Sports

Johnson sisters mirror the other

By Keenan Singleton
The Daily Cougar

Talking to Jenny and Brooke Johnson is like watching a piece of time unravel piece by piece. Each conversation is a mini-time warp, giving each viewer a glimpse into the past. And into the future.

Nathan Lindstrom/The Daily Cougar

Looking at Jenny, the elder sister, you get an idea of what Brooke may be like in two years. Jennyis a little more self-confident and a little taller, but at her core sheis still the same silly girl as Brooke. When you look at Brooke, Jenny from two years ago peeks through. Shier and more reserved, yes, but all in all the same girl with strong Christian beliefs.

And just when you see the similarities, the multiple differences become visible. Jenny is comfortable in her studies; Brooke is the born athlete, dominating just about any sport that uses a ball. Jenny makes the mess and Brooke cleans it up.

"Our strengths come from different areas," Jenny said. "I have to work harder in athletics, it just doesnit come as easy for me. She lettered in three things in high school, while I struggled for two."

"Everyone calls me the shy one, but it just takes longer for me to get to know someone," Brooke said. "But once I do, weire really not that different."

Jenny took the first steps to Houston from their sleepy hometown of Huntsville, Ala. It started with a connection at a pitching showcase in Nashville.

"I got a lot of publicity at the College Night at Club K and thatis how (head coach) Kyla (Holas) saw me," said Jenny, who has a 9-6 record with a razor-thin 1.73 earned run average. "We talked for a good six or seven weeks before I committed. The facilities were awesome and I wanted to go somewhere with a good pitching coach and Kylais about the best you can get. I prayed a lot about it and one day after church, I was peace about it and I knew. Houston was were I was going.

Jennyis trailblazing at UH didnit exactly guide Brooke into Kylais hands, but it didnit hurt.

Both break the speed limit when they pitch. Each girl has been clocked at 65 miles per hour, the zenith of college softball. 

On March 27, in her first collegiate start, Johnson torched Alabama A&M for a complete game, no-hit performance, the only Cougar no-hitter this season.

"I remember I pitched one inning the night before and (pitching coach) Beth (McClendon) said ‘Youire pitching the next one,i said Brooke, who has yet to surrender a hit in seven innings pitched. "All I remember thinking and saying was ‘OK.i I was actually frustrated that I was walking a person each inning and that made me mad."

With an abundant wealth of potential, even the sky canit contain the younger Johnson.

"Weive asked for a lot from Brooke this season, probably more so than anyone else on this team," McClendon said. "Weive asked her to hit and slap the ball, to play the field and pitch."

Jenny has matured into the No. 2 starter for the Cougars.

"Sheis really developed a ‘take it to iemi attitude," said junior catcher Arelis Ferreris, who joined the program the same time as Jenny. "She has gained about four mph this year, but sheis developed more mentally than anything."

Neither girl was in love with softball during their initial introductions.

"I was five years old, and we were driving home from church," Jenny said. "My dad said that there were softball sign-ups at the rec league park and asked if we wanted to try out. I absolutely hated it. I had this old ratty, nasty mitt and I was the worst on the team. The next year rolled around and I fell in love with it."

She usually pitches on lazy late Saturday afternoons, but donit ever try to nap during a Jenny Johnson start. Why? The yet-to-be-named-noise: A boisterous explosion of sound during the wind-up before every pitch.

Says Holas: "Itis like living near a train, you forget itis there, you become numb to it, until some else mentions it."

Family life in the Johnson household is idyllic, almost straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Mom and dad Doris and Steve are still together and attend Cougar games every two or three weeks. They have a little brother, two cats, two dogs and strong ties to their Southern Baptist faith.

"My faith helps me through the tough times, through touch circumstances," Jenny said. "It gives you someone to depend on, someone else to help you through."

So as time keeps chugging along, the sisters Johnson look to each other for support and for a glimpse into what was and what \may be.

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