Nobody handed Sherman Johnson anything. That's the first thing worth understanding about the NC State infielder who is quietly putting together one of the more intriguing offensive seasons in the ACC this spring.
The path here was not linear. Johnson graduated out of Loganville, Georgia, a suburb east of Atlanta, in the class of 2023. He wasn't a big draft name at the time, but scouts in the Peach State knew who he was, and some circled his name as a follow for the years to come. Good enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Dallas Baptist, not good enough to immediately crack a CUSA Tournament champion's lineup. He appeared in two games as a freshman. Three plate appearances. A medical redshirt followed. The kind of start that makes some players reconsider the whole endeavor.
Johnson's aspirations never wavered. He called an audible seeking more time and opportunities to …