Young Sally Johnson played varsity softball
Her varsity teammates called her “Sally the Legend.”
She was the youngest player on the team by far. Sally Johnson didn’t expect to play varsity softball this spring. She tried out for the modified team and was shipped up to the junior varsity. But she didn’t stay there long. After two games, she was promoted to the big team as a “guest player.”
Her father assumed the team needed a pinch runner, because Sally is aggressive and lightning fast on the bases. So he was surprised when his daughter became the starting shortstop, and her status changed from guest to team member. It was probably an unprecedented accomplishment for a 12-year-old seventh-grader.
As you would expect, Sally’s ability didn’t develop overnight. She’s the third of five children. As a toddler, she followed her older sister. If the bigger girl got sent to the corner as a punishment, Sally insisted on standing next to her.
The family was living in Texas when Sally’s older sister started to play T-ball. Sally wanted to play too, so her dad got her a uniform and added her to the team he was coaching. She was not quite three at the time.
A year or two later, when Sally wanted to move up, the league made an exception for her. She started to hit coaches’ pitching before she was five. The family eventually moved to Louisiana before coming to Cornwall in July 2017.
“The Legend” has been busy here. She plays for the volleyball club, runs cross country as a hobby, wrestles and plays for three different softball teams.
Her varsity coach, Kelsey Hand, has been impressed with the enthusiasm of her youngest player. “You can tell right away,” she said, “that Sally truly loves the game and loves to be on the field. She does whatever you ask her, and she works hard all the time. She already knows the game so well.”
Soon after joining the varsity, the young shortstop had a role in all three putouts in an inning. I missed that game, but I was there for the final contest of the season. Coach Hand changed the lineup so that all the seniors got to play. The seventh-grader was left on the bench, but she wasn’t inactive.
Every time a ball was hit out of play, Sally would dash out of the dugout and sprint after the ball.
Sometimes a batter would foul three or four pitches in a row, and Sally would chase after each one of them. Her teammates were amused and impressed. “I love Sally,” one of the seniors admitted. And Cornwall fans are likely to feel the same way.
“The Legend” turned 13 on July 1. She celebrated her birthday by banging out a few hits in a Little League All Star Game against Middletown.
