MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP – There are two very big bats in Reeths-Puffer’s baseball lineup that opponents have learned to fear.

One belongs to senior catcher Alex Johnson, the other to senior infielder Kaden Edwards.

They’re both tearing it up at the plate again this season, with Johnson hitting .444 coming into this week and Edwards hitting .400 – and now there’s an extra power element to their game.

That became apparent during a recent doubleheader against Wyoming, when Johnson hit two mammoth home runs (including a grand slam) at R-P’s Sodini Field, which has some of the deepest fences in the area. Edwards added one homer to left-center, near the deepest part of the park.

“Those home runs were bombs,” said Reeths-Puffer Coach Butch Attig. “You don’t see many home runs hit at Sodini Field.

“Here’s the deal. Those two young men have put a tremendous amount of work into their craft. They’ve been up on varsity since they were freshmen and have worked very hard to get where they are now, by lifting and doing all the right things. They’ve gotten bigger and stronger and their power numbers are going to increase.”

It’s kind of amazing that Johnson and Edwards are doing as well as they are doing, considering the injury issues they’ve dealt with.

Around the age of 12, Johnson had an injured elbow, and a doctor told him he had a certain condition that required him to take a year off from baseball.

Another doctor disagreed, saying if he took a year off the joint in his elbow would deteriorate and he would never play again.

So Johnson had surgery to repair cartilage in his elbow, rehabbed and got back on the field.

As a sophomore, Edwards injured his shoulder in wrestling, had surgery and was supposed to be sidelined for the entire baseball season, but he worked hard in rehab and was back in time to play.

Their connection with each other began when they were young little leaguers on the same All-Star team, after being rivals in the regular season.

“It was pretty instant,” Edwards said about their friendship. “We were rivals leading up to it by being on different teams. But as soon as we were on the All-Star team, we knew we’d be the guys on the team. Pretty soon after we started on that team, we were close.”

Johnson said he also felt the connection with Edwards right away.

“That year when we started playing together, it was pretty obvious we stood out,” he said.  “We were middle infield and 3-4 in the lineup. Our families became close friends, and we had the same goal of being the best Reeths-Puffer baseball players we could be.”

They emerged as major forces on varsity last season, with Edwards hitting a robust .395 with 26 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .508. Johnson hit .376 with 21 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .495.

Even more importantly, they started emerging as leaders among the players, which was crucial during the first part of the season when Attig had to sit out following major back surgery.

“Those two knew my expectations,” Attig said. “They’d keep guys for extra batting practice or say we’re going to meet at this time, and this is what we’re going to do for extra work. They’d get guys going before coaches were even there.”

The Rockets overcame a terrible start last season and ended up winning 21 games and capturing conference and district championships. The district title was the first for the Reeths-Puffer baseball team in 20 years.

“That was an awesome experience,” said Edwards about winning the title with a 2-1 victory over Mona Shores in the Division 1 district final. “Especially for Alex and I. We met up right after the last catch of the game. We didn’t start off that season well, but we definitely finished well.”

This year the two of them are back at it with even better offensive numbers so far, helping the Rockets to a very promising 5-1 start.

They’re also making big contributions with their gloves.

Johnson is a bit of a phenom as a catcher, with great blocking ability and a rocket of an arm. He has thrown out four of five runners trying to steal this season, and there’s no telling how many more opponents will even try to swipe a base any more with Johnson behind the plate.

According to Yosef Johnson, an athletic performance consultant for Reeths-Puffer, Johnson already has a pop time (the time it takes for the ball to lave his hand until it reaches the second baseman or shortstop’s glove) that’s comparable to Major League catchers.

“When he was a freshman we didn’t have a catcher, so I asked Alex if he was interested, he said yes, and he took right to it,” Attig said. “Last year he threw out something like 33 of 35 runners. His blocking ability is a pitcher’s dream. If a pitch is in the dirt, he has the ability to block it, keep it in front of him and still throw someone out.”

Edwards plays either shortstop or second base, and has a strong glove and good range.

“His arm strength is down a bit because of his surgery, but his hands are good, he gets rid of the ball quickly, and he covers a lot of ground for being 6-foot-1,” said Attig, who added that it’s a great comfort to have solid seniors up the middle defensively – Johnson at catcher, Edwards at shortstop or second, and Kyle Schlaff in center field.

The part that Attig likes best is the way Johnson and Edwards have continued to develop as strong leaders, mostly be example. The way they go about their business every day is having an impact on the whole team, he said.

“They have a work ethic beyond anything I’ve ever had on a team,” Attig said. “They’re rubbing off on the sophomores and juniors, who are working just as hard or harder, because they want to get better. When I leave practice I will see a bunch of them taking extra batting practice. It’s a coach’s dream. They’re a great group of kids.”