Carrie Johnson, Austin College, Softball - Character & Community

Carrie Johnson, Austin College, Softball - Character & Community

CARRIE JOHNSON OF AUSTIN COLLEGE, a senior outfielder/pitcher on the softball team from Sherman, Texas, has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete of the Week for the week beginning March 18.

The SCAC Character & Community award honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.



While Austin College softball player Carrie now calls Sherman home, it was a bit of a winding path to both the college and the ‘Roo softball team for the senior centerfielder. After playing her high school ball at nearby Collinsville High School, she accepted a scholarship to play NCAA Division II basketball at Southeastern Oklahoma. After a year in Durant, she made the decision to return to Texas and came to Austin College to play for the ‘Roo women’s basketball team, eventually also joining the softball program.

In time, Carrie's focus shifted full-time to softball after she earned All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference recognition in her first season on the diamond, and she’s since become the team’s captain and one of the top outfielders in the league. She took a similar path to discovering what she’s chosen to pursue for her career, with a single class her sophomore year changing the trajectory of her studies.

That year, Carrie, who is a member of the Chickasaw Nation, enrolled in Indigenous Perspectives in Film. That class helped her decide to pursue journalism and media studies, and last year she earned an Indigenous Journalists Association Fellowship. She also served as a speaker at the Dynamic Women of the Chickasaw Nation Conference as a member of the Next Generation Panel, and has worked with the Chickasaw Press, First Nations Experience Television, and NPR Next Generation Radio: Indigenous, where she narrated audio stories and produced social media campaigns.

She’s carried her pursuits of a career in media and marketing over to both Austin College and Sherman, having worked as a freelance writer for the Sherman Herald Democrat, as well as served as an intern for Austin College’s Institutional Marketing and Communications Department.

A double major in English and Media Studies and a member of the SCAC Academic Honor Roll, Carrie has also become a leader both for her team and across the Austin College campus. She’s a member of Austin College’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, as well as a fellow for Austin College’s Posey Leadership Institute. She has also served as the Vice President for Austin College’s Native American Student Association and is the co-chair for the Class of 2024 Senior Committee, in addition to directing the college’s Film Club.

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