Triplett vs. Barton (4-80)
3 – Lenny Jennings vs. Barton (4-80)
3 – Josh Miljavic vs. Baker (3-13-02)
Home Runs in a Game:
3 – Jesse Vann vs. Barton (4-80)
3 – Joe Gullion vs. Baker JV (3-13-02)
3 – Steve Nash vs. Fort Scott (4-8-06)
3 – Brad Lewandowski vs. Fort Scott (4-8-06)
3 – Ben Calvano vs. Independence (4-4-15)
3 - Alex Austin vs. Garden City (5-13-21)
Grand Slams:
Steve Meyer vs. Neosho County (4-29-85)
Robbie Wilson vs. Highland (4-87)
Brian McDaneld vs. Fort Scott (4-6-88)
Jim Clement vs. Iowa Western (4-7-88)
Brian McDaneld vs. Neosho County (4-20-88)
P. J. Spell vs. Navarro (3-17-89)
Joe Gulliion vs. Allen – 2 times (4-18-01)
L.J. Hatch vs. Neosho County (3-20-14)
Nicholas Sall vs. Southwestern (2-18-23)
Dagen Brewer vs. Highland (4-6-23)
Ryker Edwards vs. Fort Scott (3-16-24)
Jordan Black vs. Allen (4-11-24)
Cycles:
Robert Schaffer vs. Labette (3-79)
Joe Guillion vs. Haskell Indian Nations (4-17-01)
RBIs in a Game:
8 – Jesse Vann vs. Barton (4-80)
8 – Jim Broer vs. Labette (5-4-85)
8 – Clint Johns vs. Kansas City Kansas (5-11-00)
Runs in a Game:
5 – Jim Spring vs. Barton (4-80)
5 – Antonio Triplett vs. Barton (4-80)
5 – Merritt Hess vs. Fort Scott (4-11-96)
5 – Andy Hockensen vs. Haskell Indian Nations (4-17-02)
5 – Ryan Hall vs. Kansas City Kansas (4-9-11)
Steals in a Game:
7 - Drew Veatch vs. Baker JV (3-23-24)
Base on Balls in a Game:
4 – Steve Grant vs. Cowley (4-24-87)
4 – Caleb Hallman vs. Allen (3-25-11)
4 - Blake Mozley vs. Southwestern (2-21-22)
4 - Conner Simmons vs. Allen (5-6-22)
Strikeouts by a JCCC Pitcher in a Game:
16 – Matt Blackham vs. Allen (3-8-13)
15 – Zachary Ebert vs. Coffeyville (3-9-18)
15 – Zachary Ebert vs. Highland (3-30-18)
15 - Drew Garrett vs. Labette (3-5-20)
No Hitters:
Terry Swartz vs. MidAmerica Nazarene (4-23-79)
Mike Beal vs. Fort Scott (5-5-83)
Steve Parker vs. Crowder (4-11-84)
Steve Parker vs. Cowley (1985)
Steve Parker vs. Neosho County (4-29-85)
Mike Simmons vs. Independence (3-14-94)
Will Faulk vs. Baker JV (4-18-07)
Perfect Games:
Mike Beal vs. Fort Scott (5-5-83)