When five pitchers were selected from Dallas Baptist in the first 12 rounds of this year's Major League Draft, DBU Pitching Coach Wes Johnson could hardly contain the excitement he felt for a group of guys that had reached their goal of playing professional baseball.  Known by players, coaches, and fans for his dynamic personality and passion for the game, Johnson has played an integral role in the development of DBU pitchers since he joined the program four years ago.  During that short time, DBU has advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament on three seperate occasions, nine pitchers have been selected in the draft, and the pitching staff has set single-season records for ERA, strikeouts, saves, and lowest batting average against. 

Flashback to 2012 when Johnson arrived on campus, the Patriots were fresh off a trip to the Super Regionals after winning the Fort Worth Regional and faced with the task of replacing their top two starters in Brandon Williamson and Jared Stafford, along with closer Chris Haney.  Returning that year were a handful of veterans such as Taylor Massey, along with a power-arm in Jake Johansen, as well as a solid backend of the bullpen in Michael Smith and Stuart Pudenz.   Also joining the staff were a pair of talented freshmen arms in Cy Sneed and Jay Calhoun. 

In his first season at DBU, Johnson knew that despite the solid arms that would be on mound that year for the Patriots, the staff was going to have to develop a high-degree of mental toughness.  "Dan Heefner had already instilled that culture here and we knew we were going to have to rely on that kind of toughness with our pitchers," Johnson said.  "Our guys were going to have to be mentally tough and that all started with the way we worked leading up to the season."

As a freshman from Twin Falls, Idaho, Sneed quickly became acquainted with Johnson's plans for developing toughness.  "I remember talking about fishing and hunting the first time we talked and thinking this guy's going to be great, but after we had some guys not pass the first conditioning test, things changed pretty fast," Sneed recalled.  "He told us that was absolutely unacceptable and for the next two months he tore us down and tested our limits.  He prepared us not just physically, but mentally as well and by the time the season rolled around, he had built us back up.  That whole process translated into our staff becoming tougher on the mound and creating a competitive nature within all of us."

Perhaps the greatest story of Johnson's tactics pertains to Brandon Koch, who came to DBU as a dual-player in 2013 and turned into one of the most prolific closers in DBU Baseball history.  Koch had aspirations of being the team's shortstop, but Johnson jokes that Koch "hit his way to the mound" during his first year at DBU.  "We knew he had a strong arm and could help us on the mound, he just needed to learn how to work and get the most out of his potential." said Johnson.
 
That would all change on one day in the fall of Koch's sophomore year.  "I wish I had written that day down," Johnson recalls.  "He wasn't working hard and I got on him pretty good about it.  From that day forward, he was a different guy.  He sold out and came ready to work every day.  It was just incredible to watch him take off.  It didn't take him long to become our closer and he was absolutely dominant the last two years for us." 

As for Koch, the moment is one he regards as the turning point in his career.  "I was really just going through the motions that day and I remember Coach Johnson stopping the drills that we were doing and getting on me in front of everyone," Koch recalls.  "It wasn't just a coach yelling at you though.  There was sincerity in his voice and I could tell that he really cared for me.  From that day on, I wanted to work hard for him and for my team."  The rest would be history, as Koch would go on to write his name in the DBU record books, establishing a single-season best 0.64 ERA in 2014 and breaking his own record for strikeouts per-nine innings with an average of 15.91 as a junior.

It was that kind of work ethic that helped propel guys like Sneed and Koch high in the draft.  Sneed was a third round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014, while Koch's name was called in the fourth round this past June by the Tampa Bay Rays.  Combined with Jake Johansen going in the second round to the Washington Nationals in 2013 and the Detroit Tigers selecting Drew Smith in the third round this year, DBU is one of only nine programs in the nation to have a player taken in the top three rounds in each of the last three years.

