ROME — He is positive, affable, energetic, determined, and having great success as perhaps the most potent force on Shorter College’s baseball team. That would be an accurate description of Hawks leftfielder, number 10, Matt Johnson.

Johnson leads Shorter College’s baseball team with a .451 batting average and ranks fourth in total hits in U.S. college baseball’s NAIA Division I with 69 hits in just 153 at bats. He is also in the nation’s top 50 in total RBIs (46), total at bats (153), and doubles (17).

Greg Davis, Rome resident and a fan of Hawks baseball, has an indoor batting cage in his home and invited the Shorter baseball team to “come on over” and use the cage as often as they wished. Johnson and Kurtis Robinson, Hawks second baseman, have taken Davis up on the offer and have spent hours honing their hitting skills in the Davis “sports complex.”

“Matt seems to have the utmost character,” Davis stated, “and is a hard worker. He is a good baseball player and is open to instruction. He is friendly, polite, and there is not a pretentious bone in his body.”

“My wife, Lisa, who is a pediatrician, and I have four children,” Davis added, “and Matt and Curtis are the kind of kids you want to see become successful.

“If my boys turn out with the character and work ethic and determination of Matt Johnson I will be really happy.”

As Davis was making that statement Johnson hit a ball high and deep into right-centerfield for a double that knocked in two runs. Davis noted, “See, the coach let him swing at the ball on a 3-0 count. That just goes to show the confidence they have in him as a hitter.”

Johnson acknowledged that Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves was his favorite player when he was growing up. “I played the infield and hit left handed and when I watched the Braves that is exactly what Chipper did so I always tried to imitate the way he played,” Matt explained,

“More recently,” added Johnson, “I have two players I greatly admire. The first one is Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. He is a great player, but is also a follower of Christ and he lives out his faith.

“The second one is Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers. After reading his book, ‘Beyond Belief,’ I became a fan, not only because of his ability as a baseball player, but also because of his powerful testimony as a Christian. It was amazing to see how much he screwed up his life and how God used it for His honor and glory”

Johnson is not only an extremely good baseball player himself; he is also a committed Christian. He testified, “I accepted Christ when I was nine years old, but like most people, I started having doubts about my salvation as a teenager. I prayed for the assurance of my salvation and the Lord confirmed to me that I was one of His children.

“Two weeks later, I was sitting in church and listening to the sermon and the Lord spoke to me and told me He wanted me to preach the Gospel. After battling the Lord about that for a brief period of time, I surrendered to the calling of the Lord on my life.

“I have been preaching at every opportunity since that time and I would never go back and change it even if I could. The Lord has blessed me far more than I could have ever imagined.

“I am not sure exactly where God’s calling will eventually lead me, because I do not feel a specific calling to go to seminary now, but I am open to seeing how God will use me in the future.”

Johnson has always excelled in athletics. At Temple High School he was a four-year letterman in football and baseball, a three-year letterman in basketball, and a captain in all three sports. In football he was all-region and all-county in 2005 and received the Coca Cola Golden Helmet Award.

In basketball Johnson was selected to the all-region team in 2006 and the Most Valuable Offensive Player. In baseball he was all-county in 2004 and 2006 and all-region in 2006 as well as Most Valuable Offensive Player. He was also part of the 2006 All-Academic Team for Carroll County.

Although Johnson was redshirted his freshman year as a Hawk, he has a career college batting average of .408 and become a dominant force in the Hawks lineup this year. His most memorable game this year was against Campbellsville University of Kentucky. He recalled, “I hit a walk-off double to win the game against the number 8th ranked team in the nation.”

Although Johnson will graduate next month he has another year of eligibility in college baseball. He admitted, “I definitely see myself coming back to Shorter for another year. I would like to start on my Master’s Degree and play baseball for another year. However, if there were any chance of getting picked up by a professional baseball team this summer, then I would definitely pursue that.

“It has always been a dream of mine to play professionally, so I would certainly take advantage of that kind of opportunity if it came my way.”

Todd Pratt, who spent fourteen years in the major leagues as a catcher – mostly with the Mets and Phillies –thinks Johnson has a shot at playing professionally. Pratt has coached Johnson in the Sunbelt Baseball League for three years. The SBL provides a first-class collegiate summer program dedicated to helping young college athletes achieve their dreams of playing at the professional level.

Pratt pointed out, “If you are going to have a son, you want to have one like Matt. He is a great kid, a great leader, and an excellent hitter. He listens to instruction and accepts new ideas. He has been the leading hitter on my summer league. His hard work has begun to reap significant benefits. I think he has a good chance of playing professional baseball, if he chooses to do so.”

If Johnson is not signed by a Major League organization this summer, Shorter will benefit from him continuing his education at the Rome campus – not only from his prowess on the baseball diamond but also from his Christian influence. He is president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and helps plan, organize, and lead the weekly meetings generally attended by 20-40 students.

Johnson has spoken with his teammates about the Lord and hopes the way he lives his life will speak even more profoundly to them. He leads in prayer before each game and each meal when the team is on the road.

Matt remarked, “I have the opportunity of leading in prayer before each game and before our meals when the team is on the road. The players know where I stand and know they can come and talk to me about whatever is happening in their lives.”

Johnson avows that being a student at Shorter has strengthened his faith. He admitted, “Shorter is a Christian college, but temptations are present everywhere. I made a decision for Christ and although I have been tempted my faith has grown by standing strong for Him.

“My faith has also been strengthened by the conversations I have had with others. If someone asks me what I believe, I certainly need to know what I am talking about because I might be the only Christian they ever talk to or the only person they ever talk to about Christ.”

Dean of the Business School, Robert Darville, has been a mentor and a positive Christian influence on Johnson’s life. “I first met Dr. Darville through some of my teammates my freshman year,” says Johnson. “He does a men’s Bible study for baseball players and other male students. I first met him at the Bible study and we just hit it off and he has always been someone I can talk to about anything. He has helped me with my personal walk with Christ.”

Johnson is using the baseball diamond as a platform from which he is letting his light shine for Christ. He may not be a perfect 10, but .400 hitters in baseball come extremely close.