GRINDER MENTALITY

Even before he was replaced as the quarterback at Flower Mound Marcus by some guy named Garrett Nussmeier, Ty Johnson knew it was baseball – not football – that was in his future.

While Nussmeier shined at Marcus and eventually with LSU before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs, Johnson said he had to "make a position change pretty quickly" and ended up being a two-time first-team all-district cornerback for the Marauders.

"I loved my time playing football, but I don't know if I would have survived at the college level," said Johnson, a fifth-year senior centerfielder on the Baylor baseball team (23-12, 9-12) that is hosting Texas Tech (22-22, 6-15) for a three-game series this weekend at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark.

"I was more of an ankle-biter. I never really went head-to-head that much. I just went for the pass breakups and tried to funnel guys into my linebackers."

Despite being the team MVP and first-team all-district outfielder for a Marcus High School baseball team that advanced to the region semifinals, Ty had only three scholarship offers, all from junior colleges – Vernon, Weatherford and McLennan.

Mitch Thompson, the head coach at crosstown McLennan at the time, handed Ty "this big packet" that showed how the Highlanders developed players, sent guys to the next level and all the All-Americans and MLB Draft picks they've produced.

"As soon as they offered me a scholarship, I committed on the spot," Ty said. "I looked at my dad and was like, 'This is a no-brainer. Can I do this now?' That ended up being one of the best decisions of my life. The player I was coming in and the player I was coming out – and even the person I was going in and the person I was going out – two completely different people."

As a freshman at MCC in 2022, Ty hit .333 with five homers, 51 RBIs and 16 stolen bases, helping the Highlanders win a region championship and advance to the NJCAA World Series.

"If you've never been to Grand Junction, Colorado, for the JUCO World Series, if you're a baseball sicko like me, that's one of the greatest places you can go," he said. "During the season, you have maybe 10 parents in the stands watching you, if you're lucky. Our first game at the World Series was against San Jacinto, and there were 10,000 people in the stands. It was a huge shock, but one of the most fun times I've ever had on a baseball field."

Instead of making the immediate jump when Thompson took the Baylor job in the summer of 2022, Ty spent another year at MCC and hit .364 with 13 stolen bases.

"I thought it was in my best interest, and Coach Thompson agreed, for me to stay in junior college for one more year," Ty said. "But as soon as he got the job, he got on the phone with me and started the recruiting process. It was pretty much a done deal, but staying that year definitely taught me a lot about myself and helped me develop more as a player. I definitely needed that, rather than jumping into he Division I level right away."

Making a smooth transition to the Division I level, Ty was the Bears' starting centerfielder in 2024, hitting .313 with two homers, 20 RBIs and a team-high 10 stolen bases.

"That was a great year. I loved all my teammates on that team," he said. "Individual success aside, it was a great building experience for me just as a person. Even off the field, the amount of resources that we have here at Baylor has allowed me to grow as a person, alongside a baseball player. . . . Growing up watching college baseball, and getting to live that every day, is definitely a dream come true."

Putting the student in student-athlete, Ty has already earned his undergrad degree in health, kinesiology and leisure studies and is working on a master's in sport management. Last year, he won the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Award, the Big 12's highest academic honor, and was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team and Academic All-Big 12 Team.

"I know that makes my mom happy," Ty said. "But as far as academics go, I kind of live by the mantra that how you do anything is how you do everything. Where I am and what I'm doing at that moment is the most important thing that I'm doing. Whether that's in the classroom, on the field or in my relationships, how I do anything is how I do everything. And I'm going to make sure I give it 100%."

That includes his faith journey at Baylor, which has been aided by baseball team chaplains Bob Johns and Byron Weathersbee.

"They've helped me grow tremendously in my faith," Ty said. "It's not easy to be rooted in your faith playing a game of failure, because you feel like things aren't going your way so many times. But they constantly remind us that our identity is not in the sport that we play, it's who we choose to follow, and that is the one true God. He has done so many great things in my life. He led me here, and He knew that me coming here would help me grow closer to Him."

After getting off to a slow start this season, Ty started turning it around in conference play with a .313 on-base percentage and .567 OPS.

"I know those cold spells are going to come, and I've just got to learn how to roll with the punches, but kind of understanding who I am as a hitter," he said. "Coach (Jim) Blair says that I'm a mover. Around the start of conference play, I really leaned into being that mover and being okay with all the movement in the box. And it really allowed me to zero in on the pitches that I want to hit."

While he's putting any decision on potentially playing pro baseball on the backburner "to be in the present moment," Ty said the thing he will miss the most when he ultimately gives up the game is "being able to show up to the field and hang out with 37 other guys. That's definitely going to be tough."

Coaching could also be an option to "scratch that baseball itch sooner or later," but he's also considering a career in construction management.

"I think I have that grinder mentality coming from junior college, playing in the Northwoods League, which is one of the grindier college baseball summer leagues," Ty said. "I think that kind of mentality is instilled in me. And I think construction can kind of bring that out."

GRINDER MENTALITY

Players Mentioned

Ty Johnson

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