On Tuesday, Rutgers softball added talented pitcher Dezaria Johnson to their 2024 recruiting class. Johnson originally committed to North Carolina in 2022 but elected to join the Big Ten with the Scarlet Knights.
Johnson is a standout pitcher at Eastside High in Covington, Georgia, and is ranked No. 20 in the 2024 Extra Elite 100, according to Extra Inning Softball. Johnson, also known as, “Z” is a two-time First Team 8AAAAA All-Region selection in Georgia.
She finished her junior season with a 3.70 ERA and recorded 120 strikeouts. At the plate, Johnson logged a .396 batting average while drilling seven home runs. Last season, Johnson guided her team to a state ranking of No. 6 in Georgia’s Class AAAAA.
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I’m B10‼️‼️Bound‼️‼️So Excited to announce my commitment to @RUSoftball ‼️#Next4‼️#B1G #GodDidIt! @CoachButler12 @Unity18uJohnson @UnityCoachJosh @_Nat_Yo @softballeagles @ExtraInningSB @CovNewsSports ! @LegacyLegendsS1 pic.twitter.com/b9lzIi5KtN
— Dezaria johnson (@DezariaJohnson) November 7, 2023
As for the Scarlet Knights, Rutgers finished last season with a record of 32-25 (9-14 Big Ten) and the No. 11 ranking in the Big Ten Conference. As a team, Rutgers finished last season ranked No. 8 in pitching with a 3.36 ERA and No. 5 in batting with a .285 average in the Big Ten. When Johnson reports to campus in 2024, she can help boost these rankings for the Scarlet Knights as the program continues to improve.