Kirkwood All-American Peyton Johnson continues to produce and impress on the softball diamond

CEDAR RAPIDS – Peyton Johnson’s opening tour with Kirkwood softball was a hit.

She was an immediate success, receiving first-team All-American honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and third-team recognition from the NJCAA Division II Softball Committee.

Her encore has been just as impressive.

“She was a first-team All-American last year and sometimes there's a lot of pressure that goes with that.” Seven-year Kirkwood Coach Eric Frese said. “She has handled that probably better than any first-team All-American we've had here since I’ve been at Kirkwood.

“ She's really handled it well. You can look at her stats. She's backing it up.”

Johnson has followed a fine freshman season with another successful campaign for the 12 th-ranked Eagles. She leads Kirkwood in six offensive categories and ranks in the top three of three more, battering opposing pitchers.

“I just play the game to have fun,” Johnson said. “I've been playing it since a little girl, so I just do what I can every single game.

“I know that my teammates, Frese and all of my coaches believe in me, so that eliminates a lot of the pressure.”

Johnson has played softball since she was young. Volleyball was her favorite activity in middle school. She started to form a passion for softball as a multisport athlete for the Marion Wolves. Her enthusiasm for the game grew.

“I started playing high school softball and that's when I really found a love for softball,” Johnson said. “Then, I wanted to pursue softball. My love for softball really came later in my career, unlike some of the other players that I play with, but I’m grateful for that to have come.”

Johnson is tops on the team in hits (58), doubles (22), runs (48), batting average (.492), on-base percentage (.557) and slugging percentage (.890). She has also hit seven home runs and driven in 44 RBIs.

“It's been awesome,” said Johnson, who has expanded her role in the field from catcher to some outfield and first base. “I've just had really good teammates to back me up and keep me in the positive headspace.”

Frese said Johnson has always worked hard and refused to be satisfied with last year’s results. She made adjustments for this season. Sky is the limit for Johnson.

“I think it's because she's very confident because she's very prepared,” Frese said. “She understands how her swing works. She understands how her body works. She knows what she's looking for and rarely does she chase too many bad pitches. She kind of knows what she wants or try to handle and she has a really good feel for what she's looking to do. She's pretty consistent with trying to get that done.”

Johnson has signed with University of Northern Iowa. She noted that former Kirkwood assistant Ozzie Adams is now a Panthers assistant. UNI and Kirkwood subscribe to a comparable philosophy, which makes for an easier transition.

“I just saw so much similarity between Kirkwood and UNI,” Johnson said. “It was just a no-brainer.”

Frese said one of the best part of coaching at this level is seeing the strides made from Day 1 on campus. He has seen the gains Johnson has made and will watch her move on to a NCAA Division I program, which is a little bittersweet. She will leave big cleats to fill.

“The beautiful part about junior college is you get to help them develop and grow,” Frese said. “The hard part is when you have a young lady like her is it's hard to watch them go so fast.”

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