The Cavaliers enter the 2021 season with high expectations. The program has enjoyed recent success, including an NJCAA National Championship in 2017, and are poised to make a run at another Region IV Championship this spring.
“The season has a bit of a different feel going in with the COVID situation and the lack of game experience our players have,“ says Coach Todd Post. “We have trained, as we do each season, to have our players ready in March and be playing our best baseball as we prepare for the Region IV Tournament the second week of May.”
The Cavaliers have a solid staff of starting pitchers led by Bobby Nowak, Kyle Iwinski, Dylan Wolff, Joel Holtcamp, Matt Lelito, Trent Spoon. Gavin King, Tanner Sobkoviak, Trey Bryant, Gavin Nareski, Josh Varner, Jake Pevion, Marek Bauner and Malachi Mabins will see action out of the bullpen. Josiah Zamora will start the season in the closer role.
The catching duties will belong to Kyle Czarnecki, Peyton Williams and Garret Latoz.
“We have talent and depth on the pitching staff and behind the plate,” Post said. “We will look to multiple players for success this season.”
Key position players that will impact the team this season include middle of the order hitters, 1B/DH Owen Jackson, 2B Ian Sanders and C Kyle Czarnecki. Outfielders Jake Vera, Drake Schrodt, Joey Humphrey, Tyler Jakob and Jared Holley will also see action this spring. Infielders Kelden Tyson and Josiah Zamora will anchor the left side of the infield for the Cavs. Matt Lelito, Nick Schindler, Mark Miller, and Trevor Meier will also provide depth in the infield.
“Our lineup will be able to score runs in a variety of ways and we will put pressure on our opponents with our team speed,” says Post. “Consistent pitching and defense are always the keys to winning a Region IV Championship.”
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Kankakee Community College police officer Vernal Turner does a lot of walking around the college. In his second job, he runs the sidelines as a basketball official.
In spring 2021, Turner will be inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame for his work as an official. For 17 years, Turner has been an Illinois High School Association official.
He currently officiates for the Northern Athletic Conference, Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. For eight seasons, Turner has been an official at NBA training camps for the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls. In 2019, he became a court side administrator, working for the NBA.
Among the noteworthy high school games he has officiated are seven Chicago city championships; three IHSA boys basketball championships (3-A in 2013, 4-A in 2014, and 3-A and 4-A in 2019); and the McDonald’s All-American game in 2016. He will be the first person to have played in IBCA All-Star Game (1981), officiate the IBCA All-Star Game (2016), and be inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame.
In all, there will be more than 100 new IBCA Hall of Fame members, including nine officials. Due to COVID-19, the IBCA has not finalized its plans for an induction ceremony.
Turner also is president of Top Notch Officiating Camp for Officials Training and Development. In 2019 and 2020, he organized the Top Notch Health Awareness Challenge at KCC. The event pitted Kankakee-area high school basketball teams playing teams from Chicago. Each team also participated in health awareness sessions.
At KCC, Turner has been a part-time police officer since 2015.
Posted On: 06/04/20
Twenty-three Kankakee Community College student-athletes have received NJCAA honors for academic achievements during the 2019-20 school year.
The All-Academic First Team members, with a 4.0 grade point average, are: Leighann Allison of Kankakee, volleyball; Mallory Drake of Watseka, women’s basketball; Paige Glass of Kankakee, softball; Anna Jennings of Cissna Park, volleyball; Kloe Longtin of Herscher, volleyball; and Lanie Malone of Manteno, softball.
The All-Academic Second Team members, with grade point averages between 3.80-3.99, are: Makenna Goldtrap of Chebanse, softball; Eddie Saner of Springfield, baseball; and Julian Stadeli of Cissna Park, men’s basketball.