Along with a determined work ethic that Johnson instills in his pitchers, understanding the biomechanics of pitching and staying up to date on cutting edge trends are aspects of the game that the Patriots' pitching coach immerses himself in.  "I want to know why a guy's having success or not having success and a lot of that has to do with factors like their mechanics, their grip, and their delivery," Johnson said.  "We analyze a lot of different info on our reports and look to find why a certain pitch or location of a pitch works or doesn't work and then we work on executing a specific plan.  I don't want to flood them with information, but I want to be able to tell them why we're doing something the way we're doing it."

It's the personal relationship that Johnson has with his pitchers that allows him to deliver those messages effectively.  "I always wanted feedback as a player and I was blessed to have good coaches that got me to play hard and I knew where I stood," Johnson said.  "That's our philosophy here as coaches.  You have to be truthful and honest with your players.  I think the best example we can look to is the Bible and our relationship with Christ.  He loves us and is honest with us and that's really our approach here with our guys.  It may be that a guy's experiencing great success or he might be struggling, regardless of the situation, we're not going to sugar-coat the message.  Our approach is to be honest with a kid and then create a plan to get them to be their best."

Another aspect of Johnson's coaching philosophy is to develop leaders on the pitching staff who help mold and shape young pitchers coming up in the program.  The Patriots' all-time career leader in appearances, Michael Smith, is one former player who's influence is still felt around the program.  Smith, now a relief pitcher in his third season in the Angels organization, played a key role as an upper-classman by taking guys like Sneed and Koch under his wing early in their careers.  "Michael was the leader of the staff and held us all accountable," Sneed recalled.  "Whether it was talking about a different grip on my breaking ball and the effect it would have on the movement I was getting, or showing me the importance of keeping a hitter's chart in the dugout, he helped me understand the game better in my first two years."

As for Smith, investing in younger pitchers was an example set for him when he set foot on campus.  "When I came here, it was guys like Vic Black and Chris Haney that worked with me.  It's really always been a family type environment here," Smith said.  "When I got into my junior and senior seasons, I wanted to be that same type of example of how to work hard and enjoy the game.  In reality, it pushed me too because I knew they were watching to see how I worked on and off the field."

While a team first mentality is preached, Johnson constructs his pitching program based on each individual pitcher's talents.  Whether it's working with a hard-throwing pitcher such as Drew Smith, who touched 99 mph several times this year, or a crafty lefty like Sean Stutzman, who made the transition from the bullpen to become a weekend starter down the Patriots' stretch run in 2015, Johnson develops a plan catered to each pitcher's strengths.  "It's not a cookie-cutter pitching program," Sneed stated.  "Every pitcher has a tailored plan and he pushes you to be the best you can be.  In the end, what each guy does naturally tends to explode when they come here to pitch."

When the work in the off-season is done and Johnson's pitchers take the hill, a certain confidence permeates within the staff.  "He truly makes you believe you're the best pitcher on the mound that day," Smith said.  "He has a way of instilling confidence and a positive attitude within you because that's who he is every day at the park."

With the success of the Patriot pitching staff, DBU Head Baseball Coach, Dan Heefner, attests to the job Wes Johnson has done.  "Wes is as good as they get," Heefner said.  "He has a passion for development and doing everything possible to help our pitchers reach their full potential.  He's innovative, but has the ability to make the complex seem very simple to our pitchers, which is how it needs to be when they are in a game.  He's also positive and personable, which enables him to treat each pitcher as an individual and helps them come up with their own plan of attacking hitters."

With five pitchers selected in the draft in 2015, Johnson is now faced with the challenge of replacing two weekend starters and three key pieces from one of the nation's best bullpens.  Spend any time around Johnson though and you'll hear the excitement and anticipation in his voice as he talks about the stable of talented arms at DBU in 2016.  "It's real easy to get excited about someone like Colin Poche, who has all the things that those guys have that were drafted last year, plus he's left-handed," Johnson said.  "Then you throw in Sean Stutzman, who came on strong last year and has absolutely sold out this summer, along with a highly talented freshman group of arms from last year, as well as our incoming class of recruits and you can see why Dallas Baptist is an exciting place to be right now."

