TWICE AS NICE

Jay Johnson first saw Jacob Berry’s swing on his phone.

Berry was not yet a sophomore in high school, and Johnson had little more than one cell phone video to work with on a prospect less than 100 miles from his campus.

“My instinct was, ‘Let’s get this guy right now.’ That doesn’t happen very often,” Johnson said. “You could just see the strength, the bat speed and really advanced fundamentals, which we hold a high bar in our programs for what that is for a hitter.”

The recruitment began immediately and was heavy. It lasted for more than a year before Johnson finally secured Berry’s commitment.

That was at Arizona. In their one shared season as Wildcats, the two made it to the College World Series.

Berry is the most notable