Johnson adds to impressive resume with 13 Ks
Strikeout king
There isn't much Adam Johnson hasn't accomplished as a prep athlete.
Last week the Staples-Motley Cardinals baseball player added to his splendid resume.
Against Mid-State Conference rival Wadena-Deer Creek, the senior struck out 13 and didn't allow a walk in a 5-1 complete-game victory May 18.
"He dominated them," said Cardinals coach Pat Held. "He only got in trouble in one inning and that's when they scored the one run. Otherwise, they didn't do much at all against him."
Johnson deflected the credit for his pitching performance toward his catcher, Dan Sveom.
"My catcher called a great game," said Johnson. "He just called it and I just happened to throw it. Plus, my team played great defense around me. It would have been hard for me to screw it up."
In the second game of a conference doubleheader with Pine River-Backus May 20, Johnson was 4-for-4 with two doubles, a two-run homer and eight RBI. S-M won the game 14-4.
"They didn't have the ability to throw a pitch that he couldn't hit," said Held. "Whenever they put a ball in the zone he would hit it. He was just a one-man wrecking crew."
Johnson's week concluded with a save and a two-run homer in an 8-6 victory over Frazee May 21.
"Last week was the high point so far of the season," said Johnson, who plans to play football and baseball at Concordia in Moorhead next year. "My coaches told me I had to be more patient at the plate. I just relaxed more."
Johnson set goals to hit over .400 and have a good strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has done well in both departments.
He owns a .433 batting average, four home runs, 30 RBI, one triple, three doubles, 20 runs and 27 hits.
He has a 4-1 record and 0.84 ERA with 78 strikeouts and three walks in 34 innings pitched. He's allowed 18 hits for a .184 opponents' batting average.
"That one game he lost we didn't field behind him," said Held. "His strikeout-to-walks ratio is the best I've ever seen. I've never had a pitcher with that vast of a difference. It's just unbelievable."
Again, Johnson credited his teammates.
"Confidence is a big thing with how well I'm pitching right now," Johnson said. "Just knowing I can throw certain pitches and when they do get hit my defense is there to take care of it."
Held couldn't get over Johnson's impressive week.
"When I coached the Motley Mets amateur team I had a couple of kids have a big tournament or something," said Held. "I've seen that kind of thing, but never at the high school level. You couldn't have snuck a fastball past him last week. It would be like trying to sneak the sun past a rooster."
Other notable performances:
Baseball -- Joe Kahl, Pierz, struck out 10 and earned a complete-game victory against Holdingford.
Bryce Szymanski, Pequot Lakes, hit a grand slam and earned a complete-game victory over PR-B.
Isaac Johnson, Verndale, was 3-for-3 with a double, two-run homer and three RBI and pitched the complete-game victory against Pillager.
Golf -- Travis Wilson, S-M, shot 78 for medalist honors at the Patriot Invitational.
Cory Wilson, S-M, shot 72 for medalist honors at the W-DC Invite.
Track and field -- Tony Andres, Pierz, won the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the long jump at the Central Minnesota Conference meet.
Parker Robinson, Crosby-Ironton, won the high, long and triple jumps and was second in the 110 hurdles at the Mid-State Conference meet.
JEREMY MILLSOP can be reached at jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5856.