OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The start to the 2021 college baseball season starts in two weeks and Johnson County Community College will open its season as a consensus Top-20 ranked team. The Cavaliers appear in four preseason polls.
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) has the Cavaliers at No. 13. The Cavaliers are also ranked No. 9 by JUCO Baseball Blob, No. 13 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and No. 15 by Perfect Game.
In the NJCAA poll, Wabash Valley is the preseason No. 1 selection, followed by Iowa Western, Chipola, Northwest Florida State and McLennan. Kansas Jayhawk Conference rival Cowley is ranked ninth.
Johnson County officially opens its 2021 season on Friday, February 12 when they host Dawson in the first of a four-game series. That game also marks the start of a new era in JCCC baseball history, as Eric Horner takes over as the Cavaliers new skipper. Horner previously served 17 seasons as Kent Shelley's top assistant.
Last season, Johnson County was 20-3 and ranked 9th in the NJCAA when the season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five sophomore members from that team, along with 16 freshmen return for the 2021 campaign.
Some of the key player back are outfielder Quinton Hall, lefthanded pitcher Jay Long, infielder Tyson Cheatham, infielder Isaiah Cohens, lefthander CC Crain, outfielder Jackson Galloway, outfielder Jake Grauberger, right-hander Will Heller, outfielder Nick Iannantone, right-hander Paul Rector and righthander Matt Ronnebaum.
Hall was selected first-team All-American by JUCO Baseball Blog after batting .462 (30-for-65) with seven doubles, two triples, six home runs, 32 runs scored and 23 driven in. He collected 10 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games. Entering the 2021 season, Hall is ranked as the ninth-best player in community college baseball by JUCO Baseball Blog.
Long was selected honorable mention All-American by JUCO Baseball Blog after finishing 1-0 with a save and an earned run average of 1.31 with 34 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched.
Cheatham batting .364 (8-for-22) with three doubles, a triple, a home run, nine runs scored and eight driven in.
Cohens batted .500 (10-for-20) with three doubles, a triple, eight runs and four driven in. He also drew seven free passes.
Crain finished 3-0 on the bump with an ERA of 3.18. He struck out 28 batters in 17.0 innings of work.
Galloway hit at a .403 clip (25-for-62) with six doubles, four triples, two home runs. 19 runs and 17 driven in. His four triples tied for first in the conference and ranked eighth in the NJCAA. He had six multi-hit and four multi-RBI games.
Grauberger batted .467 (14-for-30) with two doubles, two triples, five home runs, 12 runs and 23 driven in. Hs 23 RBIs tied for second on the team, and his five homers were third-most. He had three multi-hit and seven multi-RBI games.
Heller has made 16 career appearances in two seasons at JCCC, and is 3-0 with two saves. He has struck out 26 batters in 21.0 innings for an ERA of 2.57.
Iannantone batted .449 (22-for-49) with four doubles, four triples, three home runs, 17 runs scored and 20 driven in. He also drew 10 walks. His four triples tied Galloway for most in the conference and eighth in the country. He produced five multi-hit and five multi-RBI games.
Rector has mad 27 appearances in 2019 and 2020, all in relief. He has struck out 80 batters in 52.1 innings. He is 2-1 with six career saves, which tie him for seventh at JCCC. He has allowed just 28 runs which ranks as the third lowest total in team history for a career.
Ronnebaum was 3-0 with one complete game and a save. He posted an ERA of 3.47 with 31 strikeouts.