Inside Logan Johnstone’s Walkoff Winner Over Tennessee

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt right fielder Logan Johnstone had been here before. Bottom of the ninth inning or later with a chance to walk it off. A moment many players dream of, but may panic in. But not Johnstone. Friday night’s moment was familiar territory and once again, he delivered.

In the batter’s box in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 2-2 game against the Commodores in-state rival No. 21 Tennessee, Johnstone’s opportunity came. He faced off against Tennessee reliever Mark Hindy with runners on second and first base. With a 0-1 count, Johnstone laced a ball into left field, bringing home pinch runner Cade Sears from second for the winning run.

“Just go up there knowing your plan at the plate. But I think the biggest thing is being in the moment and being present,” Johnstone said as he walked reporters through his approach leading up to the game-winning hit. “Obviously had a few at-bats leading up to that at-bat I didn’t really like. They weren’t team at-bats in my opinion. But I think just showing up in the box and being present for that is the most important thing.”

And it was that focus on the present moment that helped Johnstone not feel the pressure of the moment Friday. It also was the same mindset that helped him get through his first walkoff winner against LSU in Vanderbilt’s first SEC win of the season.

Down 12-11 to the Tigers in the bottom of ninth on March 13, Johnstone cranked a ball over the right field wall for a two-run home run to win the game and his first walkoff hit of the season.

Johnstone has had a knack for the big moments during this conference season between Friday and a couple of weeks ago. It all goes back to his mentality of staying present and focused on the task at hand. Not letting the moment get too big and treating the at-bats like it is just another at-bat.

“I’ve had times this year where I’m going up to the box and maybe I’m not breathing the right way, the moment is catching up to me a little bit. And I may fail in that instant. But I think being able to be present, like I said before, is the biggest thing about it,” Johnstone said.

What makes his walk-off hit Friday night more special is the fact that he struck out in three of his first four at-bats. But he never let the bad at-bats from earlier snowball and impact the way he went about the one that mattered most.

But that is one of the beauties of the game of baseball, as head coach Tim Corbin would attest to. In the game of baseball, it does not matter what happened earlier in the game if a player has a chance to win it in the end. A player could have one of his bad day at the plate, but if there is an opportunity at redemption, nobody will ever remember what happened earlier on.

Johnstone was that type of player in Friday’s win.

“I was happy for him because he came up first and second with no outs early in the game and no one felt worse than he did. So, I think in baseball if you get a chance to redeem yourself, then you do,” Corbin said.

What also helps Johnstone in clutch time is the fact that he has plenty of experience. As a two-time transfer from Gonzaga and Washington State, Johnstone has seen a lot of pitchers during the course of his career. Now, as a graduate, he’s putting that experience to good use and turning it into wins for the Commodores.

“He’s older, so I think he is that type of guy from a maturation standpoint, stays in the game because he knows he’s going to get another shot. And he did. And that was clutch,” Corbin said.

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