Reagan Neitzel
215 posts
Wow… 5th at the World Series. What a season. What a ride. What a grind. It’s honestly hard to put into words just how proud I am of this group. The freshmen and sophomores on this team continue to raise the bar for Johnson County softball—and from my side of things, they just keep making my job harder and harder as their hitting coach (in the best way possible). This year’s team played the toughest schedule in program history. No fluff, no filler—just 22 games against nationally ranked Top 20 teams. That’s nearly half the season against the best competition in the country. We didn’t try to boost our record—we built the hardest schedule we could, and we leaned into it. Were there moments we questioned it? Of course. But growth doesn’t come easy. There’s a saying that you have to go through the hard if you want to grow—and that’s exactly what this team did. People outside the program might’ve doubted us. They looked at the record and thought we weren’t the same. That we wouldn’t make it back. But this group proved all of that wrong. They fought, they believed, and they earned their spot back at the World Series. And they showed—loud and clear—why you should never doubt the Lady cavaliers! Final Record: 37–17 5th Place Finish at the NJCAA World Series Regional & District Champions National Rankings (Team Offense): • Team Batting Average: .395 (9th in the nation, 2nd-best in program history: .412) • Doubles: 161 (3rd nationally, 2nd-best in program history: 178) • Slugging Percentage: .670 (4th in the country) • On-Base Percentage: .477 (6th) • Extra-Base Hits: 243 (6th) • Walks: 219 (6th, 2nd-most in program history: 226) • Home Runs: 65 (13th in the country, 3rd-best in program history: 76) Individual Highlights: • 8 players hit over .400 • 1 more over .390 • 5 players drove in 40+ RBIs • 2 players had 50+ RBIs • 1 player cracked 60+ RBIs • 3 players with 10+ home runs • 6 players with 15+ doubles • 5 players with 25+ extra-base hits And this sophomore class… wow. They will go down as one of the most decorated groups we’ve ever had. Two straight 5th-place finishes at the World Series (2024 & 2025), multiple program records, and some individual achievements that may never be matched. They set the program record for career doubles. Led the nation in doubles in 2024. Produced the top two all-time RBI leaders in program history. Set the single-season home run record. Logged the 2nd-longest hit streak ever. And brought home the program’s first National Player of the Year. Their names are cemented in the record books—and in the history of this program. What excites me even more is that this freshman class now knows what it takes to get to the World Series. They’ve seen it firsthand. And they’ll be the ones to pass down that standard to the next group coming in. There’s a culture here now. A standard. And it’s only getting stronger. Can’t wait to see what’s next.
