Iowa Western Community College has been a consistent feeder of Division I prospects to college programs across the country, but despite their close proximity, Nebraska hasn't tapped into that resource yet.
That could be changing with the commitment of Reivers centerfielder Dayvin Johnson to the Huskers.
He chose NU over an offer from Oral Roberts, and he was also being recruited by Wichita State, Washington State, Virginia Tech and Abilene Christian.
"I de-committed from Wichita State my junior year in high school when they had a coaching change," Johnson explained how he ended up at Iowa Western. "My summer coach that I was playing for told me this would be a great program to come to.
"It's gone well. I love it! There are a lot of great dudes here and it's a great atmosphere. Coach (Marc Rardin) really knows how to challenge the players here and get them to develop."
Iowa Western has already played 12 games this year, and Johnson is batting .345 with a couple home runs.
"I'm doing well and I'm getting ready to add more home runs to the list," Johnson said. "Last season, i batted .298 in 138 plate appearances with four home runs."
Johnson is a centerfielder and left-handed pitcher for the Reivers, but Nebraska primarily recruited him to play in the outfield. With a proven 6.48 60-yard dash time, Johnson covers a lot of ground from his centerfield position.
"I'm kind of a speed guy," Johnson said about his tools. "If I can put the ball into the gaps, that's kind of my game. I feel like I play the best when I can use both gaps and use my speed to get extra bases.
"Defensively I cover a lot of ground. I don't drop any balls and I can get to most of them. So, I feel like I play pretty well defensively and my pitchers trust me. They love it when I'm out there because they know I'm going to make a play for them."
Originally from Gardner (Kan.) Gardner-Edgerton high school, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Johnson will have two years of eligibility left to play when he gets to Lincoln in the fall. He both throws and bats left-handed.
Things started to develop between Nebraska and Johnson last fall when they viewed the highlight video he put out, and then the Husker staff brought him in for a visit during the Ohio State football game. He was contacted by assistant coach Jeff Christy, who got the chance to watch Johnson in person last week.
"Coach Christy came to practice to watch me and he liked what he saw," Johnson said. "He called me afterwards and offered me, and I committed on Friday which is yesterday. I feel like it's a great decision for me and I'm going to love it. I went down there for their [football] game against Ohio State and the fan base was just great. They were all hyped-up and ready to go.
"My goals for going to Nebraska are, of course, to make it to Omaha with a great team, get my education, and hopefully get drafted to play at the next level. I feel like they're good at development, so I feel like they will take my game to the next level and get me to where every college baseball player wants to be."
Johnson is the 9th confirmed scholarship commitment to Nebraska's Class of 2023.
