OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Johnson County baseball team is set to continue its hopeful march toward the NJCAA Region 6 Championship on Wednesday, May 11, when they host Dodge City in a best-of-three series. Games are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and if necessary, a third game is needed it will take place on Friday. All three are scheduled for the first pitch at 1 p.m.
A Look at JCCC
Johnson County stands 41-15 on the season and finished third in the East Division behind Cowley and Kansas City Kansas. The Cavaliers lead the conference in batting average (.356), hits (607) and runs (510). They are second in doubles (133), RBI (469) and stolen bases (140).
Johnson County has 13 players hitting .300 or better led by sophomore Nick Iannantone at .404 (74-for-183). His 74 hits lead the squad, and he leads the team with 25 multiple-hit games.
Close behind at .391 is freshman Colin Brueggemann. The team MVP and JCCC Male Athlete of the Year has collected 68 hits, highlighted by 20 home runs which is tied for most in the KJCCC. He also ranks third for a season all-time at JCCC and is just six shy of the season mark. Brueggemann also leads the team with 65 RBI which has him ninth on the season chart. Brueggeman has 22 multi-hit games, and he leads the team with 19 multi-RBI games.
Sophomore Blake Mozley and freshman Cooper Combs are also having tremendous seasons. Mozley is batting .387 (70-for-181) with 27 doubles, a triple, nine home runs 57 runs and 55 driven in. His 27 doubles are a new season record, breaking the previous mark of 24 set in 2009 by Davis Morgan. Combs is hitting at a .383 clip (65-for-170) with nine doubles, four triples, 12 home runs, 61 runs and 50 driven in.
On the bump, freshman left-hander Trent Martin and sophomore right-hander Hayden Minton are the top victory leaders on the staff. Martin is 8-1 with 66 strikeouts in 53.1 innings. Minton is one back at 7-1 and has 70 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched.
As a staff, JCCC ranks second in the conference in ERA at 4.32 and in strikeouts with 509.
A Look at Dodge City
The Conquistadors are above .500 with a mark of 28-25, but they were 15-17 in conference play, finishing in sixth place in the West Division. As a team they are batting .315, eight-best in the KJCCC and are third in home runs with 77. However, the Dodge City pitching staff has struggled this season. Their staff ERA is 8.16, 14th out of 19 teams and they have allowed 61 home runs, tied for fifth-most.
Sophomore Jake Miller is the Conqs top hitter with a .382 average (47-for-123) with 18 extra base hits and 30 driven in. Their top home run hitters are sophomore Kory Schmidt (13), sophomore Trevor Blackwell (12) and freshman Caden Matlon (10). Blackwell is the team's RBI leader with 56, followed by Matlon with 39 and Blackwell with 36.
On the hill, sophomore right-hander Tristan Wolf is the Conqs top hurler. He is 4-1 with 72 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.47.
The Coaches
Johnson County head coach Eric Horner is in his second season leading the Cavaliers but is in his 19th season overall with the program having served as an assistant for 17 years. In his rookie season Horner led Johnson County to a 43-10 record and a final season ranking of No. 17. He also coached nine all-conference performers, with three landing on the first-team, and two All-Region 6 selections.
This year his team stands 41-15, making him the only coach in program history to post back-to-back 40-win seasons in their first two serving as head coach.
Dodge City is led by first-year head coach Brett Doe. He came to Dodge City after five seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for his alma mater, Navarro College. He helped the program compile a 190-104-1 record, four Southwest Junior College Conference championships and a triple to the 2019 NJCAA World Series where the program finished third.
As a shortstop at Navarro, Doe helped lead the Bulldogs to their first ever NJCAA National Championship in 2011 and followed that up with a National Runner-Up finish in 2012. We moved on to Baylor in 2013 and 2014 where he was named team captain. He ranked second on the team in both batting average and on-base percentage as a senior. Doe was then drafted in the 38th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins, where he spent two seasons in the organization.
The Series
Johnson County and Dodge City have only met up seven times prior to this series, with JCCC holding a 5-2 edge. This will be the third time they have faced off in postseason play. JCCC won 7-1 in 2007 and 7-4 in 2017.
Both teams have made two trips to the NJCAA World Series. Johnson County first qualified in 2008, and again in 2014. They were eliminated after two games each time. Dodge City made its first trip in 1958. It would take 57 years for the Conquistadors to qualify again going in 2015.