Athlete of the Week

Khelia Johnson Height: 5'6" Position: Designated hitter Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz. Majors: Computer Science and Math Pregame superstition: "I always put a piece of turquoise that someone gave to me for good luck in my sock." Started playing at age: 10 Started playing because: "My dad used to play in a league, and I used to practice with his team. One day a guy on the team told me about a recreational league for girls, so I signed up. Idol: "Joe Montana. That's why I wear No. 16." Best Yale ../sports moment: "Probably last Sunday."

The unreal feel of the afternoon would continue, as Johnson went on to hit two more homers--a three-run shot in the sixth inning of the first game, which Yale (17-9-1) would win 8-2, and a two-run drive in the third inning of the second game to give Yale a lead they would not relinquish. The Bulldogs eventually won by a score of 8-3. Johnson's three bombs remarkably put her atop the all-time Yale single-season home run list, tied with two other players.

Johnson said that "the second and the third were just as unexpected as the first." This makes sense, considering she had not only never hit a home run in her three years at Yale but had never hit a ball over a fence in her 11-year softball career. "I've hit the fence before many times and had it bounce back in, or I've hit it far enough to go over a fence when I've played on fields with no fence," Johnson said.

The Friars helped make Johnson's breakout day happen by not doing enough advance scouting. Two of her dingers came on inside pitches, which she said she generally hits further. And while two of them also came on two-strike counts, she calls herself "a pretty good two-strike hitter."

Johnson has exhibited flashes of her potential to hit for power in the past. Last year, despite not hitting a triple or a home run, Johnson led the high-scoring Bulldogs with a .465 slugging percentage, earning her First Team All-Ivy honors. This year, she is slugging at an even better .520 clip, second on the team, and is tied for the team lead with 14 RBI. Incredibly, Johnson's three home runs are one more than the entire team hit
last season.

Johnson was not always as focused on her offense as she is as a DH. She pitched in high school. "I thought I was coming to Yale as a pitcher," she said.

Johnson did pitch her freshman year with the Bulldogs and posted a 12-8 record with a 2.36 ERA. Her pitching numbers slipped last year, though, and coach Andy Van Etten moved her to DH. Johnson said that she loved pitching and might like to pitch again, although she hasn't talked to Van Etten about it yet.

For now, though, the Bulldogs are reaping the benefits of Johnson's hitting, as they have not yet been shut out this year. In addition, an improvement in defense--which was a weak point for the team last year--and an increase in maturity has propelled the young Bulldogs to a better record than they had at this point last year. Sweeping Providence bodes well for the Bulldogs as they look ahead to their Ivy opener, a doubleheader at Harvard on Sat., Apr. 10. Last year, the Friars swept a more inexperienced, error-prone Bulldog squad. "[The sweep] was very important as far as confidence in getting us ready for Ivy League play," Johnson said. As were three, unreal, record-setting home runs.

Photo by Julia Tiernan.

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