Coming out of high school, UMBC starting pitcher Luke Johnson primarily had a two-pitch arsenal.
His fastball was his out pitch, one that he could blow by batters at the high school level in Delaware, and then a looping curveball used primarily to get a cheap strike during an at-bat.
“I would definitely say that was my biggest struggle,” Johnson said. “In high school, I was throwing fairly hard for a high schooler, so I was relying on my fastball a lot.”
A two-pitch arsenal in high school more than sufficed, but at the college level, doing the same just wouldn’t have worked, so Johnson needed to add to his game for future success.
He came up with a changeup, a pitch that took nearly two years to develop but turned him into a true starter.
It all started clicking for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander as a sophomore in 2022, and since that point, Johnson has been on a heater for the Retrievers, so much so that he was named America East Pitcher of the Year in 2023.
“As we were scouting him during COVID, I thought the video of him on the mound was really intriguing and had a lot of possibilities for us,” UMBC head coach Liam Bowen said. “He committed to us as a two-way guy, but as the years have gone on and as he’s progressed on the mound, he’s gravitated more toward pitching, which he’ll do almost exclusively this year.”
Bowen and his coaching staff have worked with Johnson to turn him into a top-level starter, but he was far from that growing up. He was an infielder throughout youth and travel ball and high school but always kept pitching in his back pocket.
It was easy to play several positions growing up in a baseball family. His brother, Sam, played at Washington College. His father and youth coach, Drew, had a successful college career at Maryland that led to time in the Baltimore Orioles organization.
Johnson was able to bounce ideas off of them as the thought of playing college baseball became serious, and even since he’s been at UMBC.
“Having my dad to go and talk to after a start, it’s always nice to have him there for input,” Johnson said. “He went pretty far in baseball, so I trust everything he tells me, so I think that’s a big reason why I’ve made it to where I have.”
Johnson’s growth as a player and as a person has helped fuel his rise at UMBC. He went 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA and struck out 69 batters in 73.1 innings pitched in 2022. That gave way to his Pitcher of the Year season in 2023, when he posted a 7-1 record, 2.96 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 79 innings and held opponents to a .217 batting average.
“It’s a testament to Luke and who he is,” Bowen said. “It’s driven, of course, by his physical qualities. He’s blessed with a good arm and good athleticism and he’s just an outstanding all-around baseball player, but the biggest thing that’s driven it is his character and how grounded of a player he is. He’s a throwback kid. He’s super fun to coach.”
Johnson’s development mirrors the trajectory of the Retrievers, who went from a 17-win season in 2021 to a 30-win campaign in 2023. However, last season ended with a quick exit in the America East tournament in May.
“This is my fourth year at UMBC and every year we’ve gotten much better,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve got a real good shot as a team this year. We added some new guys, some grad transfers that are really going to help us out. It’s just a lot of fun being around the team and there’s just a lot of energy right now.”
Heading into his senior year, there’s still one thing Johnson has yet to cross off his UMBC checklist — a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The 2024 season is as good a time as ever for the Retrievers to end a six-year drought and head back to the Big Dance.
“Winning Pitcher of the Year has pushed me further and further to better myself to show that last year isn’t the best I can have,” Johnson said. “I hope to prove that and come out strong with a really strong team. Hopefully, we beat some teams by a lot.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the America East
Issue 285: February/March 2024
Originally published Feb. 21, 2024