OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Three-time defending Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference East Division baseball champion Johnson County Community College will open the 2026 season as the No. 12-ranked team in NJCAA Division I baseball and have been picked to win a fourth-straight KJCCC East Division title in the annual KJCCC East Division baseball preseason order of finish as voted on by league head coaches.
In a vote of the league coaches as part of the annual preseason order of finish poll, the Cavaliers picked up six of nine first-place votes and earned a total of 77 points to edge Cowley College, who was picked second with 71 points as neither Johnson County nor Cowley was picked to finish lower than third in the voting. Kansas City Kansas Community College was picked to finish third and earned a total of 60 points with one first-place vote to finish ahead of Coffeyville Community College who was picked fourth with 53 points and the lone remaining first-place vote. Following the Red Ravens was Fort Scott who was picked fifth with 47 points total followed by Neosho County (38 points), Allen (29 points), Labette (21 points), and Highland (nine points).
Since 2016, the KJCCC east division has represented the KJCCC at the JUCO World Series in seven of the last eight tournaments (no tournament in 2020 due to COVID) with either Johnson County or Cowley winning the Plains District Tournament in those seven seasons.
Last season, Johnson County qualified for the NJCAA D-I World Series for a third straight year, and fifth time overall. The team ended the year ranked No. 4 in the final NJCAA Poll and were awarded the No. 4 seed in the World Series, a first in program history. JCCC went to place fifth in World Series, their highest finish ever. They closed out the year with a record of 52-13, including a 27-5 mark in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference East Division to capture the program's 13th title.
Johnson County led the conference in hits (714), runs (626) and RBI (550), second in batting average (.351), triples, (28) and home runs (76) and third in doubles (135). On the bump, JCCC pitchers led the conference in strikeouts (577), strikeouts/nine innings (10.43) and ERA (3.94).
Five seasons into his tenure, head coach Eric Horner has topped 40 wins all fiveyears highlighted by a program record 56-10 mark in 2023, a 53-13 mark in 2024 and 52-13 record last year, with all three teams earning a spot in the NJCAA World Series. Overall, Horner stand 250-63 (.799). All six of his teams have opened as a top-20 program and in 2023 the team ended the year rank No. 2 nationally and two seasons ago finished ranked No. 1 overall, a first in program history.
Horner welcomes back nine players from last year, along with four sophomore transfers.
Headlining the returnees are infielder Boston Bruce (Atchison/Atchison, Kan.) and pitcher Keston Holman (Nebraska City/Nebraska City, Neb.), both All-KJCCC East honorable mention selections last spring. Also back are pitchers Hudson Byrd (Blue Valley/Leawood, Kan.), Colin Conrad (St. Thomas Aquinas/Olathe, Kan.), Ronin Vicenti (Blue Springs/Blue Springs, Mo.), Max Waldchmidt (Iowa City/Iowa City, Iowa), and Cooper Westra (Rockurst/Lee's Summit, Mo.), infielder Briggs Roe (Morrison/Stillwater, Okla.)and outfielder Ashton Hartwig (Deer Creek/Edmond, Okla.
Bruce batted .373 (47-for-126) with seven doubles, four homers, 35 walks, 38 runs scored and 40 RBI. He produced 15 multiple-hit and 11 multiple-RBI games, highlighted by a five-RBI effort in a win at Amarillo in the second game of the season.
Holman 24 appearances, all in relief, and posted a record of 3-0 and led the conference and tied for first in the NJCAA with 11 saves, one shy of the program record. He had 70 strikeouts in 56 and one-third innings with an ERA of 3.36. His totals for innings pitched and strikeouts were most among JCCC relievers and his 70 strikeouts were third-most on the staff.
Transferring to JCCC are pitchers Braylon Brooks (Oklahoma State) and Victor Christal (Missouri), infielder/outfielder Colin Coonradt (Iowa) and infielder Logan Groh (Cowley), who was a KJCCC East All-Conference and Region 6 All-Tournament selection last year with the Tigers.
Rounding out the roster are freshman pitchers Lance Alexander (Olathe Northwest/Lenexa, Kan.), Nolan Buss (Arrowhead/Pewaukee, Wis.), Cooper Frazier (Bishop Kelly/Tulsa, Okla.), Rocco Loffredo (Fort Scot/Stillwell, Kan.), Ashton Nance (Blue Springs South/Blue Springs, Mo.), Reece Nutter (Pembroke Hill/Kansas City, Mo.), Brett Pearcy (Olathe Northwest/Olathe, Kan.), Liam Roche (Shawnee Mission South/Overland Park, Kan.), Jackson Savoy (Collinsville/Collinsville, Okla.), Jackson Schwab (Blue Valley/Overland Park, Kan.), Anson Seibert (Blue Valley Southwest/Overland Park, Kan.), Cale Sudderth (Lone Grove/Ardmore, Okla.), Evan Watson (Lee's Summit West/Lee's Summit, Mo.); catchers Chase Bradbury (Blue Valley Northwest/Overland Park, Kan.), Evan Damario (Rockhurst/Lee's Summit, Mo.), David Dobbs (Topeka Seaman/Topeka, Kan.); outfielders Logan Booth (GW Graham/Chillwack, BC), Ryan Bradford (Seckman/Imperial, Mo.), Drake Gawer (Sullivan/Sullivan, Texas), Brayden Giesler (Jasper/Jasper, Ind.), Isaac Pamaran (Papillion-LaVista/LaVista, Neb.), Mason Stover (Blue Springs South/Blue Springs, Mo.); infielders Trent Cornell (Altoon/Eau Claire, Wis.), Tristin DeRochers (St. Joseph's/Barrie, Ontario), Luke Wilson (Staley/Kansas City, Mo.) and utility player Jack Jones (Shawnee Mission East/Prairie Village, Kan.)
Johnson County opens the 2026 season in Texas February 1 with a four-game series against Amarillo College followed by a four-game series against Crowder College with the final double header at JCCC on February 7.