The face of Major League Baseball is Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani — the only player to be an all-star at both pitcher and designated hitter in MLB. Virginia baseball now has its own Ohtani. And this one was tailor-made to be a Cavalier.
This multifaceted phenom is junior utilityman Kyle Johnson — a Duke transfer who is set to start as a left-handed pitcher, hit right-handed and also play right field. Johnson, who followed Coach Chris Pollard from the Blue Devils this offseason, could be a major contributor this season, as Pollard noted at preseason media availability.
“Kyle Johnson really emerged this fall,” Pollard said. “So proud of that dude, and his growth, not just physically, but just his growth as a person … going through some of the struggles that he went through last year has just made him a tougher competitor.”
Pollard’s trust in Johnson is evident — Johnson was named one of Virginia’s four captains in 2026 and he is the only player to receive that honor without having spent multiple seasons as a Cavalier.
His captainship did not come without incredible effort. After all, the weekly schedule at Virginia is intense for Johnson. He said that during the season, he will practice pitching on Tuesdays, start the first game of a weekend series on Fridays and spend every remaining practice or game either at designated hitter or in right field. Johnson is the only player Pollard expects to partake in this rigorous schedule and play in most games.
Despite his versatility, Pollard said that the priority is for Johnson to be the team’s No. 1 pitcher.
“[Johnson] knows that his greatest ability to impact our team is on a mound,” Pollard said. “But he said, ‘look, Coach, I know this might be my last year swinging a bat. If it is, I want to go out doing everything I can to help this team win and having fun with it.’ And right now, he's a guy that's going to get a lot of at-bats for us.”
But while Johnson is new to Virginia baseball, he is no stranger to Pollard and his staff. After all, the pair spent the past two seasons together at Duke and they both believe the best is yet to come for the three-way phenom.
In his freshman campaign back in 2024, Johnson earned Freshman All-American honors — living up to the hype associated with being the No. 46 recruit in the country coming out of his high school class in 2023. Johnson started 34 of the 39 games he played in, hitting .253 with a high-quality combined on-base percentage and slugging percentage of .878.
Johnson’s sophomore campaign in 2025, though, was a mixed bag. Although he played in six more games than his first season, he ended up with six fewer starts — and his earned run average ballooned to a near-unserviceable 7.19. His batting average also dwindled from a solid .253 to a below average .220.
In his last season at Duke, Johnson filled in for the suspended AJ Gracia — now a junior outfielder who has since transferred to Virginia as well. In his place, Johnson recorded four hits in the Durham Super Regional.
“Definitely a big highlight for my season,” Johnson said. “Sort of wanted to try to fill some big shoes right there with AJ being out of the lineup.”
Ultimately, Johnson’s 2025 season ended with the Blue Devils being eliminated at home in the Durham Super Regional to underdog Murray State in the final game of a three-game series. Johnson and Duke were one win away from the College World Series.
The very day after the Blue Devils’ season ended, Pollard was hired as the next head coach of the Cavaliers to replace Brian O’Connor, who left for Mississippi State.
“It was a really quick transition, for sure, but I feel like they're both amazing coaches,” Johnson said. “When Coach Pollard got the job here, a lot of U.Va. fans were just as happy as they were with [O’Connor] here.”
Johnson followed Pollard to Charlottesville soon after the coach committed, joining a cohort of five other Blue-Devils-turned-Cavaliers. Johnson’s ties to the University, however, long precede his arrival as a transfer — both of his parents and older sister are alumni. Growing up, Johnson occasionally made the trip from his hometown of Leesburg, Va., and watched Virginia baseball.
Now, in 2026, Johnson is completing the full-circle moment, donning a V-Sabre as a cornerstone of Pollard’s first season with the Cavaliers. He will take center stage in the season opener against Wagner Feb. 13 — according to Pollard, Johnson is expected to start on the mound.
But while the team’s focus is set on the first stretch of regular season play, it is difficult to ignore what was the core of Cavalier baseball ethos under O’Connor — postseason success. Pollard aims to keep that tradition intact. Johnson has his eyes on the prize as well.
“I feel like this team has everything they need to win a national championship,” Johnson said.
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