While Maya Johnson is now showcasing her mettle inside the diamond, wearing Belmont’s name across her chest, the journey to this point was far from being an easy one.

Johnson is an MVC Pitcher of the Year, MVC Tournament’s MVP, NFCA First Team All-American, the list goes on. But fighting Lupus since 2021, what was her journey of becoming one of the nation’s well-adorned softball pitchers like?

“I’ve had so many people tell me no,” Belmont’s star opened up on her battle, that begun during the sophomore year of high school. “I had so many moments throughout my entire journey where I didn't think I'd get to do the things I wanted to do."

Currently, the 23-year-old pitcher leads the nation with 11 shutouts and a staggering 320 strikeouts to just 17 walks. In fact, she ranks among national leaders in 13 major pitching categories, with an overall 24-2 record.

But this didn’t come easily. If the diagnosis wasn’t bad enough, Johnson had to swallow rejection from 15-20 schools. The rashes, fatigue, and joint pains of her autoimmune disease posed severe roadblocks.

But even though the long-term physical and mental distress limited her run, it wasn’t enough to stop her from becoming the Belmont ace. And the credit also goes to coach Laura Matthews.

Laura Matthews Recognised Maya Johnson’s Drive

If there’s one thing both Matthews and Johnson share, it is their ability to tackle rejection with resilience. While around 20 schools passed over Johnson, Johnson also passed over Matthews’s approach twice. But that didn’t stop the coach.

"From what I knew the first time I recruited her, that she's smart, she's talented,” Matthews said. “She's not just someone that can throw a ball really hard. And I thought she'd fit really well with Belmont's culture."

The coach’s third-time approach showed fruition as Johnson agreed to call Nashville home. And ever since, there has been no stopping.

Moving forward, what higher ceiling do you think awaits Johnson to touch in the future? Comment it down.

Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Souvik Roy