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Here’s our TLI for Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022:
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EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: REAGAN JOHNSON
Arkansas-bound slapper Reagan Johnson, #9 in the 2022 Extra Elite 100, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Lady Dukes 18U-Lamar, the “little ruler,” slapping, the mental game, PGF Nationals, Birmingham Thunderbolts, physical therapy, Natasha Watley, Chalie Boy, “Friends” and homemade cakes.
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Reagan Johnson
Hometown: Karnes City, TX
High School: Karnes City High
Club Team: Lady Dukes 18U-Lamar
Graduation Year: 2022
Height: 5-foot-4
Position: OF
Nickname: Rae
Twitter: @reaganojohnson
Honors: Softball — 27-2A District MVP; TGCA and THSCA All-State selection; Texas Sportswriters Association 2A All-State 1st Team; SBLive All-South Texas Offensive player of the Year, TGCA Legacy All-Star; All-State Academic Team; and PGF All-American; Track — state champion 300 m hurdles (set state record 43.70); and TGCA All-State selection.
Travel Ball Summer Stats: .468 AVG, 12 doubles, 9 triples, 1 HR and 24 stolen bases.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? The Lady Dukes-Lamar team is a extremely hard team to come by. They are super competitive and everyone’s mindset is locked in on one thing and that is to win PGF. Coach (James) Lamar is an outstanding coach, who will absolutely push you to your limit, but when you get the game it’s all slow because of how hard he pushes you. I actually joined Lamar’s team because Nyjah Fontenot actually reached out and said they were looking for outfielders, so I made the jump. It was definitely one of the best decisions I could have made.
Can you talk about the meaning of your name? If you look it up on Google it means “little ruler,” but there is no specific reason I was named Reagan.
What do you bring to the team? I believe I bring something different to the Arkansas team and that is speed, and the ability to slap.
What areas are you focusing on/trying to improve this fall? A little bit of my mental game and having power in every swing more consistently.
Can you tell us about your experience at PGF Nationals this summer? I had an amazing experience at PGF. From the competition and then the All-Star game!! I love the experience and being able to play with so many amazing girls.
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? My toughest opponent would have to be the Thunderbolts team. They are obviously a great team, but it is filled with many of my old teammates, so it was a special game for me.
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I am interested in physical therapy. While running track my junior year in high school, I hurt my leg and had to receive PT (physical therapy). Watching my physical therapist and talking to her made me certain that is what I want to do.
Who is your sports hero and why? Natasha Watley. A few years ago she started a slapping group and I joined it. Working with her gave me amazing confidence as she always gave me advice and positive feedback. I loved it.
What’s the best hype song and why? “I look good” by Chalie Boy. I just get super pumped every time I hear it.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? “Friends,” because I can watch it every day even use it as a background sound sometimes. It puts me in a good miss every time I watch it.
Do you have a secret talent/skill? Yes, I make homemade cakes and can shape and decorate them however you’d like (now, I’m not amazing at the decorating part, but I can get it to kinda look like what you want LOL), but I am good at making homemade icing.
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