Shane Thomas | The Valdosta Daily TimesLowndes softball player Jaylin Johnson, center, sits with assistant coaches Kevin Copeland (far left), Kelly Gordon (near left), Pamala Brown (near right) and head coach Stewart Thomas (far right) after signing with ABAC on Thursday at Lowndes High School.

VALDOSTA –– “It’s a been a dream come true.”

Lowndes softball standout Jaylin Johnson said this after signing her letter of intent with ABAC on Thursday morning.

Johnson was a 2019 All-Region 1-7A Honorable Mention this past season after posting a .312 batting average and a .411 on base percentage. Johnson and her teammates went 18-11 last season and finished 9-5 in conference play.

After putting pen to paper on Thursday, Johnson admitted her decision was an easy one –– dating back to when she was in seventh grade.

“It means a lot to me. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Johnson said of playing college softball. “Since I was little, I always knew that I wanted to play in college. Fortunately enough, I used to play for coach Mike Reed, who’s now the assistant coach at ABAC. I was in seventh grade and I played travel ball for him, so going to ABAC is really more than a dream. He’s my favorite coach I’ve had, so I get to play for him one more time in one of the best times I know I’ll have in my life.”

Once enrolled at ABAC, Johnson wants to set herself up to pursue her passion for animals and become a veterinarian after college. Currently, Johnson is finishing her associate’s degree at Georgia Military College.

Over her career at Lowndes, Johnson has seen a great deal of success on the field and credits her time with the Vikings for giving her valuable discipline and confidence.

“The discipline that we learned here at Lowndes will help me at the next level,” Johnson said. “Going from 3 o’clock until whenever the job gets done, not just two hours of practice every day. The amount of drive and confidence the coaches have instilled in me and my playing skills lets me know that I can do what I’ve got to do to be what I need to be.”

Lowndes head softball coach Stewart Thomas admits he didn’t have much input in Johnson’s decision and reflects positively on his time coaching her the past four years.

“I’ll tell you, I had very little input [laughs],” Thomas said of Johnson choosing ABAC. “She’s a great athlete. She’s one of the best athletes I’ve coached. That’s the input –– the input she’s put into it. This is the return on the investment that she’s had in softball for four years. We’re gonna miss Jaylin but we’re happy that she’s getting an opportunity to play at the next level. It’s good for our program, it’s a testament to the history of this program that a lot of players come out of Lowndes softball to play at the next level.”

Thomas feels Johnson will flourish at the next level as a natural athlete with versatility on the field.

“Her athleticism –– she can play multiple positions,” Thomas said when asked what skills Johnson brings to the next level. “Her athleticism is something you just can’t coach. She was born with it and I think it’s really going to benefit her at the collegiate level.”

Once her time at Lowndes ends in May, she’ll move on to ABAC with memories of what it means to be a Viking –– the football games on Friday nights and the feeling of family and home she’s cherished over the past four years.

“I’m definitely gonna miss seeing my friends all the time and knowing that we won’t be together and living close together somewhat,” Johnson said. “Of course, my boyfriend is a football player so I’m going to miss the big football games –– that’s a big tradition here.

“Everybody supporting everybody sports-wise –– we have all different kinds of coaches coming in to support us. We’re just a big family. We’re a large school, but we’re all family.”