By Lindsey Frazier, Features Editor
Aiden Johnson, a Glencoe student, signed an athletic scholarship to Gadsden State Community College on Friday during a signing ceremony.
In his five years of playing baseball at Glencoe, Johnson threw almost 3,000 pitches, pitching 62 innings this season alone, Dillon Terry, Glencoe baseball head coach, said. Although his stats are impressive, Terry said that’s not the only reason he earned a scholarship.
“I want to let y’all know why we’re here,” Terry said. “That’s more based off the person that he is, the type of teammate that he is, the kind of player that he is. It has nothing to do with [the stats].”
From a coaching standpoint, Terry said he does all the little things right, even though he is slow to get ready.
“He’s almost always one of the last kids to leave,” Terry said. “That’s because he’s staying to help clean up afterward. He may be staying behind to get extra reps, whatever the case may be. A lot of times it is his fault because, like I said, he does take forever to get ready, and his brother takes right after him.”
Johnson is always helping out with his teammates and talking with his coaches about what he can do to improve, Terry said. Even in the summer, he’s working out and training on his own, he said.
It doesn’t just stop with baseball, either. He said Johnson is the same way on the football field, where he coached him as well.
“He’s one of the best kids to be around,” Terry said. “He always has a great attitude, he’s not a terrible teammate, he’s not cussing out his teammates and doing things that you’re not supposed to do. He’s always doing the right thing, and that, more than anything, is why he’s sitting here today.”
Johnson lettered in baseball for five years, earned a spot on the Etowah County Tournament team this year, All-Etowah County last year and this year, All-Area 11 3A last year and this year, and East-West All-Star selection since 2024.
With games still left in the season, many of Johnson’s final statistics are still being calculated, but Terry said he is pushing for Johnson to earn All-State honors this year.
“Thanks to his parents, a lot of the foundation he had coming into this is why he was able to accomplish what he did,” Terry said. “What he’s accomplished with us on the mound and at the plate has been a big deal. We couldn’t have done what we did without him.”
