OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - New year, same expectations …. Win conference and districts and fight for a national title!
Johnson County head softball coach Aubree Brattin-Volkens enters the 2023 campaign optimistic that here team will contend for both the Kansas Jayhawk Conference D-II and Region 6/Plains District titles not only because of the talent she has put together on the field, but also for the addition so has added to the dugout.
Last summer, Brattin-Volkens added offensive-minded Matthew Jackson to serve as an assistant coach along with seven-year veteran coach and former JCCC pitcher Katie Williams. Brattin-Volkens and Williams have been noted for the strong defensive minded teams they have built during their time together, but now with Jackson on board the Lady Cavaliers could build a 2023 team that will have the full package when they take the field in early March.
"With the addition of two full-time assistant coaches, the coverage of coaching from athlete to athlete is better and more thorough than it has ever been," said Brattin-Volkens.
While optimistic on their chances of returning to the NJCAA D-II National Tournament for the first time since 2019, Brattin-Volkens team will enter the season a little under the radar on the national scene. JCCC was left out of the NJCAA D-II Preseason Rankings for the first time in 10 years, and for just the third time since 1991.
Johnson County returns six players from a team that finished 28-18 and won the KJCCC D-II championship, highlighted by all-conference and all-district pitcher Jordan Harrison, all conference and all-district infielder Toree Hoobler and all-conference and all-district catcher Maddy Morrison.
Harrison established herself as one of the top pitchers in the conference and Brattin-Volkens and Williams have high expectations for her entering the 2023 season. Last year she made 19 appearances, 18 as a starter, completing 12 games with two shutouts. She finished 10-7 with 111 strikeouts with an ERA of 2.39. She held batters to a .183 average, best on the staff. Harrison also has the ability to cause some damage at the plate with her bat as well. She hit .298 (17-for-57) with six doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI.
A first-team selection on both the conference and district teams, Hoobler proved to be an immediate impact player. She started 31 games last season. She hit .300 (24-for-80) with a double, 23 runs scored, eight RBI and was a perfect 19-for-19 in stolen base attempts, which led the team. She produced six multiple-hit games, two multiple-RBI games and stole two bases in a game five times. She was also solid with her glove, committing only three errors in 98 total fielding chances.
Morrison who came in last after a season at Benedictine and established herself as a leader behind the plate. Last season, she played in 26 games, 24 as a starter. She batted .247 (19-for-77) with four doubles, 10 runs scored and 16 driven in. She recorded two multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games. Behind the plate, Morrison had 130 putouts, 16 assists and six errors for a fielding percentage of .961. With the depth at catcher on this year's roster, Morrison could also see action at first base.
The other three returning players are Sydney Christiason, Gaige Pinkerton and Lauren Roberts. Christiason has been practicing at both third base and outfield this season, but it is still undetermined where she will see a majority of her time. A disciplined hitter, her bat will win her teim in the line-up. Last season, she played in 14 games, seven as a starter. She hit .364 (8-for-22) with three doubles, a triple, nine runs scored and seven driven in. She had three multi-hit games and one multi-RBI game when she plated for runs at Coffeyville.
Pinkerton has developed into a fundamentally sound catcher who blocks the ball well, possesses a strong, accurate arm and communicates well with her pitching staff. In 2022, she played in 31 games, 30 as a starter. She batted .250 (22-for-88) with three doubles, 22 runs scored and six RBI. She produced four multiple-hit games and one multiple-RBI game. Pinkerton will continue her career at Northwest Missouri State University next fall.
Roberts comes into the 2023 season better than ever having fully recovered from an injury she suffered during the fall season. Last spring, she played in 22 games, 19 as a starter. She batted .138 (4-for-29) with three runs scored and four driven in. The coaches expect to see more production from her bat this spring.
Joining the veteran talent for JCCC this spring are 10 newcomers all who come in looking to make an immediate impact.
"We have a large, talented freshman class all of which have great potential to be key players for us at one time or another," said Brattin-Volkens. "We have some athletes that had a fall that gets us really excited for their potential and time will tell the type of impact they will have as we move forward into a highly competitive college season."
Among those looking to make an immediate impact are outfielders Eve Morris, Taryn Burkhardt and Gracie Ramsey, infielder Riahn Pinkerton, utility player Hanna Archdekin, and pitcher Maggy McNally.
