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 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.
The KCC softball team opened up their season in Burlington, IA on Saturday. In their opening game, they played a strong Des Moines Area team and came up short, losing 9-5. Despite the loss, Estelle Audette had a standout performance for KCC, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two RBIs, and three stolen bases. Tori Budde also had a strong showing at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
The Lady Cavs offense left eight runners on base. They did manage to hit three doubles, with Estelle Audette, Sophia Hulsey, and Kaitlyn Marks all contributing to that total.
On the mound, Kaitlynn Heale took the loss for KCC, giving up six runs (all earned) on eight hits and five walks over 2.1 innings pitched. Koralie Morin and Kaitlyn Marks also saw time on the mound for the Lady Cavs, combining to give up three runs (all earned) on five hits and four walks over 3.2 innings pitched.
The Lady Cavs won a close game against North Platte by a score of 7-5. KCC started slowly, failing to score any runs in the first two innings. However, they picked up the pace in the third inning, scoring three runs, and added another run in the fifth inning to take a 4-3 lead. KCC added another run in the sixth inning to extend their lead to 5-3. In the eighth inning, KCC added two more runs to extend their lead to 7-3. The North Platte was unable to mount a comeback and could only score two more runs in the game, resulting in a final score of 7-5 in favor of the Lady Cavs.
Top performers for KCC included Mikayla Smith, who went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI, and Estelle Audette, who went 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Koralie Morin picked up the win for KCC, pitching four scoreless innings while giving up only two hits and two walks, and striking out seven batters.
KCC hit the road on Sunday and faced off against Aurora University JV and pulled out a victory 70-57.
Top performer for the game was Sean Black, who contributed 15 points and 8 rebounds. He shot 5-11 from the field and was 4-4 from the free throw line. Robert Stroud also had a great game, scoring 16 points and grabbing 2 rebounds, shooting 6-9 from the field.
Jaelyn Anderson had a solid game, with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. Isaiah Placide and Joshua Holmes also had impressive performances, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively. Noah Mason contributed 6 points and 4 rebounds.
The Cavs will be back at home on Wednesday February 15 to take on Malcolm X College. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm. You can catch all home games live on our livestream - https://bit.ly/KCCCavsLiveStream
The Lady Cavs faced off against Black Hawk College on Saturday in Moline. KCC battled and was within 2 points going into the 4th quarter, but ultimately fell to Black Hawk 58-72 being outscored 26-12 in the 4th quarter. Jazmyn Smith was the top performer for the Lady Cavs, scoring 17 points on 8-13 shooting from the field. Sarah Burton also had a solid performance with 9 points and 5 rebounds.
KCC will be back home for an 11 am start Saturday, Feb. 18. They’ll take on Bryant & Stratton College. Watch all home games through our livestream link - https://bit.ly/KCCCavsLiveStream
The Cavaliers faced off with last year’s national runner up Triton College on Thursday night, and the game did not disappoint. The result was a double overtime thriller, but ultimately Triton came out on top with a final score of 95-88.
For the Cavs, Robert Stroud had a phenomenal game with 34 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. Sean Black was a great playmaker with 7 points and 12 assists, while Isaiah Placide contributed 9 points and 1 assist. Joshua Holmes had 8 points, 1 assist and 1 rebound, and Noah Mason added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 6 made free-throws.
They will be back in action on Sunday as they play Aurora University JV.
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.”