Johnson Gets Back To Powering Georgia Tech Attack

Throughout Kel Johnson’s career, power has been his calling card. He put on impressive displays in high school, like the time he hit 11 homers at Citi Field in the 2013 Junior Home Run Derby. It has continued to play in college, where the sophomore has 17 home runs in his first 66 games at Georgia Tech.

Johnson, however, said he doesn’t go to the plate thinking about home runs. He is instead working to be the best all-around hitter he can be.

“I definitely feel like every year throughout my career I’ve matured as a hitter,” Johnson said. “I’ve advanced my approach, I’ve gotten better at repeating mechanics, being able to do the same thing every day, not being sporadic, not finding success at random, but knowing why you’re having success.”

That approach has worked for Johnson this season. About halfway through the year, Johnson was hitting .362/.432/.657 with a team-leading seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 26 games.

Getting back to that level of play has been a long process for Johnson.

Back On The Field

A year ago, Johnson was one of the best freshmen in the country in the first half of the season. Through the first 23 games of the season, he was hitting .379 with seven home runs.

Then he severely sprained his ankle in the series finale against North Carolina on March 24. He was sidelined for three weeks, missing 13 games. And even when he returned to the Yellow Jackets lineup in the middle of April, the injury continued to bother him. He was limited to DH duties, and didn’t look quite the same at the plate, hitting three home runs in his final 17 games of the season and saw his overall line drop to .298/.369/.570.

Johnson took more time off after Georgia Tech’s season came to a disappointing end with a loss in the play-in game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, and the Yellow Jackets missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years. He delayed his arrival to the Cape Cod League until July, giving himself more time to heal. After not playing for about six weeks, Johnson hit .151/.207/.208 with one home run in 14 games on the Cape.

Johnson said it was a long process to get back to feeling fully healthy.

“I kind of got knocked of my groove last year with the injury,” he said. “The injury kept bothering me physically for a while, you know those ligaments take forever to heal.”

Eventually, Johnson did recover and was able to return to playing the outfield. And with his ankle no longer bothering him, he was able to focus solely on his game.

“Now, being able to get out there healthy, 100 percent, and be able to play the game like I always have, has done a lot for me physically and mentally,” Johnson said. “Now I’m settling back in at the plate, seeing the ball, driving the ball, finding the barrel again. It feels good.”

That comfort level has shown in the field and at the plate. He has settled in as Georgia Tech’s right fielder and cleanup hitter, helping the Yellow Jackets to a 20-7 start.

Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall said Johnson has been locked in at the plate, while also playing well defensively.

“He’s coming up with big hits, he’s showing power again and I think he’s become a much better hitter as well,” Hall said. “Even over and above his offense, I think he’s playing really good in right field right now. He’s taken it upon himself to improve daily and he’s worked really hard and it’s showing.”

This year, when Georgia Tech played North Carolina, the series had a happier ending for Johnson and the Yellow Jackets. He played a leading role in a big series win for Georgia Tech at then-No. 6 North Carolina in late March. He went 6-for-12, homered and drove in three runs in the three-game series.

North Carolina coach Mike Fox said Johnson has gotten better in the last year, leaving opposing pitchers with just a few ways to pitch to him.

“You’ve got to be really careful with him,” Fox said. “You’ve got to try to pitch around him, you’ve got to throw breaking balls down and away and every now and then I think he is susceptible to that ball up, he’ll chase that pitch. But when he lays off of that pitch, he’s dangerous.”

Living The Dream

Johnson will turn 21 on July 8, which makes him eligible to be selected in this year’s draft. He was undrafted out of high school. His big righthanded power has long intrigued scouts, but questions about his long term defensive position and hitting instincts linger.

For his part, Johnson isn’t concerned about how the draft will play out.

“It’s not on my mind,” he said. “I’m playing ball, I’m having fun, I’m helping the Yellow Jackets. It’s been my life-long dream to be a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket and I’m glad to be here.”

Georgia Tech is happy to have Johnson around as well. The Yellow Jackets are aiming to erase last year’s disappointments, and look like a much-improved team halfway through the season. Georgia Tech was the last undefeated team in the country, going 12-0 before the winning streak ended at Florida State. Through seven weeks of the season, it has already spent four weeks in the Top 25, its most time in the rankings since 2013.

Johnson said the Yellow Jackets are enjoying playing together, especially with so many players contributing to their success.

“I’d say the whole team has been having their input into these wins, it’s not just a group of guys that are having to carry the team,” Johnson said. “I think everybody is doing their share and there’s a lot of cohesion on the team, where everyone gets along great on and off the field.”