As we enter the dog-days of summer in professional baseball, 21 former Patriots continue to work their way towards a shot at the Major Leagues, while Opening Day at Horner Ballpark and the quest for the Patriots' fifth trip in the last six years to the postseason is just around the corner.  Listed below is a statistical breakdown of each former Patriot at the professional level.  Click on their name to be directed to their individual bio page that includes both 2015 and career statistics.

MAJOR LEAGUE

NAME	TEAM	STATS
Ryan Goins	Toronto Blue Jays	68 Games  190 AB  .226  2 HR  24 RBI  8 2B  2 3B  0 SB
Ben Zobrist	Oakland A's	63 Games  220 AB  .259  5 HR  32 RBI  19 2B  1 3B  1 SB

MINOR LEAGUE
TRIPLE-A

NAME	TEAM	STATS
Brandon Bantz	Marlins (New Orleans Zephyrs)	47 Games  130 AB  .223  3 HR  17 RBI  6 2B  0 3B  0 SB
Vic Black	Mets (Las Vegas 51s)	12 App.  1-2  11.81 ERA  10.2 IP  10 BB  13 K

DOUBLE-A

NAME	TEAM	STATS
Jason Krizan	Tigers (Erie Sea Wolves)	72 Games  262 AB  .237  3 HR  26 RBI  12 2B  2 3B  8 SB
Paul Voelker	Tigers (Erie Sea Wolves)	6 App.  0-0  5 Saves  1.42 ERA  6.1 IP  5 BB  6 K

ADVANCED-A

NAME	TEAM	STATS
Jake Johansen	Nationals (Potomac Nationals)	12 App.  1-4  1 Save  5.76 ERA  29.2 IP  18 BB  33 K
Ronnie Mitchell	Astros (Lancaster Jet Hawks)	70 Games  249 AB  .273  6 HR  38 RBI  18 2B  5 3B  1 SB
Michael Smith	Angels (Inland Empire 66ers)	27 App.  6-1  2 Saves  1.98 ERA  36.1 IP  5 BB  36 K
C. Sneed	Brewers (Brevard County Manatees)	4 App.  4 Starts  2-1  2.88 ERA  25.0 IP  2 BB  17 K

SINGLE-A

NAME	TEAM	STATS
Chance Adams	Yankees (Charleston River Dogs)	2 App.  1-0  0.00 ERA  4.2 IP  0 BB  7 K
Boomer Collins	Blue Jays (Lansing Lugnuts)	30 Games  103 AB  .272  2 HR  20 RBI  7 2B  1 3B  4 SB
Michael Miller	Padres (Fort Wayne Tin Caps)	10 Games  30 AB  .200  0 HR  0 RBI  0 2B  0 3B  0 SB

SHORT SEASON-A

NAME	TEAM	STATS
KJ Alexander	Yankees (Staten Island Yankees)	7 Games  21 AB  .286  0 HR  2 RBI  1 2B  1 3B  0 SB
B. Koch	Rays (Hudson Valley Renegades)	7 App.  0-1  2 Saves  5.84 ERA  12.1 IP  1 BB  14 K
Daniel Salters	Indians (Mahoning Valley Scrappers)	16 Games  58 AB  .276  0 HR  5 RBI  2 2B  0 3B  0 SB
D. Smith	Tigers (Connecticut Tigers)	7 App.  2-0  1 Save  0.47 ERA  19.1 IP  3 BB  20 K
Cory Taylor	Giants (Salem-Keizer Volcanoes)	8 App.  1-0  1 Save  1.53 ERA  17.2 IP  6 BB  28 K
Drew Turbin	Orioles (Aberdeen Iron Birds)	28 Games  109 AB  .193  1 HR  10 RBI  5 2B  1 3B  2 SB

ROOKIE LEAGUE

NAME	TEAM	STATS
Nash Knight	Blue Jays (GCL Blue Jays)	18 Games  47 AB  .170  0 HR  5 RBI  1 2B  0 3B  1 SB
Joseph Shaw	Mets (Kingsport Mets)	5 App.  1-1  3 Saves  6.14 ERA  7.1 IP  2 BB  7 K