Former star shortstop and current softball assistant coach led Team USA to gold in the 2011 Pan American Games. (Barry Westerman, UK Athletics)
Team USA put an exclamation point on its trip to Guadalajara, Mexico for the Pan American Games, defeating Canada 11-1 in the gold medal game. Record-setting former Kentucky shortstop and current softball assistant coach Molly Johnson was a key cog in the final, going 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI.Team USA brought a revamped roster to the event, but the team of 17 rookies didn’t miss a beat. The Americans rolled to a perfect 9-0 record in competition, outscoring opponents 78-8 and batting a sizzling .428 as Team USA picked up its seventh straight gold medal in the Pan American Games.From start to finish, Johnson was in the middle of it all. She began with a 3-for-3, four-RBI outing in a 10-0 opening win over Venezuela and went on to play in eight of the team’s nine games. She made seven starts at shortstop while leading or tying for the team lead in batting average (.706), hits (12), on-base percentage (.706) and doubles (four).Upon her return to campus, we will be catching up with Johnson to discuss the experience and her play, so watch for that.