Baseball | 7/22/2026 8:37:00 AM

After leaving their imprint on the Cloud County Community College baseball team, including helping the T-Birds to a school-record 50 wins and its highest national ranking in program history, seventeen players have signed to continue their playing careers at four-year schools.

Eleven of the seventeen players signed with NCAA Division I schools, four signed with NCAA Division II programs, one signed with a NCAA Division III institution and one other has signed with a NAIA school.

Simon Baker, Cloud County's first-ever NJCAA First-Team All-American selection in program history, has signed with Missouri State University. Baker, a redshirt freshman designated hitter who played in and started 53 games in 2026, 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.

The 2026 Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) West Division Most Valuable Player, Baker ranked in the top five in the division in triples, home runs, total bases and walks. Baker led the NJCAA in triples and is now Cloud County's all-time career leader in triples. Additionally, Baker, a native of Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, is tied for second in school history in single-season runs scored, third in both home runs and RBI in a season, and is tied for seventh all-time in single-season hits.

Pitchers Cohen Nelson and Gage Gannon have both signed with the University of Nebraska.

One of the most dominant pitchers in the KJCCC this past spring, Nelson went 7-0 on the mound and ranked No. 1 in the KJCCC West Division with a 1.48 ERA, which marks the lowest ERA with a minimum of 24 innings pitched in school history. Nelson, named the 2026 KJCCC West Division Pitcher of the Year, pitched 42.2 innings and ranked third in the KJCCC West Division with 77 total strikeouts. A native of Grand Island, Nebraska, Nelson allowed just seven earned runs, including three home runs, while holding opposing hitters to a .145 batting average.

Gannon, also a native of Grand Island, Nebraska, made 15 appearances out the bullpen in 2026. Gannon registered a 4-2 record after he pitched in 26.1 innings, allowing 13 earned runs on 26 hits with 26 strikeouts.

Pitcher Stocton Timbrook has signed with Kansas State University. Timbrook, a Second-Team All-KJCCC West Division selection in 2026, 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. As a freshman, Timbrook made 23 appearances and four starts for Cloud County, ending the 2025 year with a 5-2 record and a 5.13 ERA. Timbrook is tied with Cole Askew and David Johns for the school record in career appearances with 38.

Pitcher Cole Linton has signed with Tarleton State University. Linton earned KJCCC West Division Pitcher of the Year honors as a freshman after posting a 7-2 record on the mound with a 4.28 ERA. During his sophomore season, Linton went 8-0 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 in 2026.

Pitcher Kai Rempel has signed with Jacksonville State University. Rempel started three games and made 16 appearances in the Cloud County pitching rotation in 2026. Rempel, a native of Calgary, Alberta Canada, had a 3-0 record with a 6.75 ERA. Rempel pitched in 28 innings, allowing 21 earned runs on 40 hits with 31 strikeouts.

Pitcher Evan Bogart and catcher Vasya Seymour have both signed with Southeast Missouri State University. Bogart, a native of Salina, Kansas, made 13 appearances with one start on the mound for Cloud County this past spring. Bogart had a 4-1 record with a 9.78 ERA after throwing 23 innings, allowing 25 earned runs on 33 hits with 27 strikeouts. Seymour, a Second Team All-KJCCC West Division selection, 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 from White Rock, British Columbia, Canada also handled a team-high 300 put outs with eight runners caught stealing in 12 stolen base attempts.

Kaden Budke, a third baseman, has signed with High Point University. Serving as the T-Birds' lead-off hitter in 2026, 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.

Sophomore middle infielders Lucas Laukkanen and Joey Marino have both signed with the University of South Carolina Upstate. Laukkanen, a two-year starter at short stop, garnered First Team All-KJCCC West Division recognition in 2026 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. Marino, a native of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, earned honorable mention All-KJCCC West Division honors for the second consecutive season after he batted .337 on the year with 65 hits, 48 runs scored and 42 RBI. Marino, a two-year starter at second base, had a .418 on-base percentage and led the team in doubles with 17 while adding one triple and nine home runs.

Those signing with NCAA Division II schools are relief pitcher Sam Brummund (29 career strikeouts, five career saves) with West Texas A&M University, first baseman Luke Clayton (.388, 16 home runs, 11 doubles) with Pittsburg State University, outfielder Tanner Jacobson (.324, eight home runs, 35 RBI) with Fort Hays State University, and right-handed pitcher Cooper Tannahill (7.82 ERA, 17 strikeouts) with Emporia State University.

Right-handed pitcher Ben Soke (3.60 ERA) has signed with the University of Southern Maine, a NCAA Division III member of the Little East Conference.

Outfielder Carter Cathers (.295, 14 RBI) has signed with the University of Pikeville, a NAIA school in Pikeville, Kentucky.