It wasn't the South Beach Diet, a new yoga posture, the conjunction of Venus and Neptune or an intervention orchestrated by Dr. Phil.

But something has flipped the switch for Washington senior right fielder Taylor Johnson. And after three relatively modest, though respectable, collegiate seasons, he's now putting up numbers that are borderline bodacious.

Johnson, a left-handed hitter from Skyview High School in Vancouver who boasts a career .265 average, leads the Huskies with a .350 average and is tops in hits (35), walks (18), on-base percentage (.467) and steals (11 in 14 attempts). He is second in runs batted in (25).

He'll be the leadoff hitter when Washington hosts USC (15-8, 1-2) in its conference home opener at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Husky Ballpark, where UW is 10-0 this season. The two teams meet again tomorrow and Sunday for 1 p.m. games.

Johnson's consistent stroke prompted Huskies coach Ken Knutson earlier this season to elevate Johnson from the No. 2 slot to the top of the order, and UW is 13-3 in games with Johnson batting leadoff.

"It's nice to get off to a good start this year," said Johnson, a former all-state high-school star who batted .508 in his junior year as a prep. "Until now I haven't had the level of success that I've wanted in college. I put a little too much pressure on myself these last few years."

Mechanically, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Johnson says he has shortened his swing this season without sacrificing his ability to hit for power to any field. He's tied for the team lead in home runs, with six.

It's a new mental outlook, though, that Johnson credits most for sustaining his consistency.

"I'm a lot more confident this year," he said. "I have a better attitude, too. I've never been a guy who throws his helmet around after an out, but in the past if I make an out, I'd really get down on myself and it would show.

"Now I realize that I'm a good player and I can get it done. If I make an out, it's not the end of the world. It just took me four years to figure it out."

"He says success is all about having a good attitude, making good things happen for yourself," Johnson said. "I'm using that this year. I don't take batting practice as seriously as I used to do. I'm trying to be a little more laid back and have a good, positive approach.

"Baseball is a negative game. We fail more times than we succeed at the plate. So you start talking to yourself, getting down on yourself. But you've got to tell yourself that you'll get another at-bat, have another game. You've just got to try and stay positive."

Knutson, in his 13th season at UW, understands the mind-set.

"All baseball players want to be good, and they get in trouble when they try too hard," he said. "Maturity comes when they understand the ups and downs of the game so they don't lose their big-picture mentality.

"Taylor's been a real good player for us for four years, and he now knows more about his swing and has learned not to get frustrated."

Johnson spent the summer of 2003 playing in the Cape Cod League, a semipro showcase for top prospects, but found himself at odds with his team's coach.

"I don't think he liked West Coast guys," Johnson said.

So he stayed local last summer, joining UW teammates Tim Lincecum and Nick Batkoski on the Seattle Studs of the Pacific International League. Johnson batted .314 and was a second-team all-league pick.

"I don't know when it happened, but last summer something just clicked with my swing," he said. "Summer ball is nice. Coaches give us suggestions but not a lot of instruction. We make our own adjustments and just feel the game out, like we did when we were younger. You have a bad game, you just go play another game and work things out."

Johnson, who was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 39th round after his senior year in high school, went undrafted after his junior year at UW, the time when most top college players jump to the pros. He's hoping his productive senior year will put him on scouts' radar again.

"We all want to be All-Americans and top-round draft choices," he said. "But I have no regrets about going to college. I've had a lot of fun playing at UW. Hopefully, I'll get the opportunity to play professionally next year."