Johnson rises to the occasion with Fighting Illini
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -
Aaron Johnson is making a name for himself as a member of the Orange and Blue this season on the diamond.
The former Sussex Sonic is in his first year with the University of Illinois Fighting Illini men's baseball team and has compiled a .313 batting average in 131 at bats for the 29-20 club which is 15-12 in Big Ten action as of May 10.
The catcher's latest heroics included a May 5 two-run walk-off homer which capped a dramatic comeback against Northwestern. With two out, Johnson drove a 1-1 curveball over the left-centrefield fence to give his club its 12th come-from-behind win of the season.
He ended the game with a three-for-five plate performance which included two RBI and three runs.
Johnson's bat also made headlines in an April 22, 10-4 win over Illinois State. He homered and went three for four with four RBI and two runs.
Thus far, he has four homers, eight doubles and a slugging percentage of .466 as the Fighting Illini sit in third place behind front-running Michigan and second-spot Purdue.
Illinois is winding up its regular season and looking to the Big Ten tournament beginning May 21. The team's last year in the NCAA tournament was 2000.
Prior to joining Illinois, Johnson hit .333 for the Lethbridge Bulls of Western Major Baseball League over the summer of 2007. He had 18 RBI, 15 runs, eight doubles, two home runs and a triple in 21 games, and threw out seven of 18 would-be base-stealers with his cannon of an arm.
He hit .333 with 30 RBI, seven doubles, a homer, a .500 on-base percentage and nine of 12 stolen bases for Prairie Baseball Academy in 2007 and also led his under-17 team to a national championship by hitting .370 with two homers in the finals.
Johnson, whose parents are Bill and Rhonda Johnson of Sussex Corner (formerly Grand Manan), is majoring in sociology and was drafted in the 46th round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2006.
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