The Cavaliers softball program is coming off of a 34-8 season in 2022, looking to make their mark on the 2023 season with six sophomores and nine freshmen. As Region IV champions 24 of the last 30 seasons, they expect to be a strong contender to win another NJCAA Div. II Region Championship punch a ticket to the National Tournament.
The Cavaliers will depend on the strong play and leadership of the sophomores while looking to the freshmen to quickly learn and gain experience to contribute to the team. The consistency of hitting and defense from the infield will be anchored by sophomores Paxtyn Hicks (1B), and Brooklynn Hummel (3B). The outfield will be led by Brooklyn Brian (RF). Mikayla Smith (C) will lead the pitching staff of Kaitlynn Heale, and Kaitlyn Marks.
Incoming freshmen include pitcher Koralie Morin; catchers Eve Shultz and Mackenzie Tome; infielders Estelle Audette, Sophia Hulsey and Emily Jezowski; and outfielders Jaelyn Wiers, Tori Budde and Lauren Waller. With dependable hitting, power, and speed--plus some young top pitching—the Cavs are expected to compete in a tough Region IV.
In spite of big scoring by several team members, the Kankakee Community College volleyball team fell to Joliet Junior College in three sets Wednesday night.
The Cavaliers got off to a strong start in the first set and stayed close until the charging Wolves from JJC, had a six-point surge to end the set 25-15.
The Cavaliers fought back against several big plays for the Wolves in the second, but it was not enough, and JJC won that set 25-20. The Cavaliers were led offensively by Gabrielle Bradley, a Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School graduate, who recorded seven kills.
In the final set, KCC’s Drew Hosselton scored the first point before JJC ran off five straight points. KCC was led in the third set by Valorie Dagg, who scored on two kills and two blocks. Despite Dagg’s success, several runs by the Wolves put them ahead for the set, 25-19, and a match victory.
The Cavaliers (6-5) travel to Waubonsee Community College to play four matches Sept. 22-23 in the “Region 4 Crossover”.
Stats
G. Bradley 7 kills - 1 ace
G. Basile 7 kills
V. Dagg - 5 kills - 3 blocks - 1 ace
D. Hosselton - 4 kills
After defeating Olive-Harvey College Saturday morning to begin a tri-match, the Kankakee Community College volleyball team took on Highland Community College Saturday afternoon, securing a win in three close sets.
Early in the first set, the Highland Cougars pulled ahead, leading by six points. The Cavaliers bounced back with a service ace from Emma Creek and a kill from Drew Hosselton to move ahead. KCC’s momentum led to a first set win, 25-19.
The Cougars had a burst of energy to begin the second set, and they were ahead early. The Cavaliers recorded kills from Hosselton, Chloe Blakey and Gabrielle Bradley to go ahead. The Cougars then reclaimed the lead until the Cavs answered with six consecutive points to take the set 25-22.
In the third set, a late charge of four straight points by the Cougars nearly erased the Cavaliers’ lead. A well-timed kill from Valorie Dagg solidified the win for KCC, 25-23.
The Cavaliers improved to 6-4, and next take on Joliet Junior College on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. in the KCC Ryan Gymnasium.
The Kankakee Community College volleyball team fell to the Moraine Valley Community College in five sets during a difficult match on Tuesday night.
In the first set, former Manteno High School standout Drew Hosselton tipped the ball over the net late, giving the Cavaliers hope, but Moraine Valley responded by scoring two points and claiming the set 27-25. In the second, the Cyclones scored several service aces, creating a small lead which grew until they claimed the set 25-18.
In the third, KCC’s Gabrielle Bradley and Valorie Dagg made their marks, recording three kills a piece. Gianna Basile handled the Cavaliers’ defense, scoring on two blocks. Despite a short-lived MVCC run in the middle of the third set, the Cavaliers kept their lead. An error by the Cyclones secured the set for KCC, 25-18.
The comeback continued in the fourth set, with Hosselton adding six kills. The Cavaliers later scored five consecutive points to claim the set 25-23.
The match was tied going into the fifth set. The Cyclones took control of the set early and didn’t budge. Although KCC had a run of four points, two from Bradley, it was not enough. The Cyclones walked out with a 15-12 victory and the match.
The Cavaliers are 4-4 this season and next play Olivet Nazarene University’s junior varsity squad on Friday, Sept. 15 in Bourbonnais, IL.
Despite a hat-trick by one Cavaliers player, the Kankakee Community College women’s soccer team lost to Waubonsee Community College on Saturday, Sept. 9.
KCC’s Cavaliers stayed strong under pressure the entire game. Early in the first half, the Waubonsee Chiefs made several unsuccessful surges toward the net. During one early save, KCC’s goalkeeper Mia Robbins had a cleat strike her face, and she had to leave the field. Freshman goalkeeper Haven Maple filled Robbins’ spot, and racked up multiple saves, while still allowing Waubonsee three goals.
The Cavaliers were able to make several attempts to score as well. The first half ended with the Cavs down 0-3.
Mariel Camargo, a Cavaliers sophomore from Kankakee, brought the Cavaliers hope for a turnaround early in the second, catching a cross-field pass and scoring a quick goal. That was soon followed by a goal from Waubonsee, putting them up 4-1.
Cavs sophomore Samantha Popek made several drives, resulting in shots that missed by a small margin. Camargo scored again, shrinking the Cavs’ deficit to two. The Chiefs returned in full force, but despite their best efforts, Maple continued to save the ball, allowing Waubonsee to score no more goals.
With just ten minutes remaining in the game, Camargo completed the hat trick with her third goal of the game. Despite several attempts, the Cavaliers were unable to get the ball into the net again, and they ended with a tough 3-4 loss.
