It wasn’t long ago that many people would have been surprised that Walker Johnson would be where he is today.
That quickly changed midway through his high school career when Johnson began to grow in stature and in his overall game as a pitcher. Johnson had seven appearances as a sophomore at East Webster then he threw 36.0 innings and struck out 53 batters as a junior. His final season in Cumberland, the coaches’ son became the ace of the team and finished a perfect 8-0 in 19 appearances with 79 strikeouts.
His junior season, colleges began to take notice of what he had. Johnson was moving into the mid 80s with his fastball and mixing in a tough breaking ball. East Central Community College jumped on Johnson and his fellow Webster county hurler Tanner Knight at Eupora and both of them went to Decatur to start their careers.
Head coach Neal Holliman saw what Johnson’s dad and coach Wes saw – his best days were ahead of him.
“He was a big ole boy,” Holliman stated. “He threw downhill and had a great breaking ball. Everybody spoke volumes about his character and I knew Wes for many years and what kind of person he was. It was an easy decision for us because we knew we were going to have a good locker room guy and a really good pitcher after he settled into his frame and abilities.”
As a freshman, the 6-foot-3 Johnson threw in 14 games with nine starts. It was an adjustment year to be sure as he threw in 30.1 innings but gave up 33 runs and walked 35 batters with 35 strikeouts. His sophomore year began to show his progression, however.
Johnson threw in five games before the season was cancelled and was slated to be a conference starter for Holliman. He had already struck out 28 batters in 17.1 innings with 13 walks and his earned run average was down by over two runs. Johnson’s fastball is beginning to sit in the high 80s and touching 90 miles per hour. His breaking ball is what makes him difficult to hit as he has a curveball in the 80s along with a changeup.
The good news for both Johnson and ECCC is that the NJCAA is awarding every baseball player the opportunity to get this season back next year. Holliman is expecting Johnson to take that opportunity. A big season next year and the sky is the limit for one of EWHS’ own.
“I felt like it was advantageous for him to come back because I think he’s got a chance with continual progress that he’ll be a Division I arm,” Holliman said. “Walker is getting there. He’s got a legit breaking ball. He’s got that breaking ball that you know is coming but you can’t do anything about it. If he continues to have progress, he’s going to be a dude for us.”
