DBU Baseball announced the hiring of Cale Johnson as the team's new Pitching Coach on Saturday. Johnson comes to DBU from the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization where he served as the Double A Pitching Coach for the Altoona Curve. Johnson has spent the previous nine years of his career in professional baseball as a Pitching Coach, Pitching Strategist and Assistant Pitching Coordinator. During his nine years in professional baseball, Cale has directly coached 31 pitchers who have gone on to pitch in the Major Leagues.  

Prior to joining the Pirates' organization this season, Johnson was the Atlanta Braves' Minor League Assistant Pitching Coordinator in 2021 for a Braves team that won a World Series title. In 2022, he was named the Braves' Pitching Strategist where he supported the organization's Director of Pitching Development and developed pitching plans and goals for all pitchers in the Braves' minor league system.

"Our goal at DBU is to be the best in the country at developing our players. That goal shaped our coaching search and is what ultimately led us to hiring Cale Johnson," DBU Head Coach Dan Heefner remarked. "Cale fits the DBU program in every way. He's a man of faith and character. He is on the cutting edge of how to get the most out of each pitcher and has an incredible work ethic. Something that separates Cale is that he has served three years as a Pitching Strategist and Assistant Coordinator where he used all the newest pitching technology to help develop individual development plans for each pitcher in the organization and has also been a pitching coach for five seasons. He is the rare pitching coach who knows both what a player should do and has experience in getting them to do it. One thing we consistently heard about him is that he is a great communicator who is able to take complex concepts and communicate them to a player in a simple way that gets results. We can't wait for him to get on campus and start working with our guys this fall."

A native of Greenville, Illinois, Johnson began his coaching career in professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals where he served as a Minor League Pitching Coach for five seasons (2015-2019). In 2015, Johnson was on the staff for the Cardinals' Rookie League team that won the Gulf Coach League's Eastern Division. Four pitchers on Johnson's staff would eventually reach the Major League's including future All-Star Sandy Alcantara.

The following two years he spent with the organization's Rookie Advanced league team, the Johnson City Cardinals, in the Appalachian League. During his two seasons in Johnson City, the Cardinals won an Appalachian League title in 2016 and five pitchers on Johnson's staff advanced their careers to the Big Leagues.

In his two seasons with the Peoria Chiefs, Johnson helped guide the Chiefs to the Midwest League Championship Series in 2018. He also helped to develop five hurlers that would go on to pitch in the Majors.

Johnson played his collegiate career at McKendree University from 2006-2009 and was a 41st round selection of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Major League Draft. During his four years at McKendree, Johnson was a two-time American Midwest Conference Pitcher of the Year in both 2008 and 2009 and was an All-Region selection as a junior.

Johnson began his professional playing career in 2009 with the Cardinals' Rookie League team in the Gulf Coast League before advancing to Johnson City in the Appalachian League. In 2010, Johnson pitched the entire season with Johnson City where he won five games and posted a 3.61 ERA. In his final season in 2011 with the Cardinals Single-A team, Johnson transitioned to the bullpen and made a career-high 30 appearances. After three seasons in the Cardinals' organization, Johnson made five starts for the Gateway Grizzlies of the Independent Frontier League.

Johnson earned two degrees from McKendree University including a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics/Finance and a Bachelor of Administration in Management. He is married to Jess Johnson and has three children: Maclin (8), Sadie (6) and Rhett (3).

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT CALE JOHNSON
"I've had the pleasure of knowing and working closely with Cale since 2015, and he is the most talented pitching coach I've met in that time. He has a unique ability to inform, instruct, and inspire pitchers so that they can maximize their performance potential. No matter what level he is coaching at, his combination of character, intellect, and authenticity will create a positive environment in which the pitchers under his tutelage will thrive." - Paul Davis, Atlanta Braves Director of Pitching Development

"Cale Johnson has worked to become a pitching coach who blends analytics, movement and strategy gleaned from progressive organizations like the Cardinals and Braves. He will be a solid guiding force for DBU pitchers." - Brent Strom, Arizona Diamondbacks Pitching Coach

"Cale Johnson has been an integral part of my professional baseball career. Cale has helped with mechanical adjustments, analytical changes, and the mindset behind pitching. He is a strong leader of the pitching staff and a fantastic communicator. Cale is a perfect fit for DBU Baseball." - Seth Elledge, DBU Baseball Alum and MLB Pitcher