Featured athlete of the week —Corey Johnson—

For 20-year-old Corey Johnson, baseball is a family tradition.
“Baseball is in my blood,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s father and older brother were both pitchers at the collegiate level (University of Tennessee and Bowling Green, respectively) and that strong baseball background has led Johnson to be an outstanding pitcher himself.
Johnson played at Tipp City High School where his dad was a member of the coaching staff.
“Some people would say I had an ‘in’ because my dad was a coach, but I say otherwise,” Johnson said. “ I kind of felt more pressure because he would tell me right away if I messed up, but it was a good experience in the long run.”
The sophomore pitcher said his choice to come to Sinclair was based on the possibility of coming in and making an impact right away. But for Johnson, his success was initially put on hold.
“Corey came in last year and kind of had to sit behind some of the big arms that we had last year,” head coach Steve Dintaman said. “But the entire time, no matter what his role has been with us, he has always worked hard and never complained about anything.”
“It was a tough thing to go through, but it was definitely a good experience for me to sit through and see some of the veteran guys pitch the league games and get some experience off that,” Johnson said.
And now Johnson has hit a personal high in his baseball career after throwing a no-hitter against Lakeland Community College on April 7.
“It was kind of a weird experience,” Johnson said. “Not a lot of people knew what was going on. I’m usually a loud guy, [but this time] I was just sitting on the bench trying to stay mentally focused because I knew what I was doing about halfway through the game. I kept telling myself—‘why can’t I do this?’ And when we got the last out I was so relieved.”
The no-hitter is the first since Ian Creager pitched one last season in a non-conference game.
“What makes this special is that he did it in conference,” Dintaman said. “And I can’t remember the last time one of our guys accomplished that.”
Dintaman recognized Johnson as a leader in the dugout who keeps his teammates on the right track.
“I kind of joke around a lot, but I’m always there for the other guys,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of a pitcher’s role. You’re always holding the ball and the focus is on you, so you always want to set a good example.”
Johnson said he plans on continuing his baseball career at a four-year school next season, but he isn’t sure where at just yet.
For now, Johnson is hoping he can help Sinclair make it to the Regional Tournament, suggesting that the team has to take it one game at a time to make sure they don’t slip up on their way.
You can see Johnson and the entire team take on Lakeland on April 20 at 2 p.m. at Grady’s Field in Xenia.