By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Taylor Johnson had a vision and it was clear.

She wanted to build a culture.

The first-year Kent Roosevelt High School softball head coach knew that before her program could ascend in the league’s order, she first had to get her players to respect a foundation.

“We wanted a culture rooted in accountability, unity and unshakable belief in each other,” Johnson said. 

And some fun needed to be in there, too.

In fact, it was the smiles that allowed Johnson to recognize that her team was headed in the right direction.

“Day by day, I watched the girls step onto the field with laughter, joy and the kind of genuine smiles that told me that we were turning the corner,” Johnson said.

The idea was that before Johnson felt like her program could achieve another winning season, which has not happened since 2019, they first had to get excited about the process it would take to get there.

In 2025, the Rough Riders finished 3-17 overall and 2-12 in the Suburban League, but Johnson said she is confident that the team’s true success lived less in the standings and more in the daily commitment to improvement for the future.

“We wanted to become a program that played for more than the scoreboard,” Johnson said. “I emphasized discipline, development and family. We set high expectations not just for how we play, but how we show up on and off the field.

“These season, those goals began to bloom,” Johnson added. “We saw growth in not only skills, but confidence, commitment and leadership. Our girls bought in. They showed up early, they worked through adversity and they never stopped growing. Every practice, every game and every challenge, it all started to reflect that new vision.”

Leading the way statistically were senior Avery Gates and freshman Devin Stohovitch.

Gates hit .451, with 32 hits, six doubles, six home runs and 35 RBI. She was named First Team All-Suburban League.

“Avery was our rock,” Johnson said. “As a captain and leader, her consistency at the plate and at first base was unmatched, but it was her voice in the dugout and heart for this team that left the biggest mark. She led this program through a transformative year and made every player around her better.”

Stohovitch led the team with her .514 average, adding 36 hits, 10 doubles, three home runs, 26 RBI and 26 runs scored. She was named Second Team All-Suburban League.

“Devin was a phenomenal freshman, who came out and shocked the conference with her layout defense and presence at the plate,” Johnson said. “She had one of the best overall attitudes on and off the field.”

They weren’t alone in helping transform the program.

Johnson named Aubrey Henry, Adrianna Poole, Katlyn Ciolek, Addison Vinston and Jilli Smith as other key contributors to the program’s shift, while Kamia Green and Skylar Lauck were both named Honorable Mention All-Suburban League.

Also part of that shift were a JV season for the first time in recent years, as well as a commitment to the youth program that was a pinnacle goal for Johnson when she was hired as coach.

“This program and community needed to start heading down the road of becoming a strong and successful program all around,” Johnson said. “It was a challenge and an opportunity to give Kent a softball program this community deserves.”