Baseball-Cavaliers clinch conference title
05/04/10
Story by Tyler Cundith
Baseball-Cavaliers clinch conference title
OVERLAND PARK, KS - The Johnson County Community College baseball program
has reached many milestones under the direction of NJCAA Hall of Fame coach
Kent Shelley. In 2002, Kit Pellow, a former Shelley player, became the first to play
in a Major League game. His 2008 team recorded his first 40-win season, earned the
program's first trip to the JUCO World Series and top 10 national ranking. Last year's
team won 43 games, the most under Shelley and this year's squad ended a 26-year
drought by winning the first East Jayhawk Conference title since 1984, and first for
coach Shelley.
"I am really happy for my coaches and the players," Shelley said. "This was one goal
they wanted to accomplish."
The Cavaliers entered the final double header of the season with Allen County
Community College needing just one victory to lock up the conference title. The
Cavaliers took care of that business in the game one, winning 3-1 over the Red Devils.
Sophomore right-hander Zack Smith was nearly perfect, pitching a complete game.
He scatted three hits, and allowed only one unearned run in his seven innings on the
hill. The victory was Smith's seventh on the season, which ties him for second on the
staff.
JCCC's offense was held in check for most of the game, but Harrison Gerber,
Davis Morgan and John Calhoun provided all the offense the Cavaliers
would need, collecting six of the team's seven hits in the game. Gerber
went 2-for-4 with a double. Morgan was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and
Calhoun was 2-for-2 with an RBI.
With the title in hand, Shelley mixed things up a little in the second game, allowing
some different players to get some extra work. Those changes proved costly as the
Cavaliers made six errors in the game, and were shut out for just the fourth time all
season. JCCC lost the game 5-0, and saw its school record 19-game win streak come
to an end.
Vince Spilker got his second start of the year. The freshman right-hander pitched five
innings of very good baseball, but three unearned runs proved too much to overcome.
Mitchell Overstreet and Ethan Weber look good in their outings on the mound, and look
ready to go for postseason play.