Headfirst slides.

Diving catches in the field.

Leaning in to take a pitch for the team.

Dirt streaks on the uniform.

These are some of the trademarks of the scrappy, hustle players who contribute to teams not with big-time power, but with a single-minded determination to win a ball game at any cost. No one epitomizes this kind of blue-collar baseball mentality more than Sacramento State leadoff man Gary Johnson.

In his first year with the Hornets, Johnson, a junior communications major, has utilized his penchant for speed and hustle to become a very important cog atop the Sac State lineup, setting up rallies nicely for the hitters behind him. Batting primarily in the leadoff spot in the order, Johnson this season has hit .325 with a .383 on-base percentage. He is second on the team with 30 runs scored and first with 81 total bases.

“My job is to get on base,” Johnson said. “I’m more of an aggressive leadoff hitter. I try to take some pitches, but if I see something in the zone early in the count, I’m going to try to drive it.”

Johnson came to the Hornets this season after playing a year of baseball at Sierra Junior College and was immediately given an everyday role. After playing baseball all his life, baseball is in his blood.

“I was bred to be a ballplayer,” Johnson said. “I’ve been playing ever since I was three or four-years old. Ever since then, growing up, it’s been baseball everyday, all day.”

After spending most of his baseball life playing the infield, Johnson learned to play outfield at Sierra, and now splits time between second base and left field with the Hornets. This versatility is important when coaches make lineup decisions, and Johnson takes pride in being able to play all over the field.

“I enjoy playing both outfield and second base,” Johnson said. “The degree of difficulty is pretty much the same. It’s just that when I’m in left field it’s nice to take a break from the grounders.””He’s the most versatile player I’ve ever played with,” Hornet first baseman Brian Blauser said. “Whatever position you need him to play, he can do. You love having a guy like that on your team.”For most teams, leadoff hitters are encouraged to draw walks. However, Johnson, having only drawn three walks all year, likes to use another, somewhat more painful method of getting on base, by being nailed by pitches. By crowding the plate and leaning in on close fastballs or breaking balls, Johnson has amassed a team-leading 15 hit-by-pitches.

“I take a lot of pride in getting beaned,” Johnson said. “If there’s two strikes, I’ll get right on top of home plate, and if a pitcher tries to come in, I’ll get hit a lot.”

Sac State coach John Smith said that with his ability to set up the middle of the order, Johnson is the perfect man to head the top of the lineup.

“He’s the ideal leadoff hitter,” Smith said. “He’s a combination of both an aggressive hitter and a patient one. He gets hit a lot, gets on base a lot, and once he gets on, he uses his speed.”Blauser, who normally hits in the cleanup spot, says that Johnson’s ability to get on base gives the power hitters better pitches to hit.

“Whenever you get a (pitcher) in the stretch, he’s going to be concentrating on the guys on base,” Blauser said. “They don’t want to let Gary steal second, so they’re going to throw a lot more fastballs, and that means better pitches to hit for me.”

Despite the praise for his on-base skills, Johnson more than anything else takes the most pride for his reputation for all-out hustle. Nicknamed “Dirty” by his teammates for dirtying up his uniform during the game, Johnson grew up idolizing former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra, a hard-nosed player on the Mets and Phillies who showed a similar distaste of a clean uniform.

“I always modeled myself after him,” Johnson said. “‘Nails’ is what they used to call him. I knew I was never going to be a power hitter, so I always modeled myself after little ratty players like him.”

Johnson’s general toughness and his tireless grit have impressed both his coaches and his teammates, who say that the “Dirty” moniker fits Johnson perfectly, and that his fiery outlook toward the game is evident both on the field and off.

“It’s a stigma that baseball players like to have,” Coach Smith said. “He rolls up his sleeves, goes out there and gets after it. He’s an aggressive, hard-nosed baseball player. A gamer.”

“In the clubhouse, he’s the first guy to pick us up when we’re down,” Blauser said. “He’s the kind of guy we’ve been missing the past three years. He’s the type of guy any team would love to have.”

Paul Rice can be reached at [email protected]