Ball High grad Rodrick Johnson admitted that it was nerve wracking to go unselected in this past weekend’s NFL draft. But that doesn’t mean the Oklahoma State linebacker’s dream of playing professional football is over.
Johnson agreed to a rookie free agent deal with the New York Jets on Tuesday. He will fly to New York on Thursday for rookie mini-camp this weekend.
“It was tough waiting to see my name and never see it go across the screen,” Johnson said. “But I was real happy when the Jets called to offer me a deal. They were who I had been talking to the most, so I figured I’d end up with them.”
Johnson capped off his career at OSU with 181 tackles, three sacks and an interception. He played his first three seasons at linebacker, but shifted to defensive end this season because of injuries to the Cowboys’ defensive line.
Johnson had his worst statistical season since his freshman year at defensive end, but he said it still shows how valuable he can be to an NFL team.
“I think it shows my versatility and that I’m willing to make sacrifices to the team,” Johnson said. “I’ll be able to make an instant impact as an inside linebacker in New York’s 3-4 (defensive) scheme and I’m definitely anticipating playing on special teams. I’m going to be doing everything I’ve been doing to get them interested in me in the first place.”
Johnson is one of three Galveston County alumni to be been picked up by an NFL team this week. Creek grads Bruce Davis (third round pick) and Chase Ortiz (rookie free agent) will be with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, respectively.
Friendswood grad Alex Trlica, who finished with a NCAA record 233 consecutive made PATs with Texas Tech, is still waiting for an NFL team to make him an offer, according to a report in the Daily Toreador.
“The odds of getting in is pretty small because none of the teams carry backups (at kicker),” Trlica told the Daily Toreador. “The chances of me getting in and actually filling in a position and staying with a team, I know are not that great.”
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Baseball
Claydon Leads Trinity To SCAC Title
Friendswood grad Jeff Claydon scored the tying run in the ninth inning to help lead Trinity to a 6-5 win over Millsaps College on Sunday. Trinity won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title with the victory.
Santa Fe grad Jake Stewart had a big weekend for Houston, despite the Cougars being swept by Southern Miss. Stewart went 6-for-11 with two home runs and four RBIs in the series.
Friendswood grad Chase Myrick went 3-for-10 with two walks and an RBI for A&M-Kingsville as they won one of three games against Angelo State.
Creek grad J.P. Pardon went 5-for-11 with three runs for Rice in a three-game series against UCF.
Ball grad Bryan Gerondale went 8-for-13 with a run as A&M Corpus-Christi took two of three games from McNeese State.
Creek grad Pablo Salinas is still among the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XIV Conference leaders. The Alvin Community College freshman is second in the conference with a .431 average (62-for-144). He also has 37 RBIs and 49 runs scored on the season.
Other top hitters in the conference from Galveston County included Friendswood grad Jared Myrick, a Panola freshman (.331, 35 RBIs, 21 stolen bases), Texas City grad Clay Puckett, an Alvin sophomore (.320, 30 RBIs), and Texas City grad Andrew Whittington, a Galveston College sophomore (.314, 25 RBIs, 16 stolen bases).
Friendswood grad Corey Benavides is ranked 26th in the conference with a 3.79 ERA. The Angelina freshman is 5-3 with 32 strikeouts in 59 1?3 innings. Santa Fe grad Taylor Wulf, an Alvin sophomore, is 81 with a 4.12 ERA and 60 strikeouts.
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Softball
Harrell In Nicholls Record Book
Creek grad Kat Harrell became Nicholls State’s all-time leader in career hits with 236. She also stands seventh on the Southland Conference’s all-time hit chart.
She already holds school records in career doubles and on-base percentage, and was Nicholls State’s female athlete of the year.
Creek grad Megan Shupp hit her fifth home run of the year in a 4-3 win over New Mexico on Tuesday.
Galveston County Alumni notes are compiled by Joshua Buckley. Coaches and parents are highly encouraged to help us keep track of any Galveston County athlete in college or the pros. Contact us at 409-683-5242 or sports.desk(at)galvnews.com.