Morris was a highly decorated player at Bishop Carroll in Wichita, and is expected to be the starter in centerfield, and according to Brattin-Volkens, she may be the best to play the position in her tenure. Morris was rated the 32nd best player in the state by MaxPreps.com her senior year. She was a three-time Class 5A Al-State selection and two-time All-City selection while helping lead her team to three City League titles, three regional titles, three state tournament berths with a runner-up finish in 2019 and a championship in 2021.
Burkhardt is also expected to battle for a starting spot in the outfield, most likely in leftfield. A left-handed slapper, she was rated the 33rd best player in the state of Kansas by MaxPreps.com as a senior out of Silver Lake High School. She earned 3A All-State as a senior. She also was a tw-time Sports In Kansas All-State selection and two-time All-Midwest East league first-team pick. She helped the Eagles to league and region championship and runner-up state finished in 2019 and 2021.
A proven hitter at the prep level, Ramsey looks to carry her success over to the collegiate level. A four-year starter at North Platte High in Dearborn, Mo., she was a first-team All-Kansas City Interscholastic Conference and All-District first-team selection while hitting .467 with 50 hits, six doubles, four triples, 42 runs, 19 RBI and 15 stolen bases her senior year. She closed out her career with 130 hits, 98 runs scored, 39 RBI and 53 stolen bases. Her speed carried over to the track where she earned All-State in the 800-meters in 2022 and ran a leg on the state champion 4x400 relay in 2019.
Pinkerton, the younger sister to Paige, has seen most of her time at third base and looks to push for a starting spot. She also has the potential to play middle infield and catch. She was rated the 23rd best player in the state of Kansas by MaxPreps.com her senior year and was a two-time All-Frontier League selection. Pinkerton helped the Broncos to back-to-back regional championships and berths to the 5A State Tournament. She hit .362 as a junior and .358 her senior season.
According the JCCC coaches, Archdekin is a definition of a utility-type player. She has the ability to play any position. She was a two-time Missouri Class 2 All-State selection and four-time All-District first-team selection for East Buchanan High School in Agency, Mo. Her sophomore year, she helped her team win the Class2 District 15 title for the first time in 15 years. A very accomplished hitter, Archdekin ended her career with 156 hits, 48 doubles, seven triples, 10 home runs, 118 runs scored and 121 RBI. She was also an accomplished golfer and track and field athlete.
McNalley will see many important innings in the circle this season and is expected to push Harrison for the No. 1 starters spot. She can be very intimidating in the circle. A two-year starter at Spring Hill High School, McNally earned 5A All-State her senior year and was named the Tri-County Spotlight Pitcher of the Year in 2022. She also was a first-team All-Frontier pick. As a senior, she did not lose a game until the 5A State Tournament and finished the season 12-1 with 76 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. She also hit .412 with 29 hits and 25 RBI.
Rounding out the roster are pitcher/first baseman Deja Gardenhire, infielder/outfielder Kaylee Limback and infielder Emma Smith.
Gardenhire will be used as a closing pitcher and will also see time at first base. She started two years at Shawnee Heights and earned All-United Kansas Conference second-team as a senior while hitting .578 with 37 hits, eight doubles, six homers, 16 runs and 27 RBI. She also had 44 strikeouts in the circle
Limback has seen a lot of growth in her game this year according to Brattin-Volkens. A utility player, she is practicing at second, shortstop, third and outfield and has the potential to get innings in all those spots this spring. A three-year starter at Shawnee Mission North, Limback was rated the 13th best player in the state of Kansas by MaxPreps.com her senior year. She earned all-Sunflower League and was selected to play in the Mo-Kan All-Star game he senior year.
Smith is a talented infielder who will see most of her playing time at second base. A three-year starter at Seaman High in Topeka, she was rated the 25th best player in the State of Kansas by MaxPreps.com and earned 5A All-State as a senior. Smith also was a two-time All-City and All-Centennial League selection. She hit .418 with 33 hits, seven doubles, four triples, a home run, 32 runs and 24 RBI while leading Seaman to a regional title and a berth to the state tournament her senior year. For her career she tallied 91 hits, 21 doubles, six triples, six homers, 81 runs nad 64 RBI.
"We have been able to really dive deep into breaking our athletes down and building them up to be a team that can and will play at a high level," said Brattin-Volkens. "I expect to have a group of athletes that are ready at any moment to compete and get a job done. We are ready to get back to the national tournament and be the team that everyone expects out of Johnson County, the best."
Johnson County will open the season with their first 14 games at home beginning on March 5 when they host Iowa Central. The Lady Cavaliers will begin their quest for a conference on road at Allen on March 30.