OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Johnson County Community College head baseball coach Eric Horner announced that Michael Yeager has been hired as the first full-time assistant coach in the history of the program. The position officially started July 1. Yeager had previously served seven seasons as a part-time assistant for coaches Horner and Hall-of-Famer Kent Shelley.
In his seven seasons, the Cavaliers have posted a record of 285-100 (.740), with three conference runner-up finishes. He also helped coach six All-Americans, 14 All-Region VI performers, 60 All-East Jayhawk Conference selections and 66 student-athletes have NJCAA All-Academic honors. He also has helped 87 players advance their careers to a four-year level program.
Last season JCCC opened the season ranked No. 17 in the NJCAA, No. 11 in JUCO Baseball Blog and received votes in both the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Prep Baseball Report preseason polls. The Cavaliers finished the season 46-17 overall, and 23-9 in conference play, good for third place. He would also help coach nine all-conference selections, with four also earning All-Region VI honors. Johnson County was one of the top hitting teams in the NJCAA. They ranked seventh with a team batting average of .356. They also ranked in the top-10 nationally in hits (684-6th), doubles (146-7th), RBI (526-9th), runs (579-9th), total bases (1118-8th) and extra base hits (250-7th).
Off the diamond nine student-athletes earned NJCAA All-Academic honors.
Yeager played two seasons for Shelley in 2012 and 2013. In his two seasons as a player at Johnson County, Yeager split time behind the plate and at first base. He was a .357 hitter over his career (82-for-230) with nine doubles, a triple, 40 runs and 34 RBI. He recorded 24 multiple-hit games and eight multiple-RBI games.
His freshman campaign in 2012, Yeager garnered All-East Jayhawk Conference honorable mention honors at first bast after hitting .417 (43-for-103). He also had four doubles, scored 26 times and drove in 14. His 11 multi-hit and five multi-RBI games ranked second on the team. As a team, the Cavaliers posted a 40-18 mark and captured the East Jayhawk Conference championship.
The following season Yeager batted .307 (39-for-127) with five doubles, a triple, 14 runs and 20 RBI. He ranked second on the squad in average, RBI and multiple-hit games.
Yeager continued his playing career at Missouri Western State University. As a junior, he played in 14 games, six as a starer. He made 24 plate appearances and collected two hits, including a home run, and four RBI.
Yeager became a regular in the lineup his senior year, making 33 starts. He hit .270 (24-for-89) with two doubles, two homers, 19 runs and 12 RBI. He had multiple-hit games, including three hits against Nebraska-Kearny (4-11-15). A week earlier, Yeager belted a three run home run against Truman State (4-7-15). He also posted a fielding percentage of .995, committing just one error in 187 fielding chances.