 Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 10/8/2021 LSU Sports Information By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Jay Johnson said Thursday that his first LSU baseball team is not yet game-ready, but the Tigers have displayed the traits necessary to achieve success during the six-week training period that precedes fall practice. “What I’m seeing so far from our players is a willingness to buy in to the process that we take our teams through as this time of the year,” Johnson said. “The buy-in from the players has been really, really strong. “It will be tested as we move along in the fall; our players will hear me talk about improving one percent on a daily basis. If you do that over a long period of time, the player is going to transform and be more productive for your team. The 2022 squad will take the field together for the first time on Friday evening as the Tigers begin fall practice in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Intrasquad scrimmages will be open to the general public throughout the fall, beginning this weekend. The Tigers will scrimmage at 6:30 p.m. Friday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Gates to the stadium will open approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of each scrimmage, and fans will be admitted through the Gate 2 home plate entrance. Admission and parking are free for all intrasquad scrimmages this fall, as well as for LSU’s two exhibition games in November. The Tigers will play host to UNO at 10 a.m. on Sunday, November 7, and to UL-Lafayette at 11 a.m. on Sunday, November 14. Fall practice is scheduled to continue through November 21. “What I want our players to see from our coaching staff is high effort, high energy and high competency” Johnson said. “But, that’s all that we can provide. The work part has to be provided by the players, and we’re off to a really good start in that area. We’re very excited to get into the team portion of practice to take that a step further.” LSU returns nine position players that started in a significant number of the Tigers’ 63 games last season, including outfielder Dylan Crews, first baseman Tre’ Morgan, third baseman Cade Doughty, outfielder Gavin Dugas, shortstop Jordan Thompson, designated hitter Cade Beloso, catcher Alex Milazzo, outfielder Giovanni DiGiacomo and outfielder/infielder Drew Bianco. Other players with starting experience include outfielder Brody Drost, infielders Collier Cranford and Will Safford, and catchers Hayden Travinski, Braden Doughty and Jake Wyeth. The veterans are joined by several talented newcomers, including impact transfers like infielder Jacob Berry (Arizona), catcher Tyler McManus (Samford) and first baseman/outfielder Brayden Jobert (Delgado CC). Infielder Jack Merrifield is a transfer from LSU-Eunice, and a group of skilled true freshmen features outfielders Josh Pearson, Josh Stevenson and Tripp Haddad, catcher Blaise Priester, and infielders Luke Leto, Connor Simon, Brennan Holt and Brant Smith. The LSU pitching staff includes 11 hurlers that recorded innings last season, including senior right-handers Devin Fontenot and Ma’Khail Hilliard, and graduate right-hander Trent Vietmeier. Other returners on the mound include junior left-handers Jacob Hasty and Alex Brady, sophomore left-hander Javen Coleman, and sophomore right-handers Ty Floyd, Will Hellmers, Garrett Edwards, Michael Fowler and Blake Money. Right-hander Eric Reyzelman, a transfer from the University of San Francisco, is expected to impact the staff, as are a pair of transfers from Arizona – right-hander Bryce Collins and left-hander Riley Cooper. The staff is bolstered by JUCO transfer right-handers Paul Gervase, Dawson Gause and Jason Bollman, and by a gifted crew of true freshmen pitchers that includes right-handers Cale Lansville, Grant Taylor, Grant Fontenot and Samuel Dutton. Johnson encouraged LSU fans to attend the Fall scrimmages and familiarize themselves with the 2022 Tigers. “We’re looking forward to honoring the tradition of admitting our devoted fans into our Fall scrimmages,” Johnson said. “It’s a great opportunity for them to get an early look at our 2022 team. The enthusiasm that our fans bring to the stadium is important in helping to acclimate our players to a game-like atmosphere, so we definitely encourage them to come to ‘The Box’ to see the Tigers.”
