NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When you see Maya Johnson in the circle on a softball diamond it looks like she was born to be there.
The Belmont ace is unflappable, undeterred and often unhittable.
“If you tell her she can’t, she’ll break down the wall to do what she wants to do,” Belmont Softball Coach Laura Matthews said. “Any time she steps in the circle you think you’re going to win.”
But Johnson’s journey to the rubber in Nashville’s been far from automatic. She’s had to persevere through a battle with lupus and keep pushing when upwards of 20 schools told her she wouldn’t be able to play the sport she loved at the college level because of her health issues.
“I’ve had so many people tell me no,” Johnson said this week after practice. “I had so many moments throughout my entire journey where I didn't think I'd get to do the things I wanted to do."
But she ultimately made them happen, which is why the Lupus Foundation made Johnson a National Brand Ambassador, helping them spread their message during Lupus Awareness Month in May.
"I have a big responsibility to others,” Johnson said. “Especially young athletes who don't think they have a future in college because of it."
Maya grew up a normal, energetic kid in the Cleveland suburb of Columbia Station, Ohio. She was in love with sports from a young age, playing soccer, basketball, kickboxing and softball.
It was in the circle – where she was the focus of attention – where Johnson thrived. She quickly became a standout pitcher with dreams of playing softball in college.
But by her freshman year of high school something started to change.
“I was constantly tired all the time,” Johnson said. “I fell asleep in Algebra II. I had a rash across my face, joint pain, I couldn't keep up with my daily activities, so I knew something was wrong. I
was diagnosed with Lupus my sophomore year of high school."
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own healthy organs and tissues. It often leads to rashes, joint pain and fatigue.
In severe cases it can cause blood clots or organ damage.
"There's no cure for Lupus, but there's a lot of drugs to manage it,” Johnson said. “A lot of medications that they can combo or go between that'll help manage the condition.”
The diagnosis was just a momentary setback. With the help of medicine and quarterly blood tests, Johnson was able to keep the attacks under control.
When she went back to exceling on the softball diamond, it looked like she was well on her way to living out her dream of playing in college. She committed to Pitt and after a stellar senior season in high school was excited to join the Panthers’ program.
"I actually found out the day before moving in that I wasn't going to get cleared to play, which was definitely a shock,” Johnson said. “I was playing a full travel ball summer, I had played high school, I had pitched 200 innings in four months, so I didn't think it was going to be an issue. It was definitely hard those first couple of months seeing all my fellow freshmen in practice and working out and I just had to sit on the sidelines and not do anything."
The disappointment and stress triggered another lupus attack, putting Johnson’s softball future in doubt.
“It got to a point where I found out I was probably never going to get cleared there,” Johnson said. “They said you can keep your scholarship and work in the athletic department, but we won’t clear you. I said, 'thanks, but no thanks, but I'm going to find somewhere to play.’"
Johnson entered the transfer portal, but finding a new place to play was easier said then done.
She says it felt like she had been blacklisted because of her health issues with around 15-20 schools passing over her. Even when she committed to play at Bowling Green she was headed for another twist in the road.
Falcons Head Coach Sarah Willis decided to leave to take a new job at Bradley. When Johnson tried to follow her she was told that the Bradley medical staff would not clear her to play, either. So she went back into the portal and returned to a familiar face in Matthews.
"Coach Matthews, I had known her for a long time from growing up in Ohio when she was at Wright State,” Johnson said. “And that's how I got here.”
Matthews had offered Johnson a scholarship in high school and again when she first entered the transfer portal but was turned down both times. Fortunately, Matthews jokes, she handles rejection well, and pursued Johnson a third time.
This time the answer was yes.
"From what I knew the first time I recruited her that she's smart, she's talented,” Matthews said. “She's not just someone that can throw a ball really hard. And I thought she'd fit really well with Belmont's culture."
Matthews then turned to Belmont’s athletic training staff, physicians and multiple medical professionals in Nashville to get their thoughts on Johnson’s lupus maintenance plan.
After multiple consultations and several conversations with Johnson, Belmont cleared her to compete once again.
“What really sold them to give it a chance was Maya's maturity and her understanding of all her medical issues,” Matthews said. “And so that gave them the confidence that this kid is going to do what we ask her to do and she's going to be able to take care of herself.”
Johnson, who was nervous to consider Belmont because of the eight hour-plus drive from her hometown, had found a new home. More importantly, she was back doing what she loved to do on the diamond.
"I can't even describe how grateful I was to be on the field. I think that first inning I was throwing pretty hard because I had adrenaline going."
And she’s been steamrolling opposing hitters ever since.
Johnson’s now enjoying an All-American caliber junior season. She’s 22-4 on the year with an ERA of 1.09, and back in February delivered just the second perfect game in Belmont school history against Eastern Kentucky.
The lefthander ranks among national leaders in 13 major pitching categories. She leads the nation with 11 shutouts and a whopping 320 strikeouts to just 17 walks.
“She's being talked about as one of the best pitchers in the country,” Matthews said. “I'd put her up against anybody.”
This week Johnson and the no. 2 seed Bruins head to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. They’ll face the winner of Bradley or Valparaiso in the quarterfinals of the single-elimination tournament Thursday at approximately 4 p.m.
The goal is simple; win the program’s first Valley championship and punch a ticket to Belmont softball’s first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
"It's win or nothing,” Johnson said. "There's no moral victories. We're going to win a conference championship, and I want a ring."
And Johnson will be standing in the circle, with her diagnosis and the doubters behind her, and the chance to write another chapter in her remarkable journey.
"Getting to really tell my story that yes, you might have hurdles, you might have adversity. But you can still have a really fulfilling quality of life,” Johnson said. “It definitely fueled the fire for me to perform at the highest level because I wanted everyone to regret not taking a chance on me."
