Jay Johnson hired as new LSU baseball coach
BATON ROUGE, La. (BVM) — After losing to Tennessee in the super regionals, LSU’s search for a new baseball coach began. And it didn’t take long to find Paul Mainieri’s replacement.
On June 25, it was announced that running Pac-12 Baseball Coach of the Year, Jay Johnson, would be taking over LSU’s baseball program.
“LSU Baseball is the premier program in the nation, and the interest we received from great coaches across the country was significant,” LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said in a press release. “Ultimately, Jay’s track record of postseason success, explosive lineups, and highly-ranked recruiting classes set him apart from the field. He’s made an immediate impact at every program he’s led, and he’s one of the most energetic, innovative, and focused coaches in America. I am confident he is ready to add to our extensive championship tradition at LSU, and we welcome Jay and Maureen to Baton Rouge.”
Johnson has had a very successful tenure as a head coach in the college ranks. During his first year at the University of Arizona, he helped the Wildcats reach the College World Series (CWS) Finals. He was the first coach since 1994 to accomplish that feat. The Wildcats were one of the best offensive teams in the country that year, ranking No. 5 in hits and leading the Pac-12 in walks, hits, doubles, runs and stolen bases.
Coach Jay is Ready to Geaux@LSUCoachJ | #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/c1Cu1iAp0J
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 25, 2021
Along with his prowess as an offensive-minded coach, Johnson is also one of the nation’s best recruiters. Recently, his Class of 2020 was ranked No. 4 in the country by Baseball America.
Along with his recruiting class at Arizona, Johnson also helped the University of San Diego bring in some of the best recruiting classes in 2008 and 2010. He also helped recruit and develop Kris Bryant. Bryant won the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Award before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2013 MLB Draft.
“There is nobody in the world more ready in the world for this job than Jay Johnson,” Woodward said in a press conference.
It’s been a prosperous coaching career for Johnson already. Now he’ll look to add to his legacy with the LSU Tigers and bring a national championship back to Baton Rouge.
“This is LSU,” Johnson said in his introductory press conference. “This is THE place in college baseball … this is the opportunity of my lifetime. These two men [Paul Mainieri and Stanley “Skip” Bertman] did a heck of a job and left as good a legacy as you possibly can and so [it’s] an opportunity to have a chance to contribute to that.”
Another Legacy in the Making pic.twitter.com/OB1Wuq91ZS
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 28, 2021
