By Hannah Sheer

Preseason rankings were recently posted by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), and JCCC Baseball is ranked 5th in the Division 1 level, and received the one seed in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC). While these rankings are not surprising considering their impressive 2023-24 season including a 53-13 record, a conference championship, regional championship, and sixth place finish in the national tournament, the Cavaliers are still hungry for more.

“We got a lot of new players,” Coach Horner said. “With JUCO there’s a lot of turnover with a new crop every year.” 

Horner is heading into his 22nd season at JCCC, and his 5th as head coach, holding a 198-50 record. Each of his head coaching seasons, the team has finished with 40 plus wins and earned top 20 ranking. However, Horner can’t do it on his own. His 43-man roster is gearing up for their season opening games in Amarillo with tough competitors like Crowder Community College and #3 ranked Iowa Western.

“We try to play a pretty tough schedule every year to get us ready for conference as the Jayhawk conference is one of the best JUCO baseball conferences in the country,” Horner adds.

While Johnson County Baseball has a hefty roster full of talent, a few players stand out. Horner mentions a couple players like Miken Miller and Ryker Edwards who are expected to be stand out returners for JCCC.

The Nebraska commit, Miller, is a catcher for JCCC, who earned the KJCCC honorable mention last season. He played in 57 of their 66 games and batted .380 on the season. Edwards, who is signed to Louisiana Tech, earned KJCCC First-Team and was also an all-region outfielder. The Week 13 player of the week batted a .350 average and is expected to do good things for the team this season.

Additionally, the NJCAA points out outfielder Jeremy Comer, who is committed to Oregon, as #9 in their JUCO Top 500 Prospects. Right-handed pitcher Josiah Golden, who is committed to Oklahoma, also earned a shout out at #17.

Obviously, this team is full of talent, but the hard work and fun they have in practice will differentiate them from the rest.

“It’s a pretty fun group that makes it enjoyable to come to work every day,” Horner said. “They show up and work hard but also have a good time with it.”.

Ultimately, JCCC Baseball will be a force to be reckoned with, whose games are sure to be a good watch throughout the season, and hopefully on through the postseason as well.