BYU relief pitcher Ashton Johnson was named Monday to the Tony Gwynn Community Service Trophy Starting Nine, putting the senior lefthander in position to compete for one of college baseball’s top honors for service, academics and performance.
Johnson, a senior from Holladay, Utah, has appeared in 42 games since joining BYU as a junior college transfer from College of Southern Idaho in the summer of 2024. Over two seasons, he has a 6-5 record with seven saves, a 3.66 ERA in 86 innings, 24 walks and 69 strikeouts. He also carries a 3.85 cumulative GPA as a neuroscience major. BYU coach Trent Pratt said Johnson “embodies what BYU baseball is all about on the field, in the classroom and in the service he performs,” adding that he has been active in service projects for families in need locally and internationally and that he plans to attend medical school.
The award is in its second year and honors collegiate baseball student-athletes who are active in their communities, represent their programs with integrity and excel in the classroom and on the field. The 2026 winner will be selected from the nine finalists by NCBWA board members, select college baseball coaches and national media members. This year’s group comes from five conferences, the ACC, Big 12, C-USA, MAC and SEC, and includes LSU outfielder Chris Stanfield, Louisiana infielder Lee Amedee, Pitt outfielder Lorenzo Carrier, Mississippi State outfielder Bryce Chance, Arkansas infielder Camden Kozeal, DBU infielder Chayton Krauss, Louisville outfielder Zion Rose and Toledo outfielder Troy Sudbrook.
Johnson’s résumé runs well beyond the mound. He was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team after the 2025 season, earned the Big 12 Gerald Lage Award for athletic and academic excellence, was a two-time NJCAA Academic All-American at College of Southern Idaho and has been a two-year member of SAAC. He also served as BYU’s male student-athlete representative at the Big 12 Career Tour in Dallas in 2025 and has been involved with the KIND Fund, Mac’s Gift Children’s Cancer Foundation, BYU Sports Hero Day and Sole Hope.
The Tony Gwynn Community Service Trophy carries the name of a player whose charitable work matched his Hall of Fame career. Tony Gwynn and Alicia established the Tony Gwynn Foundation to support charities helping children in need, and this year’s Starting Nine keeps that focus on student-athletes who give as much off the field as they do on it. For Johnson, the next step is the finalist stage, with the 2026 winner to be chosen from the group later by the award’s voting panel.
