There’s a big difference in how Jasmine Johann approaches her future as opposed to her softball career.
One is intense. The other is, what might be considered frivolous.
Both are producing impressive results.
The Hopewell Valley Central High School senior is serious about her career. So serious, in fact, that while she pursues her high school diploma, she has already taken enough on-line college courses that she will have over 50 credits upon arriving at Liberty University in Virginia next fall.
With her dad working for the Pentagon, Johann is pursuing a criminal justice degree with an eye on working in a national intelligence agency.
“I think that’s where I fit,” she said. “I think that’s what I’m called to do.”
That is some meaningful stuff.
Now, let’s look at her final season with the Bulldogs softball team.
“I just wanted to have fun this year; that’s really it,” Johann said. “Going into the season I was telling coach (Gary) Nucera I wanted it to be a fun season since it’s my last. I am just playing to play the sport, not playing for anything else.”
Which is different than before?
“Yeah, I guess I put pressure on myself,” she continued. “I had distractions with other teams, distractions with friends in school, some drama. It’s not fun. This year it’s a lot better. So I just let it all go this year and was like ‘Let’s just play.’”
When asked if it worked, Johann chuckled and replied, “You see the stats.”
Indeed, the numbers don’t lie.
In her first three seasons, all with the varsity, Johann hit .258, .283 and .229.
Through HoVal’s first 18 games this season, she was leading the team with a .485 average and 24 RBI.
“She’s been one of our leaders and is certainly knocking balls off the bat,” Nucera said. “We haven’t done many adjustments to her swing. It’s just a hitter’s mentality. See the ball, hit the ball. We try to keep it simple.
“She’s always been talented and had a very nice swing. One of her weaknesses was getting in her own way instead of playing free. She’s doing that now and she’s happy with her production in general.”
And while Nucera likes the fact she is hungry to be better, he does have to curb her appetite on occasion.
“We had some times where we have to temper her expectations,” he said. “She always wants more, wants more, wants more. But I said ‘You’re doing just enough, don’t force it and try to do too much, otherwise you get in your own way.’”
It hasn’t been easy for Johann during her high school career, especially defensively.
A lifelong softball player, she began T-ball at age 4 and started rec and travel two years later. Her travel career was strictly with the Ewing Edge, who she stayed with through last summer.
Johann was mostly and outfielder/second baseman in travel. She also caught a little. Her only shortstop experience was in rec “as a fun thing.”
When she arrived at Hopewell, the Bulldogs had a second baseman and needed a shortstop Despite her limited time there, Johann volunteered.
“I liked the idea of being a shortstop,” she said. “It seemed fun, and there weren’t any returning players at that position so I said to myself that this would be a good place for me. I played a little in travel but only when our main shortstop was catching.”
Ah yes, catching.
After becoming a solid high school shortstop, Johann again put her team first last year. When their catcher suffered an injury midway through the season, the Bulldogs needed someone behind the plate. Jasmine moved there while freshman centerfielder Megan Kurian came in to play short.
“We both volunteered for our positions,” Johann said. “She liked outfield better but she said it would be fine. I went to a few catching clinics when I was younger.”
The adjustment worked and has carried over into this season.
“She’s done very well,” Nucera said. “She’s a true athlete. Getting her back there, she’s not your most technical catcher but she’s gritty. She’ll try to get behind everything.”
In an effort to help Johann adjust to the bulky catcher’s equipment, Nucera had her wear her pads around constantly.
“You get to a point where you’re weightless in the pads and things are just as natural as when you’re a shortstop,” he said. “She’ll fight me on that every now and then, but I say, ‘That’s part of the process to not even realize pads are on you.’”
Johann admitted the defensive switch may have affected her hitting last year, resulting in a career low in batting average.
“It definitely was tough on me, mentally at least,” she said. “I loved playing shortstop and I was playing a position that wasn’t my favorite but it was better for the team. I think that’s what changed this year. Now I’m just happy to play.”
It seems as if most of the team is happier than last year, or the past three years in fact. The senior class went 10-40 through its first three seasons. This year, Hopewell was 10-8 entering its state tournament game with Lawrence.
“We had seven juniors who were all the leaders on the team last year, but fought each other for leadership,” Nucera said. “That might be where they lost their way a little bit. They all came in this year and said, ‘We want to have a better approach to the season and end on a high note.”
Which is what has happened.
“It’s been a lot better. The best of all four of my years,” Johann said. “Everybody hangs out, not only at softball but outside of softball.”
So, everyone is having fun?
“I hope they’re having fun,” Johann said. “I’m having a lot of fun this year.”
Which is what it all comes back to with Johann. Nucera was thrilled to know her preseason plan was to enjoy herself.
“I said, ‘That is a good first mentality if that’s what you’re gonna put into the season. Only you can make it a fun experience,’” the coach said.
Toward the end of the season, she started to focus a little too much on the stats, Nucera said. “I told her, ‘Just do what you do.’ A good sign of leadership and having fun is remaining consistent, and not trying to overextend yourself.”
And not worrying about other things.
“She knows she had a down year last year,” Nucera said. But this year, she’s more relaxed, and it has helped.
“We talk a lot about plate discipline. Getting up there, knowing what the pitcher wants to do, and making it harder for them. She’s done that really well this year.”
She’s also super in the classroom with a 3.6 grade point average, which is not easy to maintain while taking college courses.
And while Johann is serious about her professional future, she’s just as serious about having a good time in softball.
“She’s gonna be the poster child for when you come into the season and you have the mentality of it being fun,” Nucera said. “You play a heck of a lot more free instead of putting yourself under overwhelming pressure. It’s a good example of us as coaches to say ‘Look at what she did. Look at her stats this year as opposed to last year.’”
And Johan may want all the fun to continue.
“I think I’ll miss it a lot,” she said. “I might do a club team in college. I’m not sure yet. I might try to walk on. You never know.”
