Courtesy of Johnson County Athletics (6/25/26)

GREENSBORO, NC – Johnson County Community College head baseball coach Eric Horner has been named the 2026 NJCAA Division I National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and ATEC. Earlier this week Horner was named the ABCA/ATEC Plains Region Coach of the Year for a fourth consecutive year. This is the first time he has been selected as the National Coach of the Year.

The ABCA/ATEC National and Regional Coaches of the Year are selected by members of the ABCA All-America & Coach of the Year Committees in all nine divisions: NCAA Divisions 1, 2, and 3, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions 1, 2, and 3, Pacific Association Division, and high school.

The 2026 ABCA/ATEC National Coaches of the Year will be honored on Friday, January 8, 2027, at the ABCA Convention in Chicago, Illinois, on the main clinic stage prior to the start of clinics.

The 2026 season was a historic and record-breaking year for Horner and the Cavaliers. JCCC won both the KJCCC East Division and Region 6 titles for the fourth straight year.

Johnson County Community College entered the 2026 Alpine Bank JUCO World Series as the number one-ranked team in the nation and the tournament's top seed. The Cavaliers left Grand Junction as national champions — and one of the most dominant teams college baseball has ever seen, finishing the season 67-3.

Powered by a relentless offense and backed by elite pitching, the Cavaliers delivered a historic run that will stand among the all-time great seasons at any level of the sport.

JCCC's offensive production redefined power hitting. The Cavaliers launched a staggering 219 home runs this season — the most in college baseball history — including 15 bombs in five games during the World Series. Their total exceeded the next-closest team by more than 50 home runs and surpassed the legendary 1997 LSU squad's previous record by over 30. Even more remarkably, all nine hitters in JCCC's lineup recorded double-digit home runs, making them just the second team in college baseball history, alongside that iconic LSU club, to achieve the feat.

Leading the charge was Ryan Bradford, whose historic season set the tone for the Cavaliers' offensive explosion. Bradford crushed 42 home runs, shattering both the JCCC single-season record and the NJCAA mark of 38. His total also puts Bradford among just five players in college baseball history — at any level — to eclipse the 40-home run plateau. Bradford was named the two-year D-I Baseball Player of the Year by the NJCAA, ABCA and Perfect Game. 

Bradford's accomplishments were just one part of a record-breaking campaign. The Cavaliers either broke or tied 16 team records, along with five individual game records, 15 individual season records, eight team JUCO World Series records, and an astonishing 17 individual World Series records.

On the national stage, JCCC led the country in eight offensive categories while ranking in the top five in three others — a testament to the depth and consistency of its lineup.

Just as impressive, however, was the Cavaliers' pitching staff. JCCC led all NJCAA programs with 690 strikeouts, outpacing the next-best staff by 77. The pitching unit also ranked among the nation's top five in ERA, shutouts, and opponent batting average, providing the perfect complement to the team's explosive offense.

For a team that entered the season with sky-high expectations, Johnson County didn't simply meet them — it obliterated them.

From unprecedented power numbers to a commanding march through the nation's most competitive tournament, the 2026 Cavaliers didn't just win a championship — they set a new standard for excellence in junior college baseball.

Coach Horner's resume also includes:

• 317-66 record and .828 winning percentage
• 4 KJCCC East Division Titles
• 4 Region 6/Plains District Titles
• 4 JUCO World Series Appearances
• 1 JUCO World Series National Championship
• 4-time KJCCC East Division Coach of the Year
• 4-time Region 6/Plains District Coach of the Year
• 4-time ABCA/ATEC Plains District Coach of the Year
• 1 NJCAA JUCO World Series Coach of the Tournament
• 74 All-KJCCC-East performers
• 3 KJCCC-East MVPs
• 3 KJCCC-East Pitchers of the Year
• 2 KJCCC-East Freshman of the Year
• 26 All-Region 6 selections
• 1 NJCAA, ABCA & Perfect Game Player of the Year
• 10 NJCAA All-Americans
• 3 JUCO Baseball Blog All-Americans
• 8 ABCA/Rawlings All-Americans
• 1 USA Junior College All-Star
• 2 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® winners
• 6 Region 6 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® winners
• 14 CSC Academic All-District® selections
• 84 NJCAA All-Academic honorees, including a record 23 in 2024
• 109 players moved on to four-year programs, with 75 at the NCAA Division I level

Coach Horner's achievements continue to elevate the JCCC baseball program to national prominence.

About The ABCA
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 41 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth, and Travel.

About ATEC Sports
ATEC Sports manufactures industry-leading training equipment and machines for elite baseball and softball programs. From training machines to tees, nets and screens, ATEC sets the standard when it comes to equipment today and is the Official Training Equipment of Major League Baseball. You can learn more about all these products – including the revolutionary M3X training machine – at http://atecsports.com.