OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Johnson County Community College head baseball coach Eric Horner has been named the 2025 NJCAA Division I Plains Region Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and ATEC. This marks the third consecutive year Horner has earned the prestigious honor, making him the first coach in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) and Region 6 history to three-peat.
The ABCA/ATEC Regional Coaches of the Year are selected by members of the ABCA All-America & Coach of the Year Committees in all nine divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division and high school.
The 2025 season was another banner year for Horner and the Cavaliers. JCCC won both the KJCCC East Division and Region 6 titles for the third straight year and topped 50 wins for the third consecutive season, finishing 52-13 overall. The team was awarded the No. 4 seed at the NJCAA Division I World Series and ended the season ranked No. 4 nationally, placing sixth in the tournament.
Under Horner's leadership, a program-record 15 players were named All-KJCCC East Division performers, including MVP Bo Shinkle. Horner was also named KJCCC East Coach of the Year for the third year in a row. Five Cavaliers earned All-Region 6 honors, with Shinkle and Carter Kelley receiving Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. Additionally, freshman pitcher Dustin Biller was named an NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American—Horner's third All-American pitcher and fourth overall.
In just five seasons at the helm, Horner has compiled a 250-63 (.799) record. All five of his teams have opened the year ranked in the NJCAA Top 20, including a No. 1 national finish in 2024—the first in program history.
Coach Horner's resume also includes:
- 60 All-KJCCC performers
- 2 KJCCC MVPs
- 2 KJCCC Pitchers of the Year
- 1 KJCCC Freshman of the Year
- 20 All-Region 6 selections
- 4 NJCAA All-Americans
- 3 JUCO Baseball Blog All-Americans
- 3 ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans
- 1 USA Junior College All-Star
- 4 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® winners, including 2023 national winner Jeremy Rader (3B)
- 10 CSC Academic All-District® selections
- 68 NJCAA All-Academic honorees, including a record 23 in 2024
- 85 players moved on to four-year programs, with 55 at the NCAA Division I level
Coach Horner's achievements continue to elevate the JCCC baseball program to national prominence.