Seward’s Hopkins is Freshman of the Year

May 22, 2024  COLBY, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference announced its annual baseball awards for the East and West Divisions today. The East Division consists of 55 student-athletes, and the West Division 51 student-athletes earning honors. Both divisions have a first-team, second-team and honorable mention team.

All-KJCCC Baseball West Division Selections

In the West Division, Barton sophomore outfielder Robby Bolin was named the Most Valuable Player. Cloud County sophomore right-hand pitcher Kevin Mannell was selected Pitcher of the Year. Freshman of the Year went to Seward County freshman shortstop Nathan Hopkins and Brent Doe of Dodge City was chosen Coach of the Year.

Robby Bolin, Barton – KJCCC West Division MVP

Barton sophomore Robby Bolin put together a record season for the Cougars in 2024. He batted .464 (104-for-224) with 20 doubles, six triples, four home runs, 95 runs scored and 49 driven in. His 104 hits set a new team mark and were the most in the conference and ranked second in the NJCAA. He also led the conference and ranked third nationally in batting average and led both the KJCCC and NJCAA in runs scored. His 95 runs are the second highest season total in team history, and his .464 average ranks sixth on the Cougars season chart. Bolin produced 35 multiple-hit games on the year, highlighted by a five-hit performance in a win against Cloud County. During the season he had 24-game and 16-game hitting streaks.

Kevin Mannell, Cloud County – KJCCC West Division Pitcher of the Year

Kevin Mannell proved to be one of the toughest pitchers to hit and score on in 2024. The sophomore right-hander produced a league-best earned run average of 1.91, allowing just 16 earned runs over 75.1 innings pitched. His ERA also tied for sixth in the NJCAA. Overall, Mannell made 15 starts and finished 7-4 with 92 strikeouts, which ranked third in the conference. He also had a 10.99 strikeout/9 ratio, second-best in the KJCCC, and his WHIP of 0.86 led the conference and ranked second nationally. Mannell was named the KJCCC West Pitcher of the Week in week 11.

Nathan Hopkins, Seward County – KJCCC West Division Freshman of the Year

Nathan Hopkins closed his rookie campaign batting .344 (74-for-215) with 23 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 64 runs scored and 46 runs driven in. He led the team in hits, doubles, triples, runs and RBI. His 23 doubles put him in a tie for fourth on the Saints’ season chart. Hopkins produced 23 multiple-hit games, including three games with four hits, and 12 multiple-RBI games. He was selected the KJCCC West Player of the Week twice, earning the honor in weeks four and 12.

Brett Doe, Dodge City – KJCCC West Division Coach of the Year

After being picked to finish sixth in the West Division prior to the start of the 2024 season, Brett Doe guided his team to a third-place finish with a conference mark of 20-12 and an overall season record of 38-23. His team finished in the top 10 in the conference in every offensive category and among the top 10 in strikeouts, strikeouts/9, ERA and WHIP.  During the season, Doe had three players and three pitchers earn weekly conference honors. Through three seasons as the Conquistadors skipper, Doe has won 97 games and improved on his win total in each of the last two seasons.