Winchester headlines six All-KJCCC West selections, pair of All-Region 6 honors for Barton Baseball #GoBarton

Following a season marked by adversity, resilience and a Cinderella postseason run, Barton Community College baseball was rewarded with six All-KJCCC West selections and a pair of All-Region 6 honorees.

Freshman Rhett Winchester headlined the Cougars' postseason honors, earning Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year recognition while collecting First Team All-KJCCC West and First Team All-Region 6 distinctions. Sophomore Kyle Walker added First Team All-KJCCC West honors for the second consecutive season while securing a second straight All-Region 6 selection with a Second Team honor. Kyler Horsman garnered Second Team All-KJCCC West, while Jake Field, Kyle Graves and Brian Justice each received All-West honorable mention recognition.

Winchester and Walker later added Plains District/Region 6 All-Tournament Team honors after helping guide Barton's postseason run as one of the final four teams remaining in the Plains District/Region 6 Tournament. 

The postseason accolades followed a season in which the Cougars finished 35-22 overall and tied for fourth in the Jayhawk West standings with a 15-17 conference mark. Barton later pieced together a postseason surge, opening the Plains District/Region 6 Tournament with an 11-9 victory over Jayhawk West champion and No. 2-ranked Cloud County before eliminating KJCCC West runner-up and No. 22-ranked Hutchinson 13-3 in six innings. The Cougars ultimately saw their season conclude with an 11-9 setback to eventual Region 6 and NJCAA National Champion No. 1-ranked Johnson County.

Rhett Winchester – KJCCC Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year | First Team All-KJCCC West | First Team All-Region 6 | Region 6/Plains District All-Tournament Team (Outfielder)
Rhett Winchester a freshman from Edmond, Oklahoma, became the program's first Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year selection since Henry Hayman in 2022 after recording hits in 27 of 32 conference games, with 21 of those contests resulting in multi-hit performances.

Winchester batted .432 in conference play (57-for-132) with 31 of his 57 hits going for extra bases including 14 doubles, six triples and 11 home runs. He drove in 42 runs, scored 47 times and stole 25 bases in 28 attempts while ranking eighth in the Jayhawk West in batting average, tied for 10th in RBIs, tied fourth in doubles, tied ninth in home runs, tied second in triples and first in stolen bases.

Among his top conference performances was a 5-for-5 effort in the series finale at Pratt, collecting a home run, two doubles and two RBIs.

For the season, Winchester hit .409 with 88 hits, 17 doubles, nine triples, 14 home runs and 66 RBIs while scoring 67 runs and stealing 43 bases in 47 attempts. He also pieced together the team's second-longest hitting streak at 28 straight games and finished the year with five additions to Barton's single-season record book, tying for third in triples (9), home runs (14) and stolen bases (43) while tying for ninth in hits (88) and at-bats (215).

Winchester continued his standout freshman campaign in Wichita, earning Plains District/Region 6 All-Tournament Team honors after batting .529 with nine hits, seven RBIs and two runs scored over Barton's four tournament contests.

Kyle Walker – First Team All-KJCCC West | Second Team All-Region 6 | Region 6/Plains District All-Tournament Team (Third Baseman)
Sophomore third baseman Kyle Walker from Topeka, Kansas became the lone repeat selection on the 2026 All-Region 6 team after earning First Team All-KJCCC West honors for the second consecutive season.

Walker batted .447 in conference play (51-for-114), ranking third in the Jayhawk West while tying for third with 51 hits, tied for second with six triples and tied for sixth with 46 runs scored. He added eight doubles, two home runs and 32 RBIs from the leadoff spot while helping the Cougars to a fourth-place conference finish.

Highlighting the sophomore's conference campaign was a pair of consecutive games producing 11 RBIs and eight runs scored, beginning with a 5-for-6 effort at Garden City before a six-RBI performance in the series opener against Colby.

For the season, Walker led Barton with a .449 batting average, 92 hits, 10 triples and 76 runs scored while adding 16 doubles, four home runs and 64 RBIs. His 92 hits, 76 runs scored and 10 triples all paced the Cougars during the season, while his 64 RBIs ranked third on the club.

