Johnson Has The Swing Notre Dame Likes

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The date was March 20. Davis Johnson was set to visit Notre Dame, then head on a trip to Florida with his high school baseball team.

But it all changed.

“Everything was cancelled,” reflected Johnson, referring back to the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown.

Fortunately, interest from the Atlantic Coast Conference program remained.

“I started talking with Notre Dame every week starting in late May or early June,” the sophomore at Moses Brown School said. “We started to build that relationship.”

So much that an offer and commitment was the end result.

“They liked the swing,” noted the left-handed hitting Johnson. “Coach (Rich) Wallace made a couple of comparisons, one with Max Sapp, a first-rounder in the Houston organization he had recruited. That was the biggest selling point for me. My swing and my bat. That’s what they like.”

Johnson decided on Notre Dame despite never having been in the state of Indiana.

“I was supposed to go to the Future Games but had a conflict and wasn’t able to go,” Johnson said about the PBR event previously held at Grand Park near Indianapolis

It did not stop Johnson from making his future home in the Hoosier state.

“Their reputation … you can’t beat it,” Johnson said of Notre Dame. “I felt confident to commit to a great program. They have a winning culture there and a winning game plan that shows in their recruits. They’ve been one of the top ACC teams the last few years. It’s an exciting feeling to step into a winning culture and I’m ready to go.”

Improvements in his game helped bring interest.

”My biggest area of improvement has come maturity wise,” Johnson explained. “Every time I’m up to the plate I have an approach.”

The 6-0 210-pounder understands the importance of continuing to get better.

“I need to improve at everything,” Johnson said. “I feel my catching can tick up to the next level. I’ve gotten a lot better this summer controlling the game but nothing that can’t improve. As the pitchers get better, I’ve got to get better.”

Johnson pointed to a pair of men who have been instrumental in his baseball development.

“My dad and (New England Scorpions Baseball) coach Cody Orega,” Johnson said. “At a young age my dad taught me the fundamentals. Cody took me to the next level making sure everything is done right. That’s stuck with me helping get me where I am today.”

The dream of being a college baseball player started early for Johnson.

“Since I was three-years-old and started playing the game I knew I wanted to play major league baseball and a step there is college baseball,” Johnson noted. “I knew I wanted to play at a high level so I had to develop a strong work ethic.”

That hard work not only takes place on the field but in school as well for Johnson, a 3.85 student considering business as a potential major.

“Academics is huge with my parents,” Johnson said. “That’s the main factor I chose Notre Dame.”

It is just part of what he believes he can provide the program in South Bend, Ind.

“I know on the field I can bring power into the lineup, get RBIs and be a leader,” Johnson pointed out. “Off the field I excel in the classroom. Going into the academic culture at Notre Dame, I look to set a good example.”

Admittedly, the coronavirus had an affect on the recruiting process for the 16-year-old.

“My coach contacted South Carolina and Mississippi State but they weren’t coming for out-of-state kids they hadn’t seen yet so it was impossible with covid,” Johnson said.

Luckily, that was not the case with Notre Dame and the rest is history.

“This shows all the hard work I’ve put in has not been for nothing,” explained Johnson, who expects to play catcher and possibly corner infield with the Fighting Irish. “There were struggles with covid slowing everything down and not getting to see schools, but it all worked out and I’m happy about that. Now I’m working to continue to improve so I can be ready on day one.”