Seven T-Birds Named All-KJCCC West Division in Baseball

The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference has announced its annual postseason baseball awards for the KJCCC East and West Divisions with the Cloud County Community College baseball team having seven players named to the All-KJCCC West Division Team

Earning second-team All-KJCCC West Division honors would be Ian Riley, Christian Womble, Tom Poole, and Rans Sanders while Jack Mount, Ty Wevers, and Conner Woods would all garner honorable mention All-KJCCC West recognition.

Setting the new Cloud County single-season records for games played (60) and runs scored (82), Riley would finish the year as the only T-Bird to appear in all 60 games that CCCC played while recording the second-highest batting average on the team (.345) and tying for the team lead in hits (67). Of the 67 hits, 28 would go for extra bases which would also rank second on the team while the Austin, Texas native would rank third in the conference for runs scored (82), fourth in walks (45), and fourth in stolen bases (24). For his career with Cloud County, Riley would also set the career records for games played (112), runs scored (135), and walks (82) record while finishing four hit-by-pitches shy of tying the career record after getting hit by 29 pitches in his career.

Leading the T-Birds in pitching starts (14), innings pitched (69.0), and strikeouts (83), Womble would finish the year with a 7-1 overall record on the mound while averaging 10.83 strikeouts per nine innings with an earned run average of 4.30. Throwing one complete game shutout, Womble would rank seventh in the conference in wins (seven), fifth in strikeouts (83), and ninth in ERA (4.30). Five of the seven wins for the Pittsfield, Massachusetts native would come in KJCCC action with a total of 43.2 innings coming in the eight starts made against conference foes.

Setting a new single-season home run record for Cloud County while leading the KJCCC with 23 total long balls, Poole would lead the T-Birds in eight offensive categories (batting average, hits, triples, home runs, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage) while also setting the single-season record for total bases (158). The Calgary, Alberta, Canada native would rank inside the top-eight of the KJCCC in nine offensive categories which in addition to the home run lead included ranking second in triples (five), fourth in RBIs (71), sixth in walks (43) and hit-by-pitches (18) as well as runs scored 72). Of his 67 total hits recorded, 40 would go for extra-bases while reaching base in 52 of 59 games he played in.

Tying the single-season saves record and breaking the career saves record at CCCC, Sanders would prove to be one of the top relievers in the KJCCC this past year after making 18 appearances in relief and throwing 29.1 innings while allowing just eight earned runs on 18 hits. Striking out 30 total batters in 105 at-bats, Sanders would hold opponents to a .171 batting average and finish the year with a team-best 2.45 earned run average while also recording a 3-1 record. In total, Sanders would convert seven saves in 2022 to tie the single-season record set by Tommy Smoot (2003) and Alex Miller (2011) while breaking Smoot's career-record of 12 by earning his 13th save of the year in the Region VI Playoff series-clinching game against Neosho on May 13th.

Making the second-most starts on the pitching staff for CCCC in his freshman year, Mount would go 3-2 on the mound with a 4.53 earned run average after making 14 appearances and 11 starts with three of his appearances coming in Cloud County's six postseason games in 2022. Throwing the second-most innings on the team (55.2 innings), Mount would strike out 75 and hold opponents to a .218 average in addition to averaging 12.13 strikeouts per nine innings. The 75 strikeouts would rank just outside the top-10 in the KJCCC at number 11 while his 12.93 strikeouts per nine innings in conference play ranked third amongst all KJCCC pitchers.

Serving as Cloud County's everyday catcher, Wevers would appear in 47 total games and finish the year with a .316 batting average which included 20 extra-base hits and 26 runs driven in. Of his 20 extra-base hits, 15 would go down as doubles as nearly half of his 42 total hits in 2022 would go for extra bases. Defensively, Wevers would catch 11 runners attempting to steal and record a .988 fielding percentage on 415 total chances with 373 putouts and 37 assists.

Starting the year as one of CCCC's two primary relievers, Woods would work his way into the T-Bird starting rotation late into the year and become one of Cloud County's most versatile pitchers after setting a single-season school-record with 22 pitching appearances and 45.0 total innings pitched. Finishing the year with an earned run average of 3.00, Woods would strike out 63 total batters and make four starts in his 22 appearances while going 3-3 on the mound with four saves. In his first start in conference play against Seward County on April 21st, Woods would be an out away from recording a no-hitter for the T-Birds as part of what would become a one-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts to earn KJCCC Player of the Week honors the following week.