Oelschlager player of the year; Uhlenhake coach of the year
KCKCC freshman forward Katharina Oelschlager (7) is the Jayhawk East player of the year. Oelschlager scored 11 goals and had nine assists in just 13 games. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)Jayhawk East Coach of the Year Shawn Uhlenhake and his biggest fan, daughter Molly. The Blue Devils won the East and earned an NJCAA Division I national tournament berth, both KCKCC firsts. (Photo from KCKCC)
by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information
Led by freshman forward Katharina Oelschlager and coach Shawn Uhlenhake, Kansas City Kansas Community College dominated the 2021 East All-Jayhawk Conference soccer team.
Oelschlager was named player of the year and Uhlenhake coach of the year as the Blue Devils placed eight players on the two teams – five on the first team and three on the second.
Joining Oelschlager on the first team are forward Corrine Hughes of Grain Valley, midfielders Melissa Siegel of Germany and Kayley Pedersen of Shawnee Mission West and defender Katrina Sargent of Shawnee Mission South while forward Madison Broeker of Lincoln, Nebraska; and defenders Paige Liston of Wichita and Grace Runyan of Blue Valley were named to the second team. All are sophomores with the exception of Runyan and Oelschlager, a native of Germany.
The Blue Devils won the Jayhawk East for the first time in history with an 11-1-1 record and earned KCKCC’s first NJCAA Division I national tournament berth. They finished 12-4-1 overall.
In his fifth season, Uhlenhake’s 2019 team finished 13-4, the most wins in history; scored a record 64 goals and allowed only 27 goals in 17 games.
Oelschlager scored 11 goals and had nine assists in just 13 games, converting 11 of 19 shots on goal for a .514 percentage. Siegel, who led the nation in assists (21) in the 2019 season, also led in assists this season with 13 and scored nine goals.
Hughes led in goals for the second season, scoring 12 this season after a team record 13 in 2019. Broeker was fourth in scoring with nine goals and four assists while Petersen had six assists and two goals.
Sargent, Petersen, Liston and Runyan were key members of a Blue Devil defense that posted seven shutouts and allowed just nine goals in 13 Jayhawk games.
Bradi Basler (KCKCC photo)Bradi Basler of KCKCC has been named to the NJCAA Division II All-America first team. (Photo from Alan Hoskins, KCKCC)
by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information
Bradi Basler didn’t make the All-Jayhawk Conference softball first team. But she did make the NJCAA Division II All-America first team.
One of 11 athletes named to the first team, Basler led Kansas City Kansas Community College to a 41-15 record in 2021, the second most wins in history. She did it with both her bat and her arm. Only the second player in Jayhawk history to hit for the Triple Crown, she’s the only player to lead the conference in batting (.503), home runs (20) and runs-batted-in (80) and also in pitching victories (20).
Because of that versatility, Basler was an obvious selection for the utility position on the All-America first team.
“It was difficult to know how to nominate her – for her offense or for her pitching,” KCKCC coach Lana Ross said. “So I nominated her for both positions.”
A freshman eligible from Lansing, Basler was named Freshman of the Year in the Jayhawk but was relegated to the All-Jayhawk Conference second team as a pitcher. Winter Snyder of Labette and Paige Hughes of Cowley College were named first team utility players.
The good news is that Basler will be returning for a third season – and the best may be yet to come.
“She definitely wants to get better and is willing to work to get better,” Ross said. “There’s always things to work on. She knows she has potential and wants a better season next year.”
Basler got in only 14 games when the COVID pandemic shut down her first season in 2020. She hit .385 in 39 plate appearances, rapping three home runs and driving in 24 runs. She also made nine appearances on the mound, compiling a 4-4 record with a 5.13 earned run average. She struck out 59 and walked 20 in 43 innings.
In addition to her Triple Crown this spring, the left-hand hitting Basler also led the Blue Devils in hits (85), extra base hits (40), slugging (.988) and walks (33).