The Cavaliers fell to 1-3-1 on the season and travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to play Madison College on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
The Kankakee Community College Cavaliers men’s soccer team took on the Northeast Community College Hawks Saturday, Aug. 9. The Hawks, ranked seventh in the NJCAA Div. II pre-season poll, took control of the game early. After several saves by KCC goalkeeper Tariq Singh, the Hawks capitalized on an open field and scored first.
The Hawks played fast, and scored again at the end of the first half.
In the second half, the Cavaliers increased the pressure when Mark Griffith, a KCC sophomore, made a decisive drive to the net, passing to another sophomore, Marc Robertson, who shot and nearly scored. Northeast was able to turn the game around and extended their lead to 3-0.
The Cavaliers’ defense continued to improve as the game progressed, and they topped every other drive by the Hawks.
KCC’s offense in the second half was more aggressive, led by sophomore Adrian Duncan, who made shots from the ground and the air. In the last moments of the game, KCC had one more opportunity following a failed Northeast penalty kick. On that Hail Mary shot, Kankakee High School grad Noah Lacy just missed the net. The game ended with Northeast earning the win, 3-0.
The Cavaliers record is 2-3 going into their match against Madison College in Madison, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.
In a tough game against Southeastern, the Lady Cavs were unable to get any runs across the plate and fell by a final score of 8-0. Estelle Audette and Tori Budde were the only KCC batters to record hits. Pitchers Kaitlynn Heale and Kaitlyn Marks combined for 4.2 innings pitched, giving up 13 hits and eight runs, two of which were earned. Heale took the loss, dropping her record to 0-2 on the season.
In a tough road matchup, KCC struggled to get anything going against North Iowa Area, falling 10-0. NIACC jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding five more in the second. They continued to pile on with three more runs in the third inning. KCC's offense was held to just one hit, a double by Paxtyn Hicks.
For the Lady Cavs, Paxtyn Hicks went 1-for-2 with a double, but unfortunately that was the only hit of the game for the team. Pitcher Koralie Morin took the loss, giving up seven runs in just 1.1 innings. Kaitlynn Heale came in for relief, allowing three more runs in 2.2 innings of work.
Head Coach Keith Cooper is entering his 6th season with the Cavaliers. Coach Cooper has posted a career record of 131-72-1, as well as winning two NJCAA Div. II Region IV District C Coach of the Year awards, and two NJCAA Div. II Region IV Championships.
Before becoming KCC’s head coach, Cooper was a community leader and coach of youth sports at various levels for 23 years. He held multiple positions on local league boards of directors, and was president of the Kankakee Knights of Columbus Little League, Knights of Columbus Bronco League, Kankakee Elks Pony League, and the Kankakee Valley Colt and Palomino League.
Cooper’s involvement as a coach has taken him to many tournaments at Illinois State University in Normal; Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan; and three State Fast Pitch Softball Tournaments in National Softball Association in Illinois.
Prior to becoming the head coach for Lady Cavs softball, he assisted with the KCC Women’s Basketball team as official scorekeeper for home games and often traveled with the team.
Coach Cooper was born in Kankakee, raised in Limestone, and graduated from Kankakee High School in 1990. He is a former KCC student, where he studied Law Enforcement. Cooper worked for AT&T for 18 years.
He and his wife, Lisa, reside in Kankakee. They have four children and nine grandchildren.
Assistant Head Coach John Teders enters his 5th season coaching for the Cavaliers. He brings a wealth of sports knowledge and coaching experience. Since Coach Teders joined the staff, The team has amassed a 104-48 record
Coach Teders grew up in the area and was an all-star athlete through his high school career in football and baseball. After high school, he continued to play baseball at KCC, as well as playing on several slow pitch softball teams. Teders has been involved in coaching for the past 20 years in softball, baseball, and football, and brings extensive knowledge of the mechanics of pitching for both women and men.
Outside of sports, Coach Teders is a union carpenter with many years of experience in residential and commercial construction. He and his wife , Lori, have three children and one granddaughter.
Coach Mikayla Cole enters her 4th year as an assistant coach at KCC. She is a graduate of Bishop McNamara High School in Kankakee, where she excelled at softball all four years under Coach Laura Harms, a 2002 KCC graduate and former Chicago Bandits professional softball player. In high school, Coach Cole was an all-area player, as well as Bishop McNamara’s MVP her senior year. Cole played travel softball for eight years. In her last year of travel ball, Cole pitched and won the national title game.
Coach Cole was a pitcher and outfielder at KCC under Coach Cooper. Both years with the Cavaliers, she led the team in batting average and went to the NJCAA Div. II National Tournament. Cole graduated from KCC in 2019 with an Associate in Arts transfer degree.
In addition to her assistant job with the Cavaliers, Cole coached her younger sister’s team to three straight championship games. She also has been the junior high coach at Donovan, head JV coach at Clifton Central High School, and Nash Middle School coach. She now coaches 16u travel softball for Champaign Blue Ice Elite and offers pitching and hitting lessons.
Cole recently had her first child. She also enjoys spending time with her siblings, twins Kloie and Keegan. A huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Boston Red Sox, she enjoys watching as many games as possible.
Coach Kayden Mines enters her first year as an assistant coach at KCC. She is a graduate of Knoxville High School in Knoxville, Illinois, where she played softball all four years. She was on KCC’s softball team in 2020, when the season was canceled because of COVID-19. She did play the 2021 season for the Cavaliers. Head Coach Keith Cooper said, “We are very excited to see what challenges Coach Mines brings to the team, and congratulate her in her exciting new role.”