OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Perfect Game USA recently released its Top 500 Juco Prospects for the 2022 season and 10 Johnson County baseball players made the list.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Hayden Minton was the highest ranked player coming in at No. 5.
The other nine player to make the list are right-handed pitcher Blake Mozley (No. 134); outfielder Quinton Hall (NO. 141); outfielder/DH Nick Iannantone (No. 202); first baseman/right-handed pitcher Collin Brueggemann (No 214); left-handed pitcher Max Chapman (No. 286); outfielder Cooper Combs (No. 298); right-handed pitcher Cole Koonce (No. 333); right-handed pitcher Hunter Edwards (No. 390) and right-handed pitcher Danny Trehey (No. 433).
Minton (Collinsville HS/Collinsville, Mo.) transferred to JCCC after playing the 2020 and 2021 seasons for coach Keith Guttin at Missouri State University. In his two seasons with the Bears, Minton made 12 starts on the hill and struck out 54 batters in 63.2 inning pitched.
"We're especially bullish on Hayden Minton, mostly because he's one of the few upper-echelon arms that we have evaluated as a likely starter long term, with the others all positing at least some level of relief risk." Perfect Game stated in a release "He's a clean delivery, good command, 4-pitch mix guy with projection on the body and consistent improvement throughout his development, and we're definitely buying that stock at present."
Mozley (Ozark HS/Ozark, Mo.) also transferred to JCCC this year after playing two seasons at Missouri State University. Last season, Mozley played in 33 games for the Bears, 19 as a starter. He batted .286 (22-for-77) with two doubles, nine runs scored and eight driven in. His .286 average was fourth-best on the team. His freshman year, Mozley came off the bench four times as a pinch hitter.
Hall (Mill Valley HS/Shawnee, Kan.) has played in 69 games for the Cavaliers, and touts a career batting average of .424 (89-for-210) with 23 doubles, five triples, 14 home runs, 94 runs scored and 77 driven in. Prior to the start of the 2021 season, Hall was ranked 100th on the Perfect Game USA Top 300 Prospect List. Last year he was named All-East Jayhawk Conference after producing 18 multiple-hit games and 13 multiple-RBI games. In 2020. Hall was selected as a first-team All-American by JUCO Baseball Blog after batting .462 with 15 extra base hits before the season was shut down to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Iannantone (Joliet Catholic/Plainfield, Ill.) was one of the top hitters in the NJCAA last season with, finishing fourth nationally with a .474 average. He was 81-for-171 with 18 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 62 runs scored and 56 RBI. He was a first-team all-conference and all-region pick and was a JUCO Baseball Blog mid-season All-American. In 2020, he hit .449 (22-for-49) with four doubles, four triples, three homers, 17 runs and 20 driven in. Earlier this season, Iannantone was named a 2022 Preseason All-American by JUCO Baseball Blog. Prior to the 2021 season, he was ranked 148th on the Perfect Game USA top 300 Prospect List.
Brueggemann (Freeburg HS/Smithton, Ill.) comes to JCCC as a highly touted player. He was selected the St. Louis Post Dispatch Baseball Player of the Year his senior year. He was also selected first-team 2A All-State by the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association and first-team All-State by Prep Baseball Report. Brueggeman led the St. Louis area in home runs (12) and RBI (60) his senior year. He also was 9-0 with 47 strikeouts on the mound. He is the first player to lead the area in home runs and finish in the top four in wins since 2008 when Jake Odorizzi, now a Major League pitcher, achieved the same feat.
Chapman (Grain Valley HS/Grain Valley, Mo.) earned first-team All-Conference and second-team All-Region VI last season after finishing 4-2 with a save, a team-high72 strikeouts in 52.2 innings pitched. His 72 strikeouts tied for ninth in the conference. He led the JCCC starting staff with an ERA of 2.73. Chapman came to JCCC last year as the No. 3 ranked lefthander in the state of Missouri according to Perfect Game.
Combs (Springdale HS/Springdale, Ark. came to JCCC as the No. 5 ranked outfielder in the state of Arkansas, and the No. 13 overall player in the state according to Perfect Game. A four-year starter, Combs earned Arkansas All-State and 6A West All-Conference hs senior year. Combs was named the hitter of the year after batting .422 with 24 hits, five doubles, two triples, three home runs, 24 runs scored and 21 RBI.
Koonze (Eureka HS/Eureka, Mo.) was the No. 12 ranked pitcher in the state of Missouri and No. 35 overall in the state according to Perfect Game. He earned All-St. Louis Suburban Conference first-team as a senior. He was 5-1 with an ERA of 1.30 with 85 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched.
A local product, Edwards (Blue Valley HS/Overland Park, Kan.) returned to the area after playing the 2020 season at Cowley. Last season with the. Cavaliers, he made six appearances, and finished 1-0 with 15 strikeouts in nine innings of work. According the JCCC coaches, Edwards possesses a big-time power arm, and now has developed a curve ball to go with his 90+ mph fastball.
Trehey (St. James Academy/Kansas City, Kan.) provides JCCC a lot of experience in the bullpen and eh should be a top-arm this season. Over his career, he has 26 appearances with one start. He stands 1-1 with 10 saves, which ranks third all-time at JCCC. Last year he made a team-high 20 appearances and posted nine saves, which tied for fifth in the NJCAA and is the third-most in a season at JCCC. As a prep, Trehey was the Kansas 5A Pitcher of the Year by Sports in Kansas and the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches in 2019. He was also the Eastern Kansas League Pitcher of the Year.