Assistant Coach/Pitching Coach
6th Season 
JCCC / Avila University

Gardner-area native and former Johnson County Community College pitcher Wally Nellor joined the Cavaliers coaching staff in August 2019. 

In his five seasons on staff, the Cavaliers have compiled a 218-53 record, a .804 winning percentage, two Kansas Jayhawk Conference East Division title, two Region 6/Central District championships and two JUCO World Series berths. 

He has also helped coach 45 Kansas Jayhawk Conference performers, including one MVP, two Pitchers of the Year and one Freshman of the Year, 15 All-Region VI selections, three NJCAA, ABCA/Rawlings and JUCO Baseball Blog All-Americans, two Region 6 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® winners including Jeremy Rader, the 2023 ABCA/Rawlings NJCAA D-I Gold Glove Award® winner at third base. JCCC has produced five College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® selection and 69 players have earned NJCAA All-Academic recognition. He also has helped place 80 players in four-year programs, including 51 at the NCAA D-I level and had one pitcher selected in the MLB Draft and one sign a professional contract. 

This past season, Johnson County qualified for the NJCAA D-I World Series for a second straight year, 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 went to 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 12^th title. 

Thirteen Cavaliers were selected as All-KJCCC East Division performers, including conference MVP Dagen Brewer, Pitcher of the year Brandon Stone and Horner was selected Coach of the Year for a second straight year. Brewer and Stone were also named as first-team NJCAA and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-American, marking the first time JCCC has produced two on the first-team. Additionally, Stone and Brewer along with Jack Mosh and Ryan Borberg were rated among the top 30 player players for pitchers and hitters in 2024, with Stone earning the No. 1 ranking for pitchers. Brewer was ranked ninth and Mosh 16th among hitters, and Borgerg was the No. 23 ranked pitcher. Borgerg was also selected to play for the NJCAA/USA All-Star Team. JCCC also had 23 student-athletes earn NJCAA All-Academic distinction and five selected Academic All-District by College Sports Communicators.

In 2023, 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 and American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings second-team All-American. 

Johnson County led the conference and finished 10th in the country with a .364 team batting average, was first in the KJCCC and 5^th in NJCAA in hits with 734, and led the conference and tied for 10^th 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 led the conference and 15th nationally, piling up 601 strikeouts to finish fourth in the NJCAA. The Cavaliers team fielding percentage of .976 was the second-best mark in NJCAA Division I.

In 2022, JCCC opened the season ranked No. 17 in the NJCAA, No. 11 in JUCO Baseball Blog and received votes in both the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Prep Baseball Report preseason polls. The Cavaliers finished the season 46-17 overall, and 23-9 in conference play, good for third place. He would also help coach nine all-conference selections, with four also earning All-Region VI honors. Johnson County was the top hitting team in the conference and ranked among the best in the country. They were first in the KJCCC in average (.356), hits (684), doubles (146), RBI (526), runs (579), total bases (1118) and stolen bases (154). Nationally JCCC ranked sixth in hits, eight in doubles, ninth in total bases, 10^th in extra base hits and RBI, 11^th in runs and 14^th in batting average.  On the mound, JCCC pitchers led the conference in ERA (4.41) and fewest earned runs (229) and were third in strikeouts (558). Off the diamond nine student-athletes earned NJCAA All-Academic honors.

In 2021 while serving his first season as assistant to Eric Horner, the Cavaliers raced out of the gate winning its first 25 games and were ranked as high as No. 5 in early April. The Cavaliers would go on to finish the season 43-10 and ranked 16th in the final NJCAA D-I Poll.  He helped coach nine all-conference performers, with three landing on the first-team, and two All-Region VI performers. Off the diamond eight student-athletes earned NJCAA All-Academic honors. In 2021, the Cavaliers were one of the top hitting team in the country. The led the conference in ranked second in the NJCAA with a batting average of .399. They led the country in slugging percentage at .690), ranked tied for second national in triples (35) fourth in hits (687), extra base hits (271), on base percentage (.484) and total bases (1189) and sixth in home runs (98), RBI (570) and runs (622). 

The 2021 JCCC pitching staff led the conference and ranked 10th in the NJCAA with 561 strikeouts and the staff led the conference in fewest earned runs allowed with 189 and in ERA at 4.26.

In his first season on staff, the Cavaliers were 20-3 and ranked in the top-10 nationally when the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The JCCC pitching staff led the conference and ranked 11th nationally with 260 strikeouts and their 14.53 strikeouts per nine inning ration was third-best in the NJCAA. Two members of the pitching staff were recognized nationally. Right-hander Drew Garrett made the Prep Baseball Report Top 100 Junior College prospects list for Major League Baseball, and left-hander Jay Long was named honorable mention All-America by JUCO Baseball Blog.

A deceptive left-hander, Nellor burst onto the scene at Johnson County as freshman in 2015, earning All-East Jayhawk Conference first-team and second-team All-Region VI accolades. He made 26 mound appearances for the Cavaliers that season, all in relief. He logged 58.1 innings, second most on the staff, led the Cavaliers with a 1.70 earned run average and seven saves. He was also 4-0 with 52 strikeouts and only allowed 11 earned runs. His seven saves tied him for fourth on JCCC’s season chart. 

As a sophomore, Nellor posted a 4-3 record with 54 strikeouts in 51.0 innings of work. He also had two saves and finished with an ERA of 3.88. 

Nellor closed out his career ranked third all-time in career saves with nine. He was 8-3 overall with 106 strikeouts over 109.1 innings pitched.  Overall, he made 41 career appearances and posted 2.72 career earned run average. He also helped the Cavaliers post a record of 95-30 over those two seasons.

Nellor continued his career at Washburn University, playing under the direction of coach Harley Douglas. He appeared in five games, all in relief, logging four innings and five strikeouts.

After the season, Nellor transferred to Avila University to play for coach Daryl Cronk for his senior campaign.  He pitched 2.2 innings in three games and finished with an ERA of 3.38 and three strikeouts. 

As a prep athlete at Garder-Edgerton High School, Nellor was a three-year starter for coach Corry Schrack. He was a two-time All-Eastern Kansas League pitcher, earning second-team as a junior and first-team his senior year. He graduated in the top 10 percent of his class.