Fullerton’s Johnson Turns It Up a Notch

On days when Adam Johnson pitches for Cal State Fullerton, he prepares himself by listening to heavy metal music, mostly by Metallica.

How appropriate.

Johnson’s pitching style is pure heavy metal. Intense. Driving. Flamboyant.

“People will tell you I’m really a nice, quiet guy off the field,” Johnson said. “But I’m a lot different when I go on the mound. I want to be dominant, the pitcher they fear.”

Johnson has been so overpowering most of this season, he probably will have rock-star money soon. Professional scouts have projected him as a first-round selection in baseball’s amateur draft June 5.

But before he moves on to a professional career, Johnson wants to help the Titans (36-19) return to the College World Series. He is scheduled to be the starting pitcher when Fullerton begins NCAA regional Friday night at home against Loyola Marymount.

“We’ve had some outstanding pitchers in the past 10 years, but I don’t think anyone has been as dominating, game in and game out, as Adam has been for us,” Titan Coach George Horton said.

Johnson, a junior right-hander with a 7-3 record and 2.53 earned-run average, broke the school’s career record for strikeouts this season, and now has 352 over three seasons. He was a closer as a freshman before becoming a starter last season.

With 153 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings this season, Johnson is 10 away from breaking the school’s single-season record of 162 set by Mark Beck in 1988. The Big West Conference records are 187 in a season and 397 for a career.

Johnson ranks fourth in the nation in strikeouts per inning, and has struck out 12 or more batters in five of his last seven games. He has given up only 26 walks this season.

“He’s been very consistent, and he gets right on top of hitters with his fastball and slider,” said a major league scout who asked not to be named. “His fastball is explosive, and he has great deception because he hangs on to his pitch so long. He could be one of the first 15 players picked.”

Nevada Coach Gary Powers, whose team shared the Big West title with Fullerton, calls Johnson “the most dominating pitcher we saw all season.”

Titan pitching coach Dave Serrano thinks Johnson will be in the major leagues within two seasons.

“He’s a power pitcher with the control of a finesse pitcher,” Serrano said. “His first-pitch strike statistics are great, and he has good command of four pitches. He has moved up in the professional people’s minds this season. They’ve all noticed how his first pitch-to-last pitch velocity has improved.”

Johnson’s fastball is consistently in the 92- to 94-mph range. He also throws a sharp-breaking curve, a hard slider and a changeup. This season he is occasionally throwing a knuckleball, which has the action of a knuckle-curve or a split-fingered pitch.

“It’s a tug of war sometimes between Adam and me because he likes strikeouts and I just want outs,” Serrano said. “The thing about Adam is he wants to make every pitch perfect. But I’m fine with a pitcher having that kind of ego as long as he can deliver, and Adam has done that for three years.”

Johnson has never been reluctant to celebrate strikeouts, most often with an arm-pump. Sometimes, though, it has been with a gesture toward the opponent. Horton and Serrano have cautioned him to not let it go too far.

“It’s part of Adam’s makeup,” Serrano said. “Different pitchers have different ways of motivating themselves. He doesn’t need to alert other teams about himself. But I’d rather have a pitcher you need to calm down a little rather than one you have to motivate.”

Johnson said his flamboyant, animated demeanor on the mound reflects his intensity.

“I’m not trying to taunt the other teams because that wouldn’t be sportsmanlike, but I do get pumped up when I pitch,” Johnson said.

Johnson likes to work quickly. “I guess I’m a hyper person,” he said. “As soon as I get the ball back, I want to get to the rubber and throw it again.”

Johnson’s won-lost record this season has been hurt by a lack of run support. He took his third loss, 2-1, Friday at Long Beach State despite giving up only four hits in eight innings.

During one point in the season when Johnson was winless in three starts, the Titans scored a combined seven runs.

“The way he has pitched, he should have at least 10 victories,” Serrano said.

Johnson was 10-4 with a 3.55 ERA last season, and was selected the outstanding player in the NCAA regional at Notre Dame, holding the Irish to three runs on eight hits in a 6-3 Fullerton victory.

Johnson was among four Titan players suspended for the super-regional at Ohio State because of a rock-throwing incident in South Bend the night the Titans won the championship. He returned for the College World Series but was the losing pitcher in Fullerton’s first-round loss in Omaha against Stanford.

“I wanted to do the best I could for the team because I felt I had let them down by what happened,” Johnson said. “But I don’t think all that had that much of an effect on my pitching.”

Johnson said he’s glad he decided to pitch in college, rather sign a professional contract after being drafted by Minnesota in the 25th round after graduating from San Diego Torrey Pines High. “It has made me a more well-rounded player,” Johnson said.

“I wasn’t going to sign unless I went in at least the third round.”

After three years at Fullerton, it’s likely he won’t last until the third round this time.