CONCORDIA – The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference has released its annual KJCCC Baseball West Division All-Conference selections as six players from the Cloud County Community College baseball team have earned All-KJCCC West honors for their play in 2021.
Earning first-team All-KJCCC West was Noah Olson along with second-team selections Garrett Redden and Kolby Dougan while Willie Ponce, Williams Camacho-Soto, and Christian Womble each earned Honorable-Mention All-KJCCC West accolades.
"We are proud of these guys for all of their accomplishments and accolades" said Cloud County head baseball coach Eric Gilliland. "Having five true freshman earn all-conference honors should provide some stability and optimism heading into next year as well."
The first-team All-KJCCC West honors for Olson comes following one of the best seasons put together by a T-Bird in recent history as the Omaha, Nebraska native would lead the team and become just the 22nd player from CCCC since 1983 to hit over .400 in a season by finishing with a .404 batting average. Setting the single-season record for doubles with 27, Olson would record a total of 42 extra-base hits and also drive in a team-best 66 runs this past season with a team-high 12 home runs. Olson would also steal nine bases and record a .515 on-base percentage while finishing with 74 total hits, the third-most in single-season history at Cloud County.
"Noah put together one of the best seasons in the history of our program" said Gilliland. "He was a pleasure to coach and one of the best pure ballplayers we have had here at Cloud County." "He loves to compete between the lines but is also an outstanding leader and person off the field."
Putting together a strong freshman campaign offensively to earn second-team All-KJCCC West Division honors would be Redden following a year that saw the Sealy, Texas native appear in 51 games and start 50 while recording a .357 batting average. Of Redden's 49 hits, 21 would go for extra-bases including 11 home runs while driving in 33 runs and drawing a team-high 21 hit-by-pitches. The 11 home runs by Redden was tied for ninth-most in a single-season at Cloud County.
A three-time KJCCC Baseball Pitcher of the Week, Dougan earns second-team All-KJCCC West accolades following a strong freshman year that saw the Topeka, Kansas native go 8-5 on the mound with a 3.86 earned run average. Throwing three complete games and striking out 100 in 70 innings pitched, Dougan would hold opposing batters to a .215 batting average and allow just 17 extra-base hits all season while serving as Cloud County's game one starter in series' against KJCCC opponents.
Putting together a late push to end the season would earn Ponce Honorable-Mention All-KJCCC West Division honors after ending the year on a nine-game hitting streak and collecting a hit in 10 of his final 11 games. Appearing in 39 games and starting 33 for the T-Birds, the Olathe, Kansas native would finish with the fourth-highest batting average on the team at .350 with 11 doubles, three triples, and two home runs. Ponce would also record multiple hits in 11 of the 39 games that he appeared in for Cloud County while serving as CCCC's second-baseman for most of the season.
One of Cloud County's more consistent offensive threats, Camacho-Soto would appear in and start each of the CCCC's first 47 games before seeing his season cut short due to injury as the Burnaby, British Columbia native would record a .338 batting average with 20 extra-base hits and 46 RBIs. In total, Camacho-Soto would have at least one hit in 34 of the 47 games that he appeared in and never went more than two games without a base hit during the 2021 season.
Womble would make nine appearances and start six games for Cloud County on the mound while finishing with a 3.96 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched to earn Honorable-Mention All-KJCCC West accolades as the Pittsfield, Massachusetts native would go 2-1 with 37 strikeouts. Allowing just 20 runs (16 earned) on the season, Womble would see each of his final four outings of the year last at least five innings while going a career-long seven innings and match a career-high with seven strikeouts in a road win over KJCCC West Division Champion Hutchinson on April 18.