COLBY, Kan. – Earning 127 total points and eight of 11 possible first-place votes, the Johnson County Community College softball team has been picked to win the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Division 2 Softball regular season following a vote of the league coaches as part of the annual preseason order of finish poll.

Defending NJCAA Division 2 Softball Plains District Tournament Champions and the number eight ranked team in the NJCAA Division 2 Softball preseason poll, the Cavaliers were picked to finish either first or second in 10 of the 11 ballots submitted by coaches to finish 11 points ahead of defending KJCCC Division 2 Softball regular season champion Cowley College who earned 116 total points and two of the remaining three first-place votes. Last season, Johnson County went 17-5 in KJCCC play to tie for third before going on to win the Plains District Title and go 3-2 at the 2025 NJCAA Division 2 Softball World Series to finish the year with a 37-17 overall record. Cowley put together a 39-14 overall mark last season which included an 20-2 record in conference play to win the conference regular season crown before going 1-2 in the Plains District Tournament.

Following a third-place finish last season in the regular season before going on to finish as Plains District Tournament runners-up, Kansas City Kansas Community College has been picked to finish third by earning 113 total points and the lone remaining first-place vote to finish ahead of fourth-place Neosho County who earned 102 total points in the poll. Labette was picked fifth with 80 total points, edging out sixth-place Allen (78 points) while Cloud County (55 points) and Coffeyville (53 points) were picked to finish seventh and eighth, respectively. Rounding out the poll was Highland (49 points), Independence (41 points), and Fort Scott (31 points).

The 2026 season will kick off on Friday, February 6th with Neosho County taking on both Seminole State before seeing Allen, Labette, Independence, and Fort Scott all open their respective season over the following six days. Conference play will begin on Thursday, March 26th with all 11 teams playing a doubleheader against the remaining 10 teams in the conference to create a 20-game conference slate that will continue through the final day of the regular season on Saturday, May 3rd.  

The top eight teams in the final regular season standings will earn a spot in the 2025 NJCAA Division 2 Plains District Softball Tournament which is scheduled to take place May 6-10 on the campus of Johnson County Community College in Overland Park. The winner of the double-elimination tournament will earn a bid into the 2025 NJCAA Division 2 Softball World Series which will take place May 18-23 at Tyger River Park in Spartanburg, SC.