The All-Academic Third Team members, with grade point averages of 3.60-3.79, are: Madison Allen of Bushnell, women’s basketball; Owen Behrens of Prophetstown, baseball; Sloan Boyce of Cissna Park (pictured), volleyball; Sierra Cureton of Manteno, volleyball; Andrew Douglas of Watseka (pictured), men’s soccer; Ashley Harwood of Kankakee, volleyball; Isabelle Hille of Fort Wayne, Ind., women’s basketball; Michael Machnic of Walkerton, Ind., baseball; Michael Moshkovitz of Jerusalem, Israel, men’s basketball; Andrew Saliba of Peotone, men’s soccer; Emma Schriner of Bourbonnais (pictured), softball; Clayton Thompson of Schererville, Ind., baseball; Peyton Williams of Lafayette, Ind., baseball; and Kierra Williamson of Hazel Crest, women’s basketball.
Congratulations to Coach Todd Post on being inducted into the NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame for 2020
Todd Post started his college coaching career at Kankakee Community College in 1993 as an assistant baseball coach. During his seven years as assistant (1993-2000), the program won three Sectional and three Region Championships. Coach Post took over as the head coach for the 2001 season. Since that time, the Cavaliers have won 16 Sectional Championships and two Region Championships. At the National Tournament, Post’s teams finished third in 2009 and won the NJCAA Div. II National Championship in 2017. Overall, Post’s record as KCC head baseball coach is 791-356 (.684). Since 2008, Post’s teams have averaged at least 43 wins per season through the 56 game regular season. During Post’s tenure as head coach, more than 150 players have transferred to four-year institutions to complete their degrees, and 12 players have signed to play professionally.
Congratulations Dylan Post and Nick Crowe
2019 Division II All North Central District/Region IV
Rawlings Gold Glove Team
The Cavaliers are coming off a 42-17 season and a 3rd place finish in the Region IV Tournament.
The 2017 NJCAA DII National Championship was a great accomplishment for the players and the program. We continue to have the same goals for our program, which include preparing our players academically and athletically to be successful at the 4-year university, compete for a Region IV Championship, and win 40 games each season.
The Cavaliers have several key players back for their sophomore seasons. These include OF Dylan Post: .295 BA, 9 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 15 SB, INF Wade Rankin: .455 BA, 11 2B, 1 HR, 20 RBI, and 6 SB, C Jett MCGowan: .308 BA, 7 2B, 24 RBI, DH/1B Cristian Burciaga: .315 BA, 11 2B, 1 HR, 37 RBI, and RHP Will Wentz: 5-0, 1.61 ERA, 28 IP. Nick Barnes: 3-0, 4.03 ERA, 22.1 IP. Sophomore infielders Alex Hoss, Jake Campbell, Tobey Rigsby and transfer Cole Eshleman are looking to contribute this season. On the mound sophomores, LHP Nick Crowe and RHP Donnie Craft are both coming off solid fall outing and look to contribute to the pitching staff.
The freshman will definitely play a key role in the success of this team. They are led by shortstop Cole Stigleman, who has a dependable glove and a lethal bat. Corner infielders Jaret Humphrey and Michael Machnic will provide some thunder to the middle of the lineup. Nate James also provides a solid middle infielder and a left-handed bat. Outfielders Koltan Moore, Griffin Scaggs and Nate Vargo will also impact the lineup for the Cavaliers. Catcher Nick Anderson provides depth behind the plate or off the bench as a pinch hitter.
On the mound, the team will look to Freshman Nick Laxner, Owen Behrens, Bobby Nowak, Aaron Ball, Jacob Duffy and Tyler Jasmin to solidify the starting rotation. Nolan Lebamoff, Jake Schueter, Tanner Walls, Max Minich and Ike Speiser will compete for innings out of the bullpen.
“We have talent and depth on the pitching staff and will be able to look to multiple players for success this season,” says Head Coach Todd Post. “Pitching and defense is our focus and being consistent in both areas will give us a great chance to win the Region IV Tournament in May.”
The early season for the Cavaliers consists of a 10 game schedule opening up with John A. Logan on the way to Myrtle Beach for the spring trip March 1-9 at the Ripken Experience.