Walker also pieced together the team's longest hitting streak at 16 consecutive games and reached base safely in a team-best 33 straight contests. His season also resulted in setting the program's single-season triples record (10) while ranking fifth in single-season hits (92) and seventh in batting average (.449). Walker also climbed into the career record book, ranking seventh in triples (11), eighth in RBIs (107) and ninth in runs scored (113).

The sophomore's strong play carried into postseason competition, earning Plains District/Region 6 All-Tournament Team distinction after batting .579 with six RBIs during Barton's tournament run.

Kyler Horsman – Second Team All-KJCCC West (Designated Hitter)
Redshirt sophomore and two-way player Kyler Horsman from Manhattan, Kansas earned Second Team All-KJCCC West honors as a designated hitter after serving as one of Barton's top offensive threats while also contributing on the mound throughout the season.

Horsman batted .420 in conference action (50-for-119), ranking 12th in the Jayhawk West while finishing seventh in hits (50), tied for sixth in doubles (12), tied for seventh in home runs (12), tied for seventh in RBIs (44) and tied for fourth in stolen bases (12). He recorded hits in 27 of 32 conference contests, including 14 multi-hit performances and a team-leading 13 multi-RBI games.

A key stretch of conference play saw Horsman record multiple hits in eight of nine games while closing the conference season on a nine-game hitting streak. He also contributed on the mound, posting a 3-2 record across seven appearances and five starts during Jayhawk West competition.

For the season, Horsman batted .398 with 88 hits, 25 doubles, 18 home runs and 74 RBIs while scoring 55 runs and stealing 22 bases. His 25 doubles, 18 home runs and 74 RBIs all led the Cougars, while his 88 hits tied for second on the team.

Horsman's season also produced several additions to Barton's record book, setting the program's single-season (18) and career (22) home run records. He also finished fourth in single-season RBIs (74), fifth in at-bats (221), eighth in doubles (25) and tied for ninth in hits (88) while climbing into the career top-10 in RBIs (104) and doubles (32).

Jake Field – Honorable Mention All-KJCCC West (Relief Pitcher)
A key piece of Barton's bullpen throughout the season, redshirt freshman Jake Field from Hoisington, Kansas earned All-KJCCC West Honorable Mention honors.

Field made 11 appearances during conference play, tying for 11th in the Jayhawk West while recording a pair of saves to tie for third in the league. He posted a 2-2 record across 16.2 innings while limiting opponents to a .227 batting average.

On the season, Field led Barton with 17 appearances while tying for the team lead with two saves. The freshman finished 2-2 with 25 strikeouts across 30 innings of work, providing the Cougars with a dependable option out of the bullpen throughout the year.

Kyle Graves – Honorable Mention All-KJCCC West
Sophomore second baseman Kyle Graves from Lawrence, Kansas earned All-KJCCC West Honorable Mention honors for the second consecutive season.

Graves batted .354 in conference play with 35 hits, 12 doubles, two triples and 32 RBIs while drawing 13 walks and swiping five bases in as many attempts. His 12 doubles tied for sixth in the Jayhawk West, while a 10-game hitting streak tied for the third longest conference streak on the team.

A steady presence in the middle infield, Graves finished the year hitting .337 with 59 hits, 16 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 43 RBIs while scoring 47 runs and drawing 30 walks. The sophomore added 13 multi-hit performances and climbed to seventh in Barton history with 70 career walks.

Brian Justice – Honorable Mention All-KJCCC West
Right-handed freshman pitcher Brian Justice from Tulsa, Oklahoma capped the honors with an All-KJCCC West Honorable Mention nod after serving as one of Barton's top starting pitchers throughout the season.

Justice made eight conference starts, ranking sixth in the Jayhawk West with 43 innings pitched while finishing third with 47 strikeouts. He also recorded a complete game during conference play and delivered a career-high 12 strikeout outing against eventual Jayhawk West champion and No. 2-ranked Cloud County.

The freshman concluded the season with a 5-7 record and team-leading 5.23 ERA, 72.1 innings pitched and 72 strikeouts across 14 starts. His two complete games tied for the team lead while limiting opponents to a .265 batting average, the second-best mark among Barton starters.

Justice also played a pivotal role in Barton's postseason run, tossing the first of the Cougars' back-to-back complete games in an elimination contest at Fort Scott. He scattered six hits while allowing one unearned run and striking out eight in a season-saving victory that helped propel Barton into the Plains District/Region 6 Tournament.