Local baseball player hits home run when faced with adversity

Diane A. Rhodes Special to Valley News

Temecula native Gavin Johns fell in love with baseball when he was very young. He said the passion and love he felt when playing the game was different than what he felt with any other sport. He has always wanted to play professional baseball, and this past year he got the opportunity to do just that, playing shortstop in the Atlantic League for the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes. Johns’ stats for his 2022 pro ball season were .320 AVG, 225 AB, 31 RBIs, 1HR, 18 2B and 18 SB.

While it may seem as if Johns’ success came easy, his journey included many setbacks and challenges that he overcame with hard work, perseverance and a strong faith. While honing his skills on the field, Johns has also kept busy attending college and writing a book about his experiences on and off the diamond. “Laugh in the Face of Adversity” was recently launched with a book signing at Murrieta’s Dynamic Fitness HPK where Johns trains, as do many other amateur and professional athletes.

“The title of the book comes from my uncle Mike, my dad’s brother, who always told me and my brother growing up to laugh in the face of adversity,” Johns, 25, said. “He always said that life is going to throw you challenges and adversities and you have two choices, either give up and back down or fight and push through. The choice of the word ‘laugh’ has a double meaning of finding humor and positivity in each situation, and also to smirk with a humble confidence that you will overcome any challenge life hands you.”

He said the word adversity to him means a difficulty or opposition that comes your way and everyone experiences it at some point in their life.

Adversity challenges

“Whenever you are trying to achieve something big, there will always be adversity,” Johns said. “When you bear down and fight through that difficult time, that is what molds your character and helps you become stronger and tougher on the other side. It actually helps push you to achieve your goal.”

After graduating from Chaparral High School, Johns attended Yavapai Community College in Arizona where he won a National Baseball Championship, moved on to play at UCLA, then ultimately found his way to Tennessee Tech where he earned his master’s degree in Strategic Leadership