Eric Horner
Assistant Coach
Central Missouri State University '03
6th season at JCCC

A former standout relief pitcher at Central Missouri State University and  one of baseball’s bright, young coaches, Eric Horner is in seventh season as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers, and his third season as the top assistant to Hall of Fame head coach Kent Shelley. Horner brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the table.  Horner will aid in the development of all phases of the program with emphasis on pitchers and catchers.  He will also serve as recruiting coordinator.  

Horner has been instrumental to the success of a program that has racked up incredible numbers during his stint with the Cavaliers.  In six seasons under head coach Kent Shelley, Horner has helped guide the Cavaliers to three 30 win seasons, two 40 win season, five Region VI Tournament berths, three KJCCC runner-up finishes, and one NJCAA JUCO World Series.  Horner has helped Shelley to some of his finest seasons in his hall of fame career.  He has helped guide the Cavaliers to season wins of 30, 33, 35, 41 and 43 These win totals are five of the top six for coach Shelley in his 23 seasons at JCCC.

In his first season as top assistant, Horner helped guide the Cavaliers to one of their best seasons in school history with a 41-18 record, KJCCC runner-up finish, Region VI Championship, and Johnson County’s first ever appearance at the 2008 JUCO World Series where the team finished 9th in the country, which was the highest ranking in JCCC history.

In his second season as top assistant, Horner helped guide the Cavaliers to an even better season with a 43-14 record. The team also posted a  KJCCC runner-up finish, a Region VI Championship berth, and JCCC’s first ever season of being ranked in the top 15 in the country all sason long.  JCCC was ranked as high as seventh, which is the highest in program history, and finished 2009 ranked 14th in the country.

As pitching coach, Horner has helped turn the Cavaliers into one of the top pitching programs in the country and helped rewrite the record books.  Under his watch the Cavalier pitching staff has produced the top three team earned run averages in JCCC history under Shelley.  His 2005 pitching staff finished with a 3.38 ERA (4th), 2007 pitching staff finished with a 2.51 ERA (2nd), 2008 pitching staff finished with a 2.70 ERA (3rd) and his 2009 staff finished with a 2.34 ERA (1st).  Horner has guided the Cavaliers to three consecutive seasons with a team ERA under 3.00, almost unheard of at the collegiate level.   Horner’s pitching staffs have led the KJCCC four times in his six year career and have ranked among the best in the nation.  

In 2005, the Cavaliers recorded 35 victories, the second highest total for the Cavaliers in Shelley’s tenure at the time. That season, Horner developed his Cavaliers pitching staff to a 3.38 team earned run average, which was the best a JCCC staff had produced in the last 21 seasons. The team also produced a winning percentage of .714, which was the 18th best percentage in the country.  

The 2007 staff was one of the best in all of junior college baseball. They produced a 2.51 team ERA which was the best in the conference, and among the top in the NJCAA. The 2007 staff also set record numbers for fewest walks (138), ERA (2.51), and opponent batting average (.249).  In addition, Horner mentored Justin Miller, who was selected in the sixth round (207th overall pick) by the Los Angeles Dodges in the June 2007 Major League Baseball draft.  

The 2008 staff was again one of the best in all of junior college baseball. They
produced a 2.70 team ERA which was the best in the conference for the second straight year.  The 2008 staff set record numbers for innings pitched (426), strikeouts (334), and complete games (17).  In addition, Horner mentored Brandon Droge, Travis Blankenship, and Dustin Holthaus who rank as some of the best pitchers in JCCC history.  Droge was voted 1st team all conference, 1st team all region, and selected as an All-American.  He was ranked in the top 10 nationally in ERA with a 1.28.  He is the first pitcher to earn All-Region since 1996, and first to earn All-American since Bob Downs in 1974.  Blankenship was voted 2nd team all conference and led the team with an 11-3 record.   His 11 wins tie the season record at JCCC, and his 18 total career victories are a new school record.  Blankenship, who has signed with the University of Kansas, also ranks first all-time in career innings pitched (155), career games started (28) and ranks first in career strikeouts with 135.  Holthaus finished with 13 career wins, which ties him for ninth all-time and his is tied for 12th with 17 career starts.

The 2009 staff was his best yet, producing a team ERA of 2.34. His staff led the conference for a third straight year and was again one of the best in country.  The 2009 staff also set record numbers for opponent batting average (.246), fewest walks (123), ERA (2.34), saves (12) and fewest hits allowed (389).  In addition, Horner mentored four pitchers who received all-conference awards in 2009, the most in school history.

In his six years as recruiting coordinator, Horner has recruited and/or coached 29 all conference selections, seven All region selections, four All-Americans, one Region Player of the year, one Conference Player of the Year, one JUCO All-Star, nine Academic All-Americans, two Rawlings Big Stick Award and two Rawlings Gold Glove Winners.  Sixteen players have gone onto the division I level, 37 players have gone on to the division II level, e12 players have played NAIA, and five players have gone onto professional baseball.  Not only does he bring in top talent but his 2008 class achieved a 3.2 team GPA in the fall and a 3.1 team GPA in the spring which helped establish them as one of the 2007-2008 NJCAA Spring Academic Teams-of-the-Year.  His 2009 class achieved a 3.32 team GPA in the fall and a 3.23 in the spring, which helped establish them once again as one of the 2008-09 NJCAA Spring Academic Teams-of-the-Year, finishing eighth nationally.  For the first time in school history, the baseball program has been ranked in the top 15 nationally in both academics and athletics.

In addition to his duties with the team, Horner directs the highly successful JCCC summer baseball camps, showcases, indoor leagues and private lessons during the year.    Horner also serves an adjunct assistant professor in the business department, is the general manager for Seaboard in the Ban Johnson League, and is currently an associate scout with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Horner was a member of a Division II NCAA powerhouse at CMSU.  The Mules recorded four consecutive top-five finishes at the NCAA D II World Series, including a National Championship in 2003.  The team also placed second, third, and fifth during his playing career.  Horner played a prominent role in each of his four seasons for CMSU, compiling an 11-2 record along with 15 saves.  He set the conference and school records for single-season saves, career saves, single-season appearances, and career appearances.  His Senior season, Horner had 31 appearances and posted a 2.50 earned run average with 51 strikeouts, 8 saves, 13 walks, and held opponents to a .216 batting average.  His efforts earned him first-team All-MIAA accolades.

Following a successful collegiate career, Horner signed a free agent minor league contract to play wit the Springfield/Ozark Mountain Ducks of the Central Baseball League. In his first professional season, Horner compiled a team-best 2.25 ERA and became the number two starter in the rotation.  After the sale of the team, Horner signed in the off-season with the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League.
Horner graduated from Central Missouri with a degree in finance, and earned his master’s in business administration from St. Mary’s University.

Horner and his wife, Katie, reside in Gardner, Kan.  the couple have a three year old daughter, Halee Ann, and a newborn son, Hunter Steven.