Johnson emerges as a force in the lineup

~ The brother of a former Redhawks hoopster makes a name for himself in baseball.

Area sports fans likely remember Cory Johnson as the sharp-shooting guard on the 1998-99 Southeast Missouri State basketball team that just missed making the NCAA tournament.

Another Johnson is having a nice season of his own -- in a different sport -- this summer.

Zach Johnson, Cory's younger brother, has been one of the most pleasant surprises for the Plaza Tire Capahas, who reached the 20-win mark Sunday by sweeping a doubleheader from the St. Louis Printers.

Johnson went 5-for-10 in the two games, pushing his batting average to .377. That fits right in on a team that entered play Sunday hitting a collective .359.

"Zach is really doing a good job," said Plaza Tire manager Jess Bolen, whose squad is 20-4. "He's a very competitive out."

Much more competitive than last year, when Johnson admitted he had problems in limited playing time during his first season with the Capahas.

"I was mainly a spot starter last year and I kind of struggled," Johnson said. "I worked out a little more to get ready for this season.

"I knew I was better than what I showed. I'm pretty happy with the way things are going. I'm playing a lot more and that helps."

Johnson, a speedy outfielder, is a 2001 graduate of Clearwater High School in Piedmont, Mo., where he starred in baseball and basketball.

He played baseball at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo., for two years, then played one season at Division II Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo.

Johnson later transferred to Southeast, where he has been attending classes but has not played baseball.

"I wasn't real happy with the program at Lincoln, so I just decided to go to SEMO and get my degree," said Johnson, who has one more year to go in his criminal justice major.

Johnson said he was fairly content with life away from baseball -- until a former high school teammate persuaded him otherwise.

That would be fellow Clearwater graduate Jamie McAlister, a former Southeast pitcher who has been one of the Capahas' top hurlers the past few years.

"Jamie kind of talked me into playing last year," Johnson said. "He said it would be a lot of fun, so I tried out and made it."

Johnson said McAlister was right -- it has been a lot of fun, particularly this season as Johnson's play has improved dramatically.

"There's nothing better than cutting up with the guys," Johnson said. "I'm having a blast."

Said Bolen: "Zach has some nice tools. He runs well and has a good arm. He's a lot better this year than he was last year. Of course, he's playing more."

As for his older brother, Cory Johnson was the fourth-leading scorer on the 1998-99 Southeast basketball team that lost to Murray State in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game on a shot at the buzzer.

Cory Johnson averaged 10.5 points per game that season and made 67 3-pointers.

A two-year starter for Southeast after transferring from TRCC, Johnson set the school single-season 3-point record by hitting 95 as a junior in 1997-98, when he averaged 14.5 points.

Johnson is also Southeast's top career free-throw shooter, making a sizzling 92.6 percent.

"I went to just about every one of Cory's games at SEMO. It was a lot of fun," Zach Johnson said.

In something of an unusual twist, the Johnson brothers will likely be teammates -- probably for just one night -- Wednesday when the Capahas play at Waterloo, Ill.

With the National Baseball Congress Mid-South Regional starting Friday in Cape Girardeau, Bolen wants to have his pitching staff as fresh as possible, so he doesn't want to use any key arms for very long against Waterloo.

Cory Johnson was also a baseball standout in high school and junior college, and has kept his arm in shape over the years by throwing batting practice as the Kelly High School coach.

"We were actually supposed to play Waterloo a different night, but their league all-star game was on that night, so Wednesday is the only opening they have," Bolen said. "Cory was in the dugout the other night and he said he could give us a few innings to save our arms."

Added a laughing Zach: "Cory is several years older than me, so we never really got to play on the same team. He'll save some of our [pitching] innings Wednesday and it should be fun being on the field with him."

Almost as much fun as Zach is having during his resurgent season with the Capahas.