CHATTANOOGA State’s recruiting pitch to former East Jackson standout Shelby Johnson was simple yet effective.
“When I first got recruited by Chattanooga State, they told me the (stolen base) record — and they told me I could blow it away,” Johnson said.
The Tiger coaching staff’s prediction was spot-on.
Johnson, who played at East Jackson from 2007-2009, swiped an astounding 83 bases in 85 attempts this spring. That school-record performance on the base paths helped lead Chattanooga to a junior college national title.
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What’s more, it landed Johnson — who also batted a sizzling .473 — a softball scholarship to Texas Tech for her final two years.
Johnson’s frequent base stealing can be attributed to getting off the bag quickly and being in perfect synch with the pitch. She was only caught stealing twice in her junior college career (135 steals in 137 attempts).
“I’ve been taught to leave when the girl pitches and I’ve been pushed my whole life — just working on that, working on that,” said Johnson, a sophomore centerfielder. “People think I leave early, but I’ve been told so many times that I leave just right on time.”
The speedy Johnson has been no stranger to softball success, be it individual or team achievements.
She started her high school softball career in 2006 at Jackson County. When Jackson County split in 2007, Johnson moved to newly-formed East Jackson. There, she became part of instant history for the Eagles. The team went 59-15-2 in its first two years and won a pair of region titles.
“I just remember us being a new school and nobody really knew who we were,” Johnson said. “Mostly, I remember us winning region and going farther than anyone thought we could.”
Johnson set East Jackson’s stolen base record in her three years there. That’s when Chattanooga State came calling, predicting similar results for her there.
Johnson hit “around .300” during her freshman season in college and swiped 52 bases. That earned her first-team All-American honors from both the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA). While that was certainly a prolific rookie season, simple acclimation to the college game and communication with her coach made for an even bigger sophomore season.
“We were on the same page,” Johnson said of her coach. “I got along with her really good the first year, but the second year it was just more like I knew what to do and I could be who I was instead of being scared and everything.”
Johnson hit over .500 for much of her second season and shattered the Chattanooga State stolen bases record. Her 83 steals also ranked second in junior college softball.
And there was winning. Lots of it.
The Tigers went 62-4 and beat Salt Lake (Utah) Community College 4-1 May 20 to clinch the junior college national title, winning three games on the final day.
“It was really fun because our whole team — we’re kind of like the same kind of person,” Johnson said. “Our mentalities are the same.”
Johnson also noted an “us-against-the world” mentality the Tigers carried throughout he season. Apparently, the successful program isn’t well-liked in its conference or throughout junior college softball.
“Nobody really likes our school because we’re really good,” Johnson said. “So everyone was against us. It was fun because everyone was against us … Even when we got to nationals, no one liked us. It was crazy.”
Johnson said intra-team clashes were seldom, while contributions were all around.
“We had 23 girls and everyone of them did something,” Johnson said.
And Johnson simply shined.
Perhaps as impressive as Johnson’s 83 steals was that .473 average. She finished the year with 89 hits in 188 at bats. Johnson also had eight doubles and five triples (second most on the team). Not surprisingly, Johnson earned team MVP honors and was again named a first-team NJCAA and NFCA All-American.
When asked, Johnson said she’s more satisfied with her stolen base total than her batting average and makes an interesting observation.
“I’ve been hitting a bunch of doubles and triples, so it would kind of like hurt it (the stolen base total) sometimes because I’d hit a triple and I couldn’t steal home,” she said.
Her dream season ended with her earning an opportunity to play big-time college softball in the Big 12. Johnson signed with Texas Tech last Tuesday. The Red Raiders are coming off a 41-17 season and a trip to the NCAA regionals.
Johnson had plenty of offers as she was courted by Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Florida International and same smaller schools.
Johnson offers a lot of value at the next level.
“They thought I would be a good fit at the top of the order because I can hit, not just slap,” Johnson said.
And, of course, terrorize an opposing coach or two with her speed.