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LSU BASEBALL TO BEGIN FALL PRACTICE ON FRIDAY; SCRIMMAGES WILL BE OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC10/6/2021  Photo By: Terrill Weil Da Boot Sports 10/6/2021 LSU Sports Information By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – The 2022 LSU baseball squad will take the field for the first time on Friday evening as the Tigers begin their six-week Fall practice period in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Intrasquad scrimmages will be open to the general public throughout the Fall, beginning this weekend. The Tigers will scrimmage at 6:30 p.m. Friday, 1:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Gates to the stadium will open approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of each scrimmage, and fans will be admitted through the Gate 2 home plate entrance. Admission and parking are free for all intrasquad scrimmages this Fall, as well as for LSU’s two exhibition games in November. The Tigers will play host to UNO at 10 a.m. on Sunday, November 7, and to UL-Lafayette at 11 a.m. on Sunday, November 14. “We’re looking forward to honoring the tradition of admitting our devoted fans into our Fall scrimmages,” said first-year LSU coach Jay Johnson . “It’s a great opportunity for them to get an early look at our 2022 team. The enthusiasm that our fans bring to the stadium is important in helping to acclimate our players to a game-like atmosphere, so we definitely encourage them to come to ‘The Box’ to see the Tigers.” Fall practice is scheduled to continue through November 21.  Photo By: Terrill Weil Da Boot Sports 10/6/2021 LSU Sports Information By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Former LSU infielder Kramer Robertson has been named to the postseason travel squad of the St. Louis Cardinals prior to their National League Wild Card Game matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Teams in the MLB playoffs are limited to 26-man active rosters; however, they are also permitted to carry extra players on their travel squads. Robertson would have the opportunity to be called up to the active roster if the Cardinals needed to make a change during the postseason. St. Louis faces Los Angeles Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium in a single-elimination Wild Card Game. The winner advances to play the San Francisco Giants in a National League Division Series. Robertson played at LSU from 2014-17 and received All-America and All-SEC recognition. The Cardinals’ fourth-round draft selection in 2017, he played this season for the Memphis Redbirds – the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate – batting .253 with 22 doubles, four triples, 11 homers, 62 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 66 runs scored. Robertson led LSU to a runners-up finish at the 2017 College World Series as the Tigers’ shortstop, batting .307 (89-for-290) with 18 doubles, three triples, eight homers, 43 RBI, 85 runs and nine stolen bases. He finished No. 1 in the nation in runs scored with 85, and he was No. 5 in the SEC in doubles with 18 and No. 7 in the league in hits with 89. Robertson batted a team-best .336 (43-for-128) over LSU’s last 30 games in 2017, leading the Tigers to a 25-5 record in that span with six doubles, two triples, four homers, 19 RBI and 38 runs. He was the 32nd-round draft selection of the Cleveland Indians in 2016, but elected to return to LSU for his senior season. A product of Midway High School in Waco, Texas, Robertson is the son of legendary women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, who begins her first season as LSU’s head coach next month.  Photo By: Terrill Weil Da Boot Sports 9/17/2021 LSU Sports Information By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Former LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri is among six individuals that will be honored on April 28 as “Louisiana Legends” by Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting. For more than thirty years, Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting have honored Louisiana’s best and brightest with the Louisiana Legends Awards Gala and Auction. The 2022 honorees have distinguished themselves in fields as diverse as philanthropy, the sciences, sports, environmental conservation and the humanities. The 2022 honorees join a prestigious list of 149 former Louisiana Legends that includes Academy and Grammy Award winners, star athletes, Pulitzer Prize winners and esteemed dignitaries, including the current United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Mainieri, who retired as the Tigers’ coach at the end of the 2021 season, completed his 39-season career with a 1,505-777-8 record, including a 641-285-3 mark in 15 seasons at LSU. LSU won a remarkable 31 team championships during Mainieri’s tenure, including the 2009 national championship, nine NCAA Regional championships, five NCAA Super Regional championships, four SEC regular-season titles, six SEC Tournament titles and six SEC Western Division crowns. Mainieri completed his career No. 7 among NCAA Baseball Division I coaches in wins, and he is one of only five coaches in NCAA Division I Baseball history to earn 1,500 victories and a national championship. He was inducted in 2014 into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Along with Mainieri, the 2022 Class of Louisiana Legends includes:
