OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference announced its 2023 regular season honors for Division II softball and 10 difference Johnson County players were recognized, including one major award.
Lady Cavaliers right-handed pitcher Jordan Harrison headlines JCCC's representation in the KJCCC's postseason awards announcement, as she was named the Most Valuable Player of the Year. She is the seventh player in team history to be named MVP and the fourth pitcher.
Harrison was joined on the first team by outfielder Taryn Burkhardt, catcher Gaige Pinkerton and first baseman Kate Ediger.
Shortstop Toree Hoobler and pitcher Maggie McNally made the cut for the second team while third baseman Hannah Archdekin, center fielder Eve Morris, left fielder Lauren Roberts and second baseman Emma Smith were selected as honorable mention performers.
Johnson County, along with co-conference champion Cowley, each had four first-team selections and 10 players honored overall. The Lady Cavaliers finished the season with a mark of 33-8, a third-place finish in the Plains District A Tournament and final NJCAA National Ranking of 13.
Harrison proved to be on the top arms in the conference in 2023, punctuated by her selection as Pitcher of the Week five times during the season. Harrison led the conference with a 1.78 earned run average, ranked third in strikeouts with 159 and second in wins with 20. Overall, she finished the season 20-3 with 13 complete game victories, including a perfect game at Hesston April 19. She also recorded 10+ strikeouts five times, highlighted by a 13-strikeout effort in a win at Highland April 22. Her 20 victories tie for 12th on JCCC's season chart, and her 159 strikeouts tie for 11th. She had a record of 30-10 over her career, with 270 strikeouts which rank seventh all-time.
However, Harrison proved to be a powerful asset at the plate as well. She bated .508 (32-for-63) with four doubles, a team-high seven home runs, 13 runs scored and 26 RBI. Her .508 average is the 10th-best in a season at JCCC. In doubleheader sweep at Labette April 29, Harrison belted four total home runs, two in each game, and drove in eight runners.
Last week, Harrison was named the JCCC Female Athlete of the Year. She was a first-team all-conference and all-district selection last year.
Burkhardt also had a tremendous rookie campaign. She hit at a .504 clip (59-for-117) with seven doubles, three triples, a home run, 51 runs scored and 18 driven in. She also has 37 stolen bases. Her 51 runs ranked fourth in the conference, and she ranked third in stolen bases, which rank her seventh on JCCC's season chart. Burkhardt has collected 14 multiple-hit games, including four-hit efforts at Allen and at Coffeyville, and two multi-RBI games. One of her multi-hit games was when she hit for a cycle against Coffeyville on May 1, which eventually earned her the KJCCC D-II Player of the Week. She has also stolen multiple bases in a game 12 times.
Pinkerton led the conference batting with an average of .545 (55-for-101), 41 points higher than the next best hitter. That average also ranked her among the top 10 in the country and is he fourth-best ever at JCCC. She had collected 11 doubles, two home runs, 32 runs scored and 40 RBI. She led the team with 18 multiple-hit games and had driven in multiple-runs in 11 games. Pinkerton also had the longest hitting streak at 23 games, the seventh longest in team history.
Ediger was another top freshman on the Lady Cavaliers roster this season. She hi .448 (56-for-125) with 13 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 27 runs scored and 49 driven in. Her 49 RBI led the team and ranked sixth in the conference. One her home runs was a grand slam in a win over Neosho County April 13. Ediger has produced 15 multiple-hit games and leads the team with 13 multiple-RBI games, including three with four driven in. She was named the KJCCC Player of the Week for the 10th week this season.
An all-conference and all-district selection last year, Hoobler's 2023 numbers have well surpassed her production a year ago. She batted .407 (46-for-113), 105 points higher than her freshman season. She collected 10 doubles, a triple, a home run, 39 runs and 27 RBI. She also 28 stolen bases, second on the team and seventh in the conference. In a win at Allen March 30, she stole four bases, tying the second-best single game in team history.
McNally was an outstanding number two pitcher for the Lady Cavaliers in 2023. She finished 13-4 with 132 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.71. She also has hurled 10 complete games and had four games with 10 strikeouts. During the season, she won nine straight games. Her 2.71 ERA ranked sixth in the conference, and her 132 strikeouts were the fifth-most. McNally was named the KJCCC D-II Pitcher of the Week twice, earning the honor in weeks nine and 13.
Archdekin batted .379 on the season (39-for-103) with 10 doubles, a triple, two home runs, 19 runs scored and 29 driven in. She has produced 11 multiple-hit games and eight multiple-RBI games, highlighted by a team-high six RBI effort in a win at Allen March 30. Archdekin was twice named the KJCCC Player of the Week, earning the honor in weeks six and nine.
Morris batted .437 (45-for-103) with 17 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 23 runs scored and 28 RBI. She also has 17 stolen bases, third-most on the squad. Morris tallied 10 multiple-hit games and three multiple-RBI games.
Roberts hit at a .333 clip (29-for-87) with eight doubles, a home run, 19 runs scored and 16 driven in. She produced seven multiple-hit games, including two with three hits, and four multiple-RBI games. One of her three-hit games was at Highland when she ripped three triples, which tied the third-best game in team history.
Smith batted .309 on the season (30-for-97) with eight doubles, a triple, three home runs, 23 runs scored and 15 RBI. She collected eight multiple-hit games and three multiple-RBI games.