Former Blazer softball standout Morgan Johnson Faulk inducted into GSC Hall of Fame

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Former Valdosta State softball standout Morgan Johnson Faulk became the fifth Blazer inducted into the Gulf South Conference Hall of Fame, announced Thursday by the league office.  She is the sixth softball student-athlete in league history to be induced into the GSC Hall of Fame.  This follows Johnson Faulk’s induction in the VSU Athletic Hall of Fame in January 2020.

“It is a privilege and honor to join such an accomplished group of men and women as a part of the Gulf South Conference Hall of Fame,” Johnson Faulk said.  “I have been blessed far more than I deserve by a loving God, family, teammates, and coaches. Despite all the uncertainty of the present time, I know that there is a greater plan that works all things for good and this truth has been increasingly evident for me over the last year.”

Johnson Faulk, along with Malcom Butler of West Alabama, Josh Magette of Alabama Huntsville, Larry Myricks of Mississippi College, Josh Willingham of North Alabama and Dr. Kent Wyatt of Delta State comprise the seventh GSC Hall of Fame Class since its inception in 2014.  For more on the GSC Hall of Fame, click the link to the right of the story.

This is the third-straight year a former Blazer student-athlete has been induced into the GSC Hall of Fame as former standout quarterback Dusty Bonner was inducted in 2019, and former softball three-time All-America honoree Marti Littlefield in 2018.  Former VSU baseball coach Tommy Thomas was inducted in 2015 and former Blazer quarterback and head coach Chris Hatcher was inducted in the inaugural class in 2014.

“With a long and storied history that includes 53 National Championships, the GSC and its member institutions are proud of the Hall of Fame introduced in June 2014 that recognize individuals who played a key role in developing the conference’s reputation and legacy,” said GSC Commissioner Matt Wilson. “The Class of 2020 almost perfectly represents that history with achievements spanning every decade of our history.”

Johnson Faulk had an outstanding four-year career (2010-2013) for the Blazers and helped lead VSU to the first national championship in softball for both the school and the GSC in 2012.   She hit .374 in her final year for the Blazers, collecting 67 hits in 179 at bats.  She recorded 17 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs, while driving in 49 and scoring 55 runs.  Johnson Faulk earned first team All-America honors from Daktronics and third team-honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).  She finished the season in the top ten in 14 different statistical categories in the GSC.

As a junior in 2012, she helped guide the Blazers to their first national championship in softball as she became the first VSU women’s Commissioner’s Trophy winner since 1996-97, and the fourth female to earn the honor at VSU in program history.  She led the Blazers in the national championship run with two home runs, seven RBI and an .857 slugging percentage.  She won the GSC Commissioner’s Trophy twice, being one of only seven players in league history to do so.

Not only did Johnson Faulk excel on the field, but also in the classroom as she graduated with a 3.69 GPA in nursing in 2013.  She was a first team Capital One Academic All-Region honoree, as voted on by CoSIDA and earned Academic All-GSC honors for the second-straight year.  She was a member of both the Georgia Alpha chapter of Alpha Chi Honor Society and Golden Key Honor Society.

In addition to her on the field and classroom work, Johnson Faulk was instrumental in the community as she was named the Valdosta State Community Service Student-Athlete Award winner in 2012 as she volunteered for Storehouse Ministry, which helps feed the homeless as well as packing food boxes for shut-ins.  She also organized and conducted free softball clinics for young children and helped organize the VSU Softball Blood Drive, that was the second-largest drive in South Georgia over the past 12 months.  In 2013, she performed 71 hours of community service as a senior continuing both working with the blood drive and softball clinics, while assisting at a local dog shelter and volunteering at the VSU Heath Expo.

After graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing in 2013, she went to work for the Coliseum Medical Center as a Cardiovascular Operating Room Circulating Nurse from June 2013-July 2014, followed by working there in the Same Day Surgery Center for three more years.  She now works as a Nurse Practitioner for an Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Hoffman, at OrthoGeorgia in Macon, Ga.  Johnson Faulk received her Master’s of Science Degree in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner from VSU in 2017.