 Photo By: LSUsports.net Da Boot Sports 9/15/2021 LSU Sports Information By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU on Wednesday released its 56-game 2022 baseball schedule, which begins on Friday, February 18, when the Tigers face Maine in Game 1 of a three-game series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. LSU will play nearly half of its regular-season schedule (24 games) against teams that participated in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Starting times for most games on the 2022 schedule will be determined in the coming months after television schedules and team travel arrangements are finalized. Fans are invited to register to join a request list for available season tickets at www.lsutix.net, and there is no charge for the registration. The deadline to sign up for the season ticket request list is Thursday, September 30. All season ticket requests are sorted by the LSU Philanthropic Priority Point Ranking system as of Sunday, October 31. For information on the priority point system, visit https://www.lsutaf.org/membership/priority-points The season opener versus Maine will mark the first game at LSU for Jay Johnson, who was named the Tigers’ head coach in June after leading Arizona to the 2021 Pac-12 title and a berth in the College World Series. The non-conference schedule is also highlighted by a trip to Minute Maid Park in Houston for the annual Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic. LSU, which will participate in the event for the fourth time since 2015, will face Oklahoma at 3 p.m. CT on Friday, March 4; Texas at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 5; and Baylor at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 6. The 30-game Southeastern Conference slate begins with a weekend home series versus Texas A&M on March 18. The Tigers will also play host to league foes Auburn, Missouri, Georgia and Ole Miss, and LSU will travel to play Florida, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Alabama and Vanderbilt. Dates for some SEC games could change once the league determines its television schedule. Preparation for the 2022 season is underway, as the Tigers are engaged in conditioning drills and individual workouts. LSU begins its full-squad fall practice period on Friday, October 8. LSU will play two fall exhibition games in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field versus New Orleans on Sunday, November 7, and versus UL Lafayette on Sunday, November 14. Click button below for Schedule.... GEAUX TIGERS!!! LSU Baseball Press Conference: Coach Johnson, Devin Fontenot, Ma'Khail Hilliard, & Gavin Dugas7/17/2021  Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes 7/17/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil Da Boot Sports! BATON ROUGE, LA: LSU Head Baseball Coach Jay Johnson, pitcher Devin Fontenot, outfielder Gavin Dugas and pitcher Ma’Khail Hilliard meet with the media on Thursday to answer questions and discuss all of the changes and decisions that have taken place in the program so far.. Excitement is building quickly and early as Jay Johnson has not only put together a top notch coaching staff, but is also adding new players to the roster who will help fill in the holes that this team has had for a couple of years. Below is a video of the press conference for your viewing.... GEAUX TIGERS!!!! Excitement Continues To Build For The 2022 LSU Baseball Season As Key Players Announce Their Return7/14/2021  Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes 7/14/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil Da Boot Sports! BATON ROUGE, LA: Jay Johnson and the LSU baseball faithful have received great news over the past few days as key performers from last season's team have announced they will return in 2022. Both Devin Fontenot and Ma'Khail Hilliard will both return. Hilliard is a leading candidate to be a huge part of the weekend rotation for Jay Jonson in 2022, while Fontenot gives the Tigers perhaps the best closer in college baseball. On Tuesday Gavin Dugas who lead the team in home runs in 2021 announced he will return along with starting centerfielder Giovanni DiGiacomo. Sources are also reporting that Cade Beloso has also decided to return to help lead the Tigers back to Omaha in 2022.  Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi Photos By: Jonathan Mailhes 7/12/2021 Da Boot Sports! LSU Sports Information By: William Franques HILL, MARCEAUX SELECTED ON DAY 2 OF MLB DRAFT Four LSU signees also chosen on Monday; Draft concludes with Rounds 11-20 on Tuesday BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU junior right-handers Jaden Hill and Landon Marceaux were selected Monday on Day 2 of the Major League Baseball Draft. Hill, a product of Ashdown, Ark., was the second-round selection (44th overall) of the Colorado Rockies, and Marceaux, a native of Destrehan, La., was the third-round choice (80th overall) of the Los Angeles Angels. The draft, which began Sunday with Round 1 and continued on Monday with Rounds 2-10, will conclude on Tuesday with Rounds 11-20 beginning at 11 a.m. CT. Monday’s selection marked Hill’s second in the MLB Draft, as he was chosen in the 38th round in 2018 by the St. Louis Cardinals after his senior year of high school. Hill made seven starts on the mound for the Tigers in 2021 before being sidelined by an ulnar collateral ligament injury that required Tommy John surgery on his elbow. He posted a 2-3 mark with a 6.67 ERA in 29.2 innings, recording 12 walks and 25 strikeouts. Hill was named a 2020 third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper after the pandemic-shortened season in which he allowed no runs and just one hit in 11.2 relief innings (four appearances) while recording five walks, 17 strikeouts and two saves. He limited opponents to an .028 (1-for-36) batting average on the year. Hill pitched as a starter in LSU’s 2019 weekend rotation for the first two weeks of the season before having to sit out the remainder of the year due to a shoulder ailment. He was named SEC Freshman of the Week after defeating Air Force on February 17, as he worked five innings and limited the Falcons to one run on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. Monday’s selection also marked Marceaux’s second in the MLB Draft, as he was chosen in the 37th round by the New York Yankees after his senior year of high school. Marceaux, a 2021 second-team All-American, was 7-7 on the year with a 2.54 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 102.2 innings. Also a second-team All-SEC selection, he was No. 4 in the league in innings pitched, No. 5 in ERA and No. 7 in strikeouts. He helped lead LSU to the NCAA Eugene Regional title, earning a relief win on two days’ rest in the championship game versus Oregon after firing 101 pitches in a starting assignment against Gonzaga. Marceaux was named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week after defeating South Carolina on April 15, firing a career-high 12 Ks while working seven shutout innings. Marceaux has made 37 career appearances (35 starts) at LSU, recording a 14-9 mark with a 3.23 ERA and 181 strikeouts in 184 innings. Four LSU signees were also selected on Monday: Ben Kudrna, a right-handed pitcher from Blue Valley Southwest HS in Overland Park, Kan. (2nd round, Kansas City); catcher Carter Jensen, a product of Park Hill HS in Kansas City, Mo. (3rd round, Kansas City); left-handed pitcher Brock Selvidge of Hamilton HS in Chandler, Ariz. (3rd round, New York Yankees); and catcher Ian Moller of Wahlert HS in Dubuque, Iowa (4th round, Texas). 2021 LSU Draft Summary (Rounds 1-10) LSU Players Jaden Hill, RHP 2nd Round (44th selection) Colorado Rockies Landon Marceaux, RHP 3rd Round (80th selection) Los Angeles Angels LSU Signees Ben Kudrna, RHP 2nd Round (43rd selection) Kansas City Royals Carter Jensen, C 3rd Round (78th selection) Kansas City Royals Brock Selvidge, LHP 3rd Round (92nd selection) New York Yankees Ian Moller, C 4th Round (103rd selection) Texas Rangers Photo By: LSUsports.net 7/8/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil Da Boot Sports! BATON ROUGE, LA: Jay Johnson continues to add to his roster through the NCAA Transfer Portal. On Thursday the Tigers added right-handed pitcher from the University of San Francisco Eric Reyzelman. Reyzelman is from San Ramon, California and is returning to play after Tommy John Surgery fourteen months ago. In 35 innings last season, opponents hit .234 against him with an 6.17 ERA.. He has been clocked at 94-97 mph on his fastball. After the addition of Jacob Berry last week, LSU has also added former Samford catcher and Slidell native, Tyler McManus to the roster on Wednesday. McManus comes to Baton Rouge as a graduate transfer and will give the Tigers another powerful bat in the lineup.. He hit .346 with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs last season. GEAUX TIGERS!!!!  