One may call it luck or skill, but for Hilary Johnson playing softball at Sacramento State is about faith.

The senior centerfielder is having the time of her life, and she has only one person to thank: the Lord.

Growing up on California’s coast Johnson only enjoyed one thing more than going to the beach, and it was going to church.

“I like going to church. Now because of softball on Sundays I can’t go, but it’s more of a relationship rather than just going,” Johnson said.

It wasn’t until the age of 12 that Johnson began playing softball, but now in her last season at Sac State she’s playing like a seasoned veteran.

A 2003 graduate of Monterrey High School, Johnson was a three-sport athlete. She became the first female at her school to play four years of three different sports.

“I was too short for volleyball and I liked soccer, but it’s something that just seemed to fit,” Johnson said. “Softball is somewhere that I connected a lot with my dad.”

In the summer of her senior year, Johnson played for the Salinas Wildcatz traveling softball team, where she met current Hornet teammates Amy Tompkins and Terri-Ann Caoagan.

Moving away from home for the first time and heading to college was tough for Johnson, but she benefited from the relationship the three had built.

“It helped knowing people in the program already because moving away can be tough and having people you’re comfortable with is nice,” Johnson said.

It was then someone who watched Johnson play that told her she had the ability to play college softball.

“The Lord then made the doors open, in a sense, for me,” Johnson said.

Johnson didn’t waste any time before getting playing time as a freshman for the Hornets.

In her first year she started 40 of the teams 53 games in the outfield, had a batting average of .304 for the year and stole seven bases.

Little did Johnson know that having seven stolen bases in her first year would put her on track to having her name in the Sac State record books.

Earlier this season Johnson stole her 39th career base, giving her the team’s career record.

Coach Kathy Strahan and the rest of her teammates appreciate her speed.

“She has great instincts on the bases and makes things happen for us. She can manufacture runs by her base running, in many cases causing the opponent to throw the ball away,” Strahan said.

The speed Johnson has doesn’t only benefit the team on offense but in the outfield as well.

“I’ll miss her speed – making catches in the outfield ? she’s one of the fastest athletes we’ve ever had,” Strahan said.

Outfield counterpart Amanda Meyer loves Johnson’s attitude and how she plays the game.

“She’s always smiling. She makes us see the positive things rather than the negative ? she doesn’t like it when teammates hang their heads,” Meyer said.

Johnson likes playing her position because she’s in the middle of everything.

“I feel like the queen of the outfield,” Johnson said jokingly.

While Johnson is good at tracking down balls in the field, at the plate she’s also good at hitting the ball where others can’t.

Johnson is a career .318 hitter and does a good job of getting on base, as a slap-ball style batter.

“She makes a really nice number nine batter for us, which in effect is our second lead-off spot. So, if she gets on base, you have the top of the line-up coming to bat, which is a real nice position to be in,” Strahan said.

First year teammate and fellow outfielder Izmena Cabrera believes Johnson brings a lot to the batting order.

“She brings her speed and the fact that you never know what you’re going to get with her,” Cabrera said.

Johnson ranks in the top 10 career records list in just about every major statistical category for the Hornets, but she admits to wanting to be remembered for other reasons after graduating.

“I want my teammates to remember how they were treated by me. When you’re done with softball it doesn’t really matter how you played but how you treated people,” Johnson said.

Set to graduate after this season, Johnson wishes to become a pre-school teacher in the future, following in her mother’s footsteps, who was the director of the pre-school at the church Johnson went to.

Jose Martinez can be reached at [email protected]