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Cruiser pitcher has a great season
(by Rick Palsgrove, Southeast Editor - June 04, 2009)
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| Emma Johnson |
In sports, one of the classic battles is between a batter and a pitcher in softball or baseball. It's a confrontation where each athlete tries to out think and over power the other.
It's a battle Emma Johnson wins most of the time.
The Groveport Madison High School sophomore varsity softball pitcher dominated hitters this season by pitching three no hit games, four one hit games, and five two hit games (see statistics below).
"Emma is a very dedicated athlete and a good team leader," said her coach, Steve Cunningham. "She loves playing and wants to play in college. In my 20 years as varsity coach she is one of the best pitchers I have seen. She was injured for the first three weeks of the season, which affected her ability to throw a breaking pitch effectively. After we got a five day rest because of weather, in her last 11 games she posted an ERA of .09 in 77 innings, threw three no hitters, three one hitters and beat number one Gahanna for their first loss and Pickerington Central when they were ranked sixth in the state. During that span Emma struck out 138 and posted a record of 9-2."
Cruiser assistant varsity softball coach Jay Montgomery added, "Emma has all the characteristics of a great pitcher. She's competitive, fast, has a really good rise ball, a good curve ball, and she throws them all with speed and control. On top of all that she's an outstanding person."
Johnson started playing baseball at age five and took up softball at age nine.
"I always liked it," said Johnson. "I like the competitiveness of it."
She started out playing third base, but at age 12 switched to pitching.
"I like to control the game," she said.
A right hander, Johnson has a large arsenal of pitches including a fast ball, change up, curve, rise ball, drop curve, rise curve, and she is working on developing a screwball.
She said her favorite pitch is the rise ball, which looks like it will come in over the plate, but then rises causing the batter to swing under the ball.
Johnson said she attacks every batter differently depending on several factors.
"I look to see where they're standing at the plate," said Johnson. "I evaluate their swing. I check to see if they have an open or closed stance. I even notice the length of the bat they're using. I like to look at the details and find their weaknesses. As we go through their batting order the second or third time around in a game I go after their weaknesses."
When asked about her many no hitters, she said, "I don't think about it during the game. I just try to take care of things batter by batter."
Johnson said she plans to keep on working to improve her game and this summer will play with a statewide travel team, the Lady Lasers, which plays games regionally with an eye on making the nationals later this summer to be held in South Dakota.
"I want to be better than the season before," she said, adding one day she hopes to play softball in college at a Division I school.
"Somewhere with a good pitching mound," she said with a smile.
Emma Johnson's 2009 statistics
•1.41 ERA
•13-9 pitching record (team record was 13-10).
•Struck out 289 batters.
•Had two games where she struck out 20 batters in each game.
•Pitched three no hit games against Lancaster, Marion-Franklin, and Hilliard Davidson.
•Pitched four one hitters against Lancaster, Logan Elm, and twice against Reynoldsburg.
•Pitched five two hitters against Worthington Kilbourne, Wheelersburg, Circleville, Newark and Lawrence Central Ind.
•Was the winning pitcher in the Cruisers' victories over Gahanna and Pickerington Central when both opponents were ranked in the state top 10.
•Batting average of .266 with two home runs and 10 RBI.
(Statistics courtesy of Coach Steve Cunningham.)
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