Photo By: dbupatriots.com 7/7/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil Da Boot Sports! BATON ROUGE, LA: LSU Head Baseball Coach Jay Johnson has added another piece to his coaching staff puzzle and it's another impressive one. Dan Fitzgerald, who is known as one of the top recruiters in the country, has spent the last nine seasons at Dallas Baptist as their associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. Baseball America rated Fitzgerald as the #7 assistant coach in the nation in 2018. D1 Baseball rated him #17 in the country as recruiter in 2016. Jay Johnson so far has put together a fantastic coaching staff since taking over in TigerLand bring in Jason Kelly and now Fitzgerald. Photo By: LSUsports.net 7/6/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil Da Boot Sports! BATON ROUGE, LA: Sources report that LSU Baseball Head Coach Jay Johnson has made his first coaching staff hire on Tuesday. The Tigers new pitching coach will be former Arizona State assistant coach Jason Kelly. Kelly, spent the last three seasons with the Sun Devils as their pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. In 2018 while he was with Washington University he was named the Assistant of the Year by D1 Baseball. He has also helped coach 15 pitchers who have gone on to be selected in the MLB Draft during his career. 7/4/2021 LSU Sports Information By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Arizona All-American infielder Jacob Berry, who helped lead the Wildcats to the 2021 College World Series and the Pac-12 championship, has transferred to LSU, coach Jay Johnson announced Sunday. Berry, a product Queen Creek, Ariz., batted .352 in 2021 with team highs of 17 homers and 70 RBI, and Collegiate Baseball newspaper named him the National Co-Freshman of the Year. He earned first-team All-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, and he received second-team All-America honors from D1Baseball and Perfect Game. Berry will start classes at LSU on August 23, and he will be immediately eligible to play as a sophomore for the 2022 season. Berry and LSU outfielder Dylan Crews – who was named the 2021 Perfect Game National Freshman of the Year – are teammates this summer on the Stars squad of the U.S. Collegiate National Team. The Stars defeated the Stripes Sunday in an intra-squad game at the USA Baseball training facility in Cary, N.C. Berry and Crews each homered on Sunday to lead to Stars to a 5-4 win over the Stripes. Berry was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and a double, while Crews blasted a two-run dinger that proved to be the game-winning blast.  Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes 7/1/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil Da Boot Sports! BATON ROUGE, LA: Here we geaux folks! The NCAA transfer portal madness begins within the LSU baseball program as new Head Coach Jay Johnson takes over. I mentioned several times in the past how much I dislike the transfer portal. But as of now, it seems to be here to stay. Lets just hope the Tigers get to experience nicer side of it, instead of the ugly side. On Wednesday, Sophomore infielder Zach Arnold became the first Tiger to enter the transfer portal, Coach Johnson confirmed. In 2021 Arnold appeared in 49 contest, finishing with a batting average of .301 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs. This will be the second time he has decided to leave a program due to a coaching change. Arnold originally signed with Oregon out of high school in 2019, but ended up at LSU after he was released from his letter of intent when Ducks Head Coach George Horton and the school mutually agreed to part ways. Only hours after LSU announced the hiring of Jay Johnson, elite California short stop Mikey Romero de-committed from Arizona and committed to LSU. Sources report that at least a dozen or more Arizona players have entered the transfer portal, including freshmen All-American infielder Jacob Berry, since Johnson's departure. How many of these young men will end up in Baton Rouge with their former coach? Time will tell.  Photo By: Michael Bacigalupi 6/28/2021 By: Terrill J. Weil Da Boot Sports! BATON ROUGE, LA: Today begins a new chapter in the rich and successful history of LSU Baseball. With Paul Mainieri deciding to step down and retire, the school with the baseball program that has set the standard for greatness for decades has finally ended their coaching search for their new leader. Jay Johnson is that choice. He becomes the 26th head coach in the history of LSU baseball, and now faces the challenge to lead his new team back to Omaha and to win national championships. LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward's new head coach hire, has been a head coach at three different schools. (2005 - at Point Loma Nazarene finishing with a 37-16 record: .... 2014-'15 - Nevada finishing with 72-42 record: .... 