This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
07/20/2017 12:00 AMIn one year’s time, Autumn Johnson went from barely being on the field to being all over it as the ultimate utility player for the Morgan softball squad.
Autumn, who recently graduated from Morgan, started softball in the 1st grade and stuck with the sport through high school, while also participating in cross country, indoor track, and cheerleading along the way. In her junior season, Autumn was primarily a pinch runner for the Huskies. However, with a new-look team in 2017, Autumn was called upon to not only play second base, third base, and the outfield, she was also asked to pitch for Morgan—something she hadn’t done since her days in Little League.
“It was fun playing the different positions, and it was interesting, because I’d never know where I’d be playing,” says Autumn, who sported a .322 batting average this spring. “My team helped me so much with pitching. I couldn’t do it without them. It was challenging, but I knew I had to persevere, and work through it. I did the best I could and hope I helped the team.”
Autumn admits that she didn’t like pitching at first, although she got a boost when she received some crucial words of encouragement from Huskies’ catcher Cameron LeClaire. In terms of her performance at the dish, it all came down to proper preparation, as Autumn and her teammates took part in a multitude of hitting drills throughout the season.
“I went from playing pretty much not at all last year to playing every single inning this season,” Autumn says. “The repetitiveness of hitting helped me. We did soft toss drills, pitching machines, bunting drills, and live hitting. That practice, plus having a supportive team behind my back, helped me.”
Huskies’ Head Coach Scott Chidsey says that even though Autumn wasn’t a captain for his club, she still embodied the spirit of a leader through her fearlessness to play all corners of the field.
“Autumn did not play much her junior year, but as a senior, she was one of our most valuable players. I didn’t have a pitcher, and Autumn was one of the girls that pitched for us this year, even though she hadn’t pitched since Little League,” says Chidsey. “She also played third, second, and all three outfield positions. She wasn’t a captain, but she acted like one. She also had some very important clutch hits.”
Autumn will continue doing whatever it takes for the greater good of others when she joins the United States Coast Guard this fall. Looking back at her four years of high school, Autumn says her time with the Huskies helped her become a better player, as well as a stronger individual outside of the diamond.
“I leave Aug. 29 and, while I’ll miss everyone here, it will be a great experience for me. I’m in a six-year enlistment, and I hope to be an officer one day,” says Autumn, who thanks her family, Morgan’s softball fans, along with all of her coaches and teammates. “From freshman year to my junior year, we had Sal Fiorillo as our head coach, and he would always give us inspiration pep talks. This year with Coach Chidsey, we focused more on teamwork, and Morgan softball taught me about supporting each other, being kind to others, and sportsmanship.”