Congratulations to our 3 Athletics All Americans:
Jasmine Elliott- Women’s Basketball
Christian Jacobson- Men’s Basketball
Bryce Butler- Baseball
Congratulations to two of our athletic teams for being recognized by the NJCAA for their academic excellence. To be recognized the team must have a combined GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Baseball 3.14 GPA
Softball 3.17 GPA
Congratulations to our Academic All Americans. These athletes received a 3.60 or higher GPA.
Soccer
2017-2018 Bobby Cooper 3.84
2017-2018 Connor Blanchette 3.85
2017-2018 Santiago Mena 3.91
2017-2018 Nicolas Mena 3.91
2017-2018 Jacob McCleary 4
2018 Andrew Newsome 3.63
2018 Dawson Swearengen 3.77 *Freshman
Volleyball
2017-2018 Courtney Johnson 3.69
Softball
2018 Halle McCrory 3.75
2018 Megan Lanie 3.78 *Freshman
2018 Amber Daly 3.92
2018 Marissa West 3.64
Baseball
2017-2018 Hayden Stoewer 3.94
2017 Dylan Dodd 3.63
2018 Bryce Butler 3.65
2018 Dylan Post 3.76 *Freshman
2018 Wade Rankin 3.78 *Freshman
2018 Matt Kingery 3.77
Congratulations to Baseball’s Bryce Butler for being named to the NJCAA DII All American 2nd team.
His individual achievements for KCC during the 2018 season are as follows:
217 At Bats- 17th all time
70 Runs- tied 11th all time
86 Hits- 9th all time
40 Base on Balls (Walks)- 14th all time
Bryce will be attending Catawba College in North Carolina.
The new athletics Facebook is now live. Please follow us for updates on teams, scores, and happenings in the athletic department at Kankakee Community College.
Congratulations pitcher Brennan Kelly on your Gold Glove Award! This national honor is awarded to the best fielding percentage per position in the NJCAA DII. Brennan fielded a PERFECT 1.000 for the 2018 season!
KCC 2018 Incoming Class
Name: Height: Weight: Position: High School:
Nick Anderson 6’2” 180 C Highland(IN)
Aaron Ball 6’2” 200 RHP Lakeland (MI)
Owen Behrens 6’1” 175 RHP Prophetstown
Lynn Bland 6’2” 175 INF Benton Harbor(MI)
Jacob Duffy 6’5” 225 RHP Pontiac
Cole Eshleman 5’9” 175 INF PBL
Jaret Humphrey 6’3” 230 INF Lewis Cass (IN)
Nathan James 5’8” 150 INF Castle (IN)
Tyler Jasmin 6’1” 180 INF/RHP BBCHS
Luke Jones 5’9” 160 C Rantoul
Nolan Lebamoff 6’4” 200 RHP Neuqua Valley
Michael Machnic 6’4” 210 INF John Glenn (IN)
Max Minich 6’2” 215 RHP Leo (IN)
Koltan Moore 5’10” 175 OF Bluffton (IN)
Bobby Nowak 6’4” 180 RHP/INF Hanover Central(IN)
Griffin Scaggs 6’ 175 OF Castle (IN)
Ben Smith 6’1” 205 C Normal West
Cole Stigleman 6’1” 180 INF Jay County (IN)
Jake Schlueter 6’ 170 RHP St. Joe Ogden
Nate Vargo 5’10” 175 OF Penn (IN)
Tanner Walls 6’2” 190 RHP Pontiac
The Athletics Department is thrilled to introduce our brand-new website!
This site allows us to interact more than ever before through live social media feeds, news stories, and more. Please share a link to https://athletics.kcc.edu so friends and prospective students/athletes can stay up-to-date with our athletic programs.
What else?
We have improved site navigation so you can find details for both fans and athletes. We’re sure you’ll also notice the pictures are big and bold! Take a look around and you’ll plenty of other helpful information.
Thanks for visiting! Please let us know if you have any feedback.
