By Justin Fabiano
"Go Hard."
That's what Crestwood High School's head baseball coach Curtis Johnson tells his team before practice; it's also the way he used to play for the Gamecocks from 2007-2009.
"I worked as hard as I possibly could everyday I got on the field," Johnson said."It's out of my hands what happened."
What happened was Johnson hurt his shoulder.
"We go up to Vanderbilt, and I'm throwing," Curtis remembered. "I come in about the sixth inning, and that last inning just didn't feel right. I woke up the next morning and I couldn't lift my arm up past my waist."
Johnson had torn his labrum. A labrum is a piece of cartilage that holds the shoulder joint together. Johnson needed surgery and multiple cortisone shots to finish his senior season. He didn't just have an injured shoulder; Johnson had a broken dream.
"That thing [the injury] got me for a little while, man because I had a chance to get drafted and had a chance to pitch because I was getting people out at a high level in the SEC," Johnson said.
Johnson turned to his former coach Ray Tanner for advice once his chances at turning pro were gone.
"[Coach Tanner] puts so much emphasis on off the field character, so much emphasis on grades because if my grades wouldn't have been alright, I wouldn't be able to do what I do now," Johnson said.
Johnson isn't the only player who needed to keep his grades up. USC has produced just 41 professional baseball players since 1880. Most players simply don't make it. Even though Johnson's shoulder injury killed his chances at playing professionally, he knew beforehand he couldn't afford to not graduate college.
"I knew I had to graduate," Curtis said. "No one from my family ever graduated college. No one from my family ever went to college, but that was my goal was to graduate. I figure if I'm going to start something I need to make sure I finish it."
Johnson has had two coaching and teaching jobs since he finished college. He became a ninth grade teacher and Crestwood High School's head baseball coach during the same week USC won the College World Series.
Even though he wasn't on the national championship team and no longer plays baseball, Johnson is happy he can keep the sport a part of his life. He's just as happy to be able to share his experience with his young team.
"I learn from [my injury]," Johnson explained. "I go with these kids out here and I try to tell them you have to play everyday like it's going to be your last because you never know when it's going to get taken from you."
Coach Curtis Johnson hits infield to his team