2016-'21 - Arizona finishing with a 208-114 record with two appearances in Omaha: .... His overall record as a head coach as he arrives in Baton Rouge stands at: 316-172.) .... Johnson was born and raised in Oroville, California. He would go on to graduate from Oroville High School in 1995 and began his college baseball playing career at Shasta College, a junior college located in Redding, California in 1997. After two seasons he would transfer to Point Loma Nazarene in 1998 to complete his college career. He would start at second base in 1999 and 2000. Scott Woodward would begin the press conference stating, “I wanted to hire a winner, someone who had proven he knew how to build championship programs and bring them to Omaha. That's Jay Johnson. Most of all, I wanted to hire someone who was ready. Ready for the moment. Ready for the expectations. Ready to win championships. And there is no one in the world more ready than Jay Johnson, because he has been preparing for this moment his whole life.” before introducing his new baseball coach. Johnson would take the podium. "I don't think I can do it as well as Coach O, but Geaux Tigers! Start this thing off right. That was the only thing we need to say to start this thing off." He would continue with, "I'm honored to be here. I'm incredibly humbled to be here. When I think about the 44 years of my entire life, I really believe every day has led me to this podium right now, to this program, and it's beyond a dream come true." After touching on Skip Bertman and Paul Mainieri's outstanding careers, he would then turn to his new team. "I can’t wait to look them in the eyes and talk to them, not about winning, but about what it takes to win." said Johnson. "This is LSU. This is the place in college baseball. All of my older jobs were rebuilds. This is a reboot, and that’s because of the talent Paul and his staff brought in." Then adding, "What is my goal? My goal is when you look out on that field at Alex Box Stadium, there's a brand of baseball that everybody in this state, in this community associated with this university is incredibly proud of. You know what that looks like. You've seen it. No program in college baseball has seen it on a more consistent basis than LSU. All I want to do is pour my life into continuing that." A lot of us know the importance on a head coach surrounding himself with a top quality coaching staff. Coach Johnson knows the important of this, as he would answer a question about his process of hiring a staff. "Yes, absolutely. Working very diligently with that. I will not sacrifice time to make sure we have the right people. The most important people in influencing the players that we all want to play great, be great students and be great people is the coaching staff, and we spend more time with them than their own families, so I'm working diligently." "I'm talking to a lot of people. It is not a narrow search because it's too important to get that right. We need a staff that can recruit at an elite level, meaning evaluating talent, evaluating players that are worthy of playing on this field, that have the makeup, character and ability to do that and do it in a way that's going to help us win championships, and that's a skill that has to be developed." "And then from a development standpoint, finding a pitching coach, finding an assistant hitting coach that they want to put their trust in to be developed so check achieve their dream of being a Major League player, and while they're on their way to being a Major League player, they're helping LSU to win a lot of baseball games. We're working as fast as we can to get the right person." After someone mentioned the LSU fan base in a question, Johnson would say, "That's a great question. You mentioned the fan base. That's another reason I wanted to come. I want passionate people that want to achieve elite things around me. So when I mention our team, the fans are a part of that." "With that being said, we're going to take the best parts of that. There's only a handful of programs around the country that you can count where this many people show up at a college baseball game, and what I want to do, what I think it is important that we do, is create the best home-field advantage in college baseball, and I've heard that's what we have here, and then put a product on the field that they're extremely proud of, that when the Tigers show up, they know what they're going to get. They can't wait to get to the ballpark after a long day of work and they can't wait to high-five the players down the line after a big win, and they can't wait to send their kids to baseball camp because they feel like they're a part of this thing. For me, I only see that as a positive." A couple of other great quotes from Johnson while answering media questions.... "I’m going to work harder than any other baseball coach in the country – any coach in the country. Our players are going to work harder than anyone in the country. We aren’t going to win because Tigers is on our chest, but because of the hearts beating in those chests. Ultimately I want teams to hate to play us, and I think we accomplished that the last couple offensive teams that we had, and that's what I want to do at LSU." Then Johnson would say this about Alex Box Stadium.... "This