Baseball | 5/20/2026 2:27:00 PM

Twelve members of the Cloud County Community College baseball team were recognized with postseason honors by the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) following a standout season that saw the T-Birds capture their first-ever KJCCC West Division title and secure its first 50 win season in program history.

Cloud County head coach Eric Gilliland was selected KJCCC West Division Coach of the Year, the first conference coach of the year award of his career. Gilliland guided the T-Birds to its most dominant regular season in program history, including a top-two national ranking, a program record 50 wins, and a first-place finish in the KJCCC West Division with a conference record of 28-4.

Cloud County redshirt freshman outfielder Simon Baker was named the KJCCC West Division Most Valuable Player. Baker, who was also named First-Team All-KJCCC West, powered one of the conference's most complete lineups. The Cochrane, Alberta, Canada native hit .404 at the plate with a .929 slugging-percentage and a .542 on-base percentage. Baker ranked second on the team with 20 home runs, third on the team in doubles with 12, and led the team in triples with 12. Baker drew a team-leading 45 walks and ended the year with 73 RBI on 74 hits.

Cloud County sophomore left-handed starter Cohen Nelson was named the KJCCC West Division Pitcher of the Year. Nelson, a native of Grand Island, Nebraska, was also named First-Team All-KJCCC West. One of the most dominant pitchers in the conference this season, Nelson went 7-0 on the mound and ranked No. 1 in the KJCCC West Division with a 1.48 ERA. Nelson pitched 42.2 innings and ranked third in the KJCCC West Division with 77 total strikeouts. Nelson allowed just seven earned runs, including three home runs, while holding opposing hitters to a .145 batting average.

Joining Baker and Nelson on the All-KJCCC First-Team is freshman pitcher Ian Razak. Freshman outfielder Kellan Burke, freshman pitcher Jackson Fox, sophomore short stop Lucas Laukkanen, sophomore catcher Vasya Seymour and sophomore pitcher Stocton Timbrook were named Second-Team All-KJCCC, while sophomore third baseman Kaden Budke, sophomore first baseman Luke Clayton, sophomore pitcher Cole Linton and sophomore second baseman Joey Marino earned a spot on the All-KJCCC honorable mention list.

Across 10 starts, Razak logged 62.3 innings with an 8-2 record and a 3.11 ERA. Razak, originally from McPherson, Kansas, registered 47 strikeouts and allowed just eight extra-base hits all season. Razak had four starts with five or more strikeouts and six appearances where he did not allow an earned run.

Burke, who also earned NJCAA Division I Plains District Tournament honors in 2026, started all 57 games for the T-Birds and hit .413 with a team-high 86 hits, 75 runs scored and 93 RBI. Burke, a native of Minot, North Dakota, also led the team with 21 home runs, while he was second on the squad with 16 doubles. Burke's 171 total bases were the most of any Cloud County player this season.

Fox, a right-handed relief pitcher from Saskatchewan, Canada, appeared in 16 games with one start. Fox logged 24 innings and posted a 5.25 ERA while recording two wins and a team-best two saves. Fox struck out 33 on the season and held opposing batters to a .260 average.

Laukkanen garnered First-Team All-KJCCC West Division recognition after batting .371 on the year with 66 hits, 71 runs scored and 67 RBI. Laukkanen, a native of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, was third on the team in home runs with 18 and tied for third on the team in doubles with 14.

Seymour posted a .417 batting average across 39 starts. Seymour collected 48 hits, 49 runs scored and 40 RBI. Seymour had 10 home runs, eight doubles and one triple. The sophomore catcher from White Rock, British Columbia, Canada also handled a team-high 300 put outs with eight runners caught stealing in 12 stolen base attempts.

Timbrook made 14 starts, earning a 7-0 record while posting a 4.61 ERA across 66.1 innings pitched. Timbrook ranked second on the team with 76 strikeouts. The Abilene, Kansas native led the team with five complete-game performances.

Serving as the T-Birds' lead-off hitter, Budke batted .342 on the season with 66 hits, 73 runs scored and 50 RBI. Budke, from Salina, Kansas, ranked second on the team with 29 walks while adding 16 home runs, 14 doubles and one triple.

Clayton hit .388 at the plate with an .828 slugging-percentage and a .500 on-base percentage. Clayton tallied 52 hits, 47 runs scored and 58 RBI. Originally from Prairie Village, Kansas, Clayton added 16 home runs and 11 doubles.

Linton, last year's KJCCC West Division Pitcher of the Year, went 8-0 his sophomore season with a 3.59 ERA in 14 starts. Linton struck out 74 in 72.2 innings, held opponents to a .258 batting average and only allowed 17 earned runs all season. Linton, a native of Goodland, Kansas, allowed just 11 extra-base hits this year.

Marino, a native of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, earned honorable mention honors for the second consecutive season. Marino batted .337 on the year with 65 hits, 48 runs scored and 42 RBI. Marino had a .418 on-base percentage and led the team in doubles with 17 while adding one triple and nine home runs.

On the season, Cloud County hit .364 as a team, the second-best team batting average in school history, while the team also established new program records for runs (668), triples (30), home runs (142) and runs batted in (606).