OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Following the most successful season in Johnson County Community College baseball history, and the second-best in Kansas Jayhawk Conference history, the Johnson County Community College baseball team has picked as the preseason favorite to repeat as the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) East Divisions champion. The poll was voted on by the nine conference head coaches.
The Cavaliers were picked first ahead of Cowley, Kansas City Kansas, Fort Scott, Coffeyville, Neohso County, Allen, Highland and Labette. Barton Community College was picked to win the West Division.
This past 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.
Johnson County finished second in the country with a .364 team batting average, fourth with a .466 on-base percentage, and sixth with 597 runs scored. As a team, the Cavaliers drew nearly as many walks (336) as they had strikeouts (346). On the mound, JCCC's 3.80 ERA ranked eighth nationally, piling up 601 strikeouts to finish fourth in the country. The Cavaliers team fielding percentage of .976 was the second-best mark in NJCAA Division 1.
Through three seasons at the helm, Horner has compiled a 145-37 record for a .797 winning percentage. His 145 wins are the most by any coach in Kansas Jayhawk Conference history through their first three seasons. All three years his teams opened the season ranked among the top-20 in the country, and this year they closed out the final rankings as the No. 2 team in the country.
Horner did lose a lot from last year's team, but he reloaded roster and JCCC will again be a national contender. JCCC returns a lot from the bullpen, highlighted by JUCO Baseball Blog All-American closer John Chambers. He appeared in a staff-high 21 games and finished 4-0 with seven saves, 39 strikeouts in 39.0 innings pitched and an earned run average of 1.85. Chambers tied for the league lead and tied for 10th in the NJCAA in saves.
Also back in all-conference reliever Maddox Burkitt who picked up four saves and struck out 39 batter in 24.2 innings of work. He will be wearing a Kansas Jayhawk uniform next season.
Horner and his staff also picked up some key pieces on the mound both from transfers and true freshmen which should make them hard score on.
Offensively the team is fairly new, but like the pitching staff the JCCC coaches have picked up some key pieces and they expect some role players from last year to get the shot in 2024.
One of JCCC's key bats returning is Dagen Brewer who was co-Freshman of the Year in the East Jayhawk last season. He batted .404 (61-for-151) with 14 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs, 45 runs scored and 57 RBI, which led the team. His 10 homers tie for 25th on JCCC's season chart. Brewer produced 21 multiple-hit and 16 multiple-RBI games, which tied for the team lead and ranked tied for 19th on the team's season chart.
"We are very athletic and fast offensively and hope to put a lot of pressure on teams this spring,"said Horner. "If the offense can score consistently enough, we can expect another big year from the Cavaliers."
Johnson County opens the 2024 season in Texas, February 3 with a four-game series against Amarillo College. They return home February 8 to host Crowder in their home opener. The Cavaliers will open conference play March 7 when they host Neosho County.