Two years ago, I shared a “Meet Your Neighbor” post on Jonathan as well. Today, we see what else Jonathan’s doing in our area.
Dutch Fork High coach Jonathan Johnson was announced Wednesday as the new coach. The pair connected through a mutual friend, and once they met to discuss the opening, a deal was quickly reached.
“By the end of that dinner, there was no doubt in his mind and no doubt in my mind that it was the right fit and the right thing to do,” said Johnson, who is stepping down as Dutch Fork’s coach at the end of his third season.
Johnson, a former first-round pick of the Texas Rangers in the 1995 MLB draft as an All-American right-handed pitcher out of Florida State, pitched parts of six seasons in the major leagues with Texas, San Diego and Houston.
Johnson, 38, who serves as the minister of recreation for Riverland Hills Baptist Church in Irmo for his primary job, can’t wait to coach the more experienced Blowfish players, whose 56-game season begins May 28, with the first home game at Capital City Park the following night.
“To have kids like this coming from great college programs that already know the game, it’s exciting and challenging to coach at a higher level,” Johnson said. “It’s an awesome opportunity to work with some tremendous talent and helping these guys become better ballplayers and better men off the field. There’s so much I’ve gone through over 20 years of playing baseball, 10 professionally, that I feel like I can share with these guys.”
Johnson, who played in the Cape Cod League in 1995 before he signed with the Rangers, understands the dynamics of summer leagues, from the transition to wood bats for hitters and pitchers to the adjustment of out-of-town players living with a host family.
Read the complete article from The State here .
To learn more about other neighbors in our community, click here .