Baseball finished the season with a Sectional Championship and a record of 42-17. The Cavaliers fell short of the National Tournament losing to McHenry County 6-3. KCC wants to wish all of the sophomores the best of luck as they move on in their athletic and educational careers.
Cavs win first DII World Series The Cavs defeated Mercer County (NJ) 11-5 in the 2017 Division II Baseball World Series to win its first baseball championship in program history.
Head Coach Todd Post brings enthusiasm and a passion for the game to the field every day.
Post has completed 20 seasons as the Cavaliers head coach, with a record of 796-359-8. Prior to becoming head coach in 2001, he was the assistant coach for seven years.
During Coach Post’s tenure, the Cavaliers have averaged more than 41 wins per season, and 164 players have gone on to play at the next level. Since 2001, 64 Cavs have been named All-Region, 31 have been named All-Americans, and 12 have signed professional contracts.
In 2017 Post coached the Cavaliers to the NJCAA Division II National Championship, defeating Mercer County C.C. (N.J.), 11-5 in Enid, Okla. The Cavaliers finished with a record of 54-11-1. In 2009, they finished 3rd at the World Series with a record of 52-14-1. In all, the Cavs have won seven Region IV Championships and have made five World Series appearances. Post was inducted into the Region IV Hall of Fame in spring 2020.
Post is a 1987 graduate of Danville Area Community College, where he played basketball for two years. He then attended KCC and began his college baseball career as a pitcher for the Cavaliers in 1988.
Coach Post transferred to Benedictine University in Lisle where he was a two-year First Team NICC All-Conference pitcher. In 1989, he was named to the All-Midwest Region first team, and Athlete of the Year at Benedictine in 1990. He graduated from Benedictine in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
Post has maintained a connection to professional baseball by working as an associate scout for the last 16 years. Since 2002, he has worked with the San Diego Padres.
In addition to head coaching duties, Post works with players on hitting and defensive aspects of the game.
Post also is KCC’s athletic director. He resides in rural Kankakee with his wife, Julianne. Their son, Dylan, is a senior at Illinois State University. Their daughter, Jordan, is a registered nurse at University of Chicago Hospital.
Coach Shafer is entering his sixth season as an assistant at KCC. Since 2016 Coach Shafer has seen 23 of his pitchers move on to four year schools or the MLB Draft: Ten to NCAA Division I, six to NCAA Division II, five to NAIA and one– Waylon Richardson–was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies (2018). In 2019, the Cavaliers pitching staff broke the KCC strikeout record with 414 strikeouts on the season.
Prior to KCC, Coach Shafer attended Valparaiso University from 2007-10. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 2010 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. In 2010 at Valparaiso, Shafer tallied 121 strikeouts, second-most in Crusader history and third most in Horizon League history, earning him Horizon League Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors.
Shafer pitched in the Cubs organization from 2010 to 2012 (2.99 ERA, 110 strikeouts, 111.1 innings). In 2013 Shafer pitched for the Frontier Greys and in 2014, for the River City Rascals, both in the Frontier League of Independent Baseball.
For the Cavaliers, he works with pitchers and catchers and assists with recruiting. Shafer also works as an academic success coach for the Athletic Department. Coach Shafer has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ft. Hays State University (2015).
Coach Shafer resides in Manteno with his wife, Jill, and their two sons, Carver and Callum.
Coach Ulrey is entering his third season as an assistant at KCC. Prior to KCC, Ulrey was an assistant at NCAA Division II University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Ulrey’s collegiate career started at KCC in 2013, where he started both years behind the plate. In his time at KCC, he attained All-Region honors and is in 8 of KCC’s career hitting records. Ulrey transferred to UMSL where he was a two-time GLVC All-Conference player and led the GLVC both years in runners caught stealing.
Coach Ulrey has worked with over 300 hitters and catchers in his three years of being an instructor at The Yard Sports Complex in Greenfield, Indiana.
For the Cavaliers, Coach Ulrey will work primarily with the hitters and catchers. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.