VAN BUREN — When he is on the mound, Van Buren senior pitcher Connor Johnson has been in control of every game he has started this season.
That’s just how he likes it.
“Pitching is a one-on-one battle,” Johnson said. “Every time I get to strike somebody out, it is me beating them. That’s what I like the most about pitching. When you can get that out, you won that battle. I know if I’m on and even if I’m not on, it will be tough for teams to hit. I want to put the pressure on them. I like dominating hitters.”
Johnson, who signed with the University of Central Arkansas, has done plenty of that on behalf of the 5A-West conference-leading Pointers (19-6, 10-2 5A-West). He is a perfect 8-0 in his eight starts this season. He has pitched 52 innings while allowing just 23 hits, 6 walks and 3 earned runs. He has 75 strikeouts to go along with his microscopic ratios (.52 ERA and .56 WHIP).
“He has been really good,” Van Buren first-year coach Luke Weatherford said. “He was really good last year before we got shut down. You just hope as good as he was last year he wouldn’t miss a beat. That has happened. He is as good as he was last year.”
Johnson, who has made an impact since he was a freshman, has been a big part of the conference championship push for Van Buren. Playing in a league that plays all doubleheaders, Johnson’s role is to secure that first game every time out. That has allowed the Pointers to never drop a series against an opponent while also sweeping four teams in 5A-West action.
Van Buren now hopes to finish off conference play strong by securing an outright league title when it plays Si-loam Springs in a doubleheader Tuesday.
Some of his best games this season include dominant outings against both 5A-West second-place teams in Greenwood and Russellville. Against the Bulldogs, he needed just 77 pitches to go all 7 shutout innings, allowing just 1 hit while striking out 9. He went all 7 innings as well against the Cyclones. He struck out 8 hitters and allowed just 2 hits, a walk and an unearned run in the victory.
Most action his infielders figure to see when Johnson is pitching is throwing the ball around the horn after strikeouts. He has at least six strikeouts in each start and has eight or more in six of his appearances. He even struck out 15 against Vilonia.
Because of Johnson’s mound dominance, some teams have tried the unorthodox to attempt to gain an edge against Van Buren, which is considered a top three team in Class 5A by many.
“We feel like we have an advantage in that first game with Connor on the mound,” Weatherford said. “We’ve had a couple of teams throw backward on us and pitch their No. 1 guy in the second game. Our entire staff has pitched well this year. But every time Connor goes out there on the mound, we feel like we have a chance to win.”
Johnson, who tops out at about 88 mph, has several pitches in his arsenal and isn’t afraid to use any of them. His fastball and his ability to place it where he wants it has been key in his career.
“He dominates a lot of people with his fastball,” Weatherford said. “It has really good life. People have a hard time squaring it up. He locates it so well and moves it around. But if somebody does get on his fastball, he has a nice slider that he can throw over the plate. His changeup is very good as well. He is so efficient with his pitches too that we never have to think about hitting the limit.”
The offense has provided a lot of support behind him. Haden Roark, Sammy Seeger, Eli Gilreath and Tanner Callahan have been a big part of the lineup. Devin Gattis has been pitching well in conference play as Van Buren’s second starting pitcher as well.
Johnson doesn’t just pitch for the Pointers. He hasn’t missed a game this year and has developed into an everyday hitter and outfielder as well this season, usually batting fifth in the order. He is hitting for a .283 average (23 for 81) with 8 runs, 18 RBI, 9 walks, 5 extra-base hits and 2 stolen bases.
“The first couple years I couldn’t hit at all,” Johnson said. “I’ve been working at it and now I’m pretty good at it. I can contribute. When I was a freshman, I just couldn’t hit. Now that I get to and can hit, it means a little more than pitching. I don’t want to just be a pitcher. I want to help the team out anyway I can to get wins.”
Johnson has come through in the clutch at the plate several times when needed most. He hit a big triple to break open a close game against Greenbrier. He finished with four RBIs against Batesville and has had five games with two or more RBI in one game this season.
“As a coach, you love to see the progress he has made throughout the years,” Weatherford said. “Coming up in our program, he has always been an outstanding pitcher. I remember when Connor was younger telling him he would need to play a position his senior year. He has really developed into a nice hitter over the years.”
Johnson is one inning away from having not given up any earned runs all season. All three of his earned runs on the mound came off one swing in a 7-4 win against Greenbrier. The call from coach Weatherford was a high, inside fastball. But the pitch was hit over the fence for a three-run home run. Callahan, the team catcher, jokes that the players like to blame their coach for that one.
“I didn’t want to put that pitch down,” Callahan said with a laugh. “I didn’t really want to shake it off, so I called it. We like to throw coach under the bus for that one. But I have fun catching Connor. He throws where I put the glove. I don’t have to move it much at all. The dude is legit.”
Weatherford in recent weeks has turned the pitch calling over to Callahan. That has allowed Weatherford to focus more on defense and big picture adjustments for the Pointers while in games. Weatherford said he wanted to take advantage of the chemistry the two have since Callahan has caught Johnson since they were both freshmen.
When coach Weatherford, a 12-year assistant at Van Buren, took over this year for David Loyd after 15 years as the coach, he hasn’t shied away from talking about going all the way this season. The Pointers have never won a baseball championship in school history and last made it to the finals in 2010.
“One of the first things we talked about when I got hired was about the opportunity this team had to be special this season,” Weatherford said. “We knew we’d have a really good team coming back and hopefully get a chance to play for a state championship. It’s a challenge I put out there in front of them. That’s something we need to get done for our program, school and community. Anytime you can do something that is a first, it is a really neat challenge.”
It is something Johnson has fully embraced. He wants to make a deep run at the state tournament after Van Buren was able to make it during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
“Last year we had a really good team with really good seniors,” Johnson said. “We feel like we owe it to them to play as well as we can because they didn’t get their senior year. We want to go out there and try to win a state championship not only for them but for our seniors as well. We have made this season extra important.”
A state tournament appearance would mean a little more to Johnson than most on his team. He wants a little redemption from the last time he pitched in the state tournament as a freshman in 2018. Johnson was able to pick up a win during the team’s tournament run that season, but he also had an outing he wished he could have back. Johnson was charged with the loss pitching in the final inning of a 6-5 semifinals defeat to Springdale Har-Ber in the Class 7A tournament. The Wildcats used a four-run seventh-inning rally, including the game-winning run with two outs, to upset the Pointers.
That outing has been a driving force for him to get better over the years. He now cannot wait to put that memory in the past and have success again on the mound for Van Buren on the biggest stage.
“My freshman year I kind of lost us the game in the state semifinals,” Johnson said. “It was really tough. It was my first year playing at this level. We were so close. That was tough. I’m looking forward to getting in a state tournament game and making it up for my guys. I cannot wait to pitch in the tournament again.”
At a glance
CONNOR JOHNSON
SCHOOL Van Buren
CLASS Senior
POSITION Pitcher/Right field
NOTABLE He is 8-0 in his eight starts this season for Van Buren. …The University of Central Arkansas signee has pitched 52 innings while allowing just 23 hits, 6 walks and 3 earned runs. He has a .52 ERA with a .56 WHIP. … Johnson has 75 strikeouts and his season-high this season is 15 in one game against Vilonia. … After struggling as a hitter earlier in his career, he has turned himself into an everyday player in the outfield. He is hitting for a .283 average (23 for
81) with 8 runs, 18 RBI, 9 walks, 5 extra-base hits and 2 stolen bases. … His brother, Trevor, was an all-state pitcher for the Pointers. … When he isn’t playing for Van Buren, Connor’s favorite hobby is fishing.