21

Ben Johnson

Position:Utility

Height:6' 0"

Weight:200

Bats:R

Throws:R

College:Northwest Nazarene

Residence:Federal Way, WA

Johnson, who started playing baseball at the age of 10, put up positive numbers both at the plate and on the mound for Northwest Nazarene this spring.

Ben hit .383 (18 hits in 47 official at-bats) with five doubles and 11 runs batted in after posting a .226 batting average in 2018 for the Nampa, Idaho-based university. He put up a  .489 slugging percentage and reached base at a .420 clip. Johnson took the mound on 10 occasions this season and started seven times. He was 4-4 with a 4.64 earned run average and struck out 36 over 54.1 innings while walking just eight.
Like Ben, NNU improved compared to 2018. Northwest Nazarene went 24-24 overall, 20-17 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, and reached the NCAA Division II league's postseason tournament after a 19-31 finish the previous spring.
Johnson was a stellar performer at Federal Way's Bellarmine Prep High School before furthering his hardball career in the Potato State. He was his team's most valuable player during both his junior and senior seasons, and was a second-team pitcher and honorable-mention catcher in the latter campaign.

Ben is a biology and biochemistry double major at NNU and plans to attend medical school when he departs Nampa. Johnson, who has a dog and two cats, plays the guitar and hikes in his free time. He has one brother, Ryan, and his mom's name is Carrie.Ben, a country and rap music fan, appeared on NBC's "Today Show" when he was in fourth grade and shared the spotlight for a cooking segment with the Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis. Ben's favorite foods include tacos, burritos, sandwiches, and spaghetti. He places sushi and some seafood at the opposite end of his food spectrum.