A righthander on the mound, she was 20-6 with a 3.64 ERA. She had 18 complete games in 26 starts along with a team high four saves. She also struck out 126 and walked 45 in 150 innings and handled 178 fielding chances without an error.
“She’s definitely one of the best hitters I’ve ever coached,” said Ross, who coached several All-Americans in her first 14 years at Iowa Western. “She has so many tools from the left side of the box – unbelievable power and yet she can lay down a bunt. She’ll continue to work on her game to be one of the best ever at KCKCC.”
Other past KCKCC All-Americans include Allison Kassick, who holds the Blue Devil record for hitting at .504 in 2017; and Kaleena Micheli and Dana Dunsmore.
Barring injury, Basler will write numerous all-time bests into the record book. Her 20 home runs in a season are already an all-time best and she’s tied for the career lead with 23. Her hits in a season (85) are also a single season best and her .503 batting average is second only to Allison Kassick (.504).
In pitching, Basler’s next win will tie the career record for wins (21) and it’s only a matter of time when she’ll break several other career records.
Basler is the only Jayhawk Conference player named to the NJCAA Division II first team. Pitcher Lilli Weir of Highland and infielder Kaylin Watkins of Johnson County were named to the second team while third team selections include catcher Cheyenne Minnick and infielder Gabby Schultz of Highland and outfielder Paige Hughes of Cowley College.
While Basler was the only Blue Devil named to either the first or second All-Jayhawk team, six Blue Devils earned honorable mention – pitcher Breanna Drogge, infielders Savannah Maynard, Alaina Howe and Jenna Daugherty and outfielders Alexis Rymer and Devin Purcell. Drogge and Maynard are both first year freshmen.
Heat, fatigue and once-beaten Laramie County proved too much for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s women’s soccer team Friday.
Playing their second game in 24 hours in searing Georgia heat (90 degrees), the 10th seeded Blue Devils fell 3-0 to the No. 6 seeded Golden Eagles in the second round of the NJCAA Division I national tournament in Evans, Georgia.
The game was the first in the national tournament for Laramie County, which will play Eastern Florida State Saturday with the winner advancing to the national semifinals.
KCKCC’s first time in the national tournament, the loss ended the Blue Devils’ season at 12-4-1. Meanwhile, Laramie County improved to 14-1. The shutout was the 10th for the Golden Eagles, who have given up only six goals all season and not more than one in any game.
Because of the heat and fatigue of two games in 26 hours, KCKCC coach Shawn Uhlenhake went to his bench early and often with 15 Blue Devils seeing action.
“We battled as hard as we could but with it being 90 degrees, we just didn’t have much left,” Uhlenhake said. “After yesterday (a 9-1 loss to Eastern Florida), they could have easily packed it in but they played hard. We just didn’t have enough juice.”
Ellie MacKendrick put Laramie ahead 1-0 on a perfect 20-yard kick that just barely cleared a leaping KCKCC goalkeeper Susie Lopez. The goal came on an assist from Taylor Mayrick.
The Golden Eagles then put the game out of reach with a pair of goals in the first 30 minutes of the second half. Jenaya Brown scored on an assist from Erika Scivally 15 minutes into the second half and Beyonce Robinson added the third goal on an assist by Eli Olsen 14 minutes later.
The Blue Devils were credited with 10 shots (only two the first half) and just three shots on goal. Laramie County had 16 shots, eight on goal.
“At halftime, we only had two shots and I asked the girls to get off more shots and they did (8),” Uhlenhake said. “We controlled the first 20 minutes and then they scored on their first real shot of the game. The second half we changed formations to try to score. I’d rather lose 5-0 then not try to win. We just could not get the ball in the net. And Laramie is a good team although I think if we’d have been fresh, it would have been an even game.
“There were a lot of lessons learned, especially what it takes at this level to be a Top Five team. But we competed. We have nothing to be ashamed.”