is not college baseball," he said of the stadium. "This is the Yankee Stadium of college baseball. It's a beautiful place. We're going to use it to recruit. After the conclusion of the indoor press conference in the Champions Club Room, Johnson would head into Alex Box Stadium to greet the fans on hand, then sit down with the voice of the Tigers, Chris Blair to answer a few questions submitted by fans over the last couple of days. One of the questions was about the possibility of changing LSU's uniforms. He is obviously a coach who believes in tradition. He looked at the crowd and asked, "Do you guys see anything wrong with the uniforms?" Then went on to say, "This program has an identity that is very clear when you put on a purple jersey, when you put on a gold jersey, when you put on the all white. What you see is what you're going to get because the tradition of this program is special." Johnson couldn't have said it any better.... I'm loving it... It was a great press conference for the new head coach who is obviously very excited to be here in Baton Rouge. Everything said was very encouraging and exciting. After today, I think Woodward, as usual, made the correct choice. Grab your shades Tiger fans because the future of LSU Baseball looks very bright. GEAUX TIGERS!!! Photo Below By: Michael Bacigalupi                Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes                                            6/25/2021 LSU Sports Information By: William Franques JAY JOHNSON NAMED LSU BASEBALL HEAD COACH 2021 Pac-12 Coach of the Year led Arizona to two College World Series appearances in five full seasons BATON ROUGE, La. -- Jay Johnson, the reigning Pac-12 Baseball Coach of the Year who led Arizona to a conference championship and a berth in the College World Series in 2021, has been named the head coach of the six-time national champions LSU Tigers, director of athletics Scott Woodward announced Friday. “LSU Baseball is the premier program in the nation, and the interest we received from great coaches across the country was significant,” Woodward said. “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.” “I am humbled and honored to be the head baseball coach at LSU and serve as the steward of the next generation of national champions,” Johnson said. “LSU is a phenomenal University and athletics department, and I am very thankful to Scott Woodward and Stephanie Rempe for entrusting me to lead this storied program into its next winning chapter. I view this as the opportunity of my lifetime and will do everything in my power to have our team playing a brand of baseball that makes everyone at LSU, the Baton Rouge community, and the entire state of Louisiana incredibly proud. Geaux Tigers!” Johnson will be introduced at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field on Monday, June 28, beginning with a press conference open to media only at 4:30 p.m. in the Champions Club. Fans are invited to watch a live stream of Johnson’s press conference on the video board inside the stadium and remain after for an on-field Q&A following his remarks to the media. The architect of college baseball’s best offense in 2021, the 44-year-old Johnson led Arizona to two College World Series appearances – including a Championship Series berth in 2016 – over five full seasons, regularly producing the nation’s most potent lineups and signing top players from across the country. After landing college baseball’s No. 4 recruiting class in the fall, Johnson’s 2021 Wildcats smashed their way to Omaha in the spring, leading the nation in hits and ranking first in the Pac-12 in runs, hits, doubles, triples, RBI, walks, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases, and extra base hits. Overall, Johnson’s Wildcat teams finished first in the Pac-12 in hits, runs, and on base percentage in four of his five full seasons, while leading the league in slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs per game, and batting average in three seasons. And in each of his final two full seasons, the Wildcats topped the league in hits, walks, runs, runs per game, slugging percentage, on base percentage, and batting average. When he was hired by Arizona after the 2015 season, Johnson took the reins of a program with a rich tradition and instantly made it richer. When he arrived in Tucson, the Wildcats had won four national championships, recorded three national runners-up finishes (now four), made 16 CWS appearances (now 18), and made 37 NCAA Tournament appearances (now 40). Johnson’s impact was immediate. In 2016, he became the fifth coach ever – and the first since 1994 – to lead his team to the College World Series finals in his first season. That team, which had finished 12-18 and 9-21 in the Pac-12 in its previous two seasons, slugged its way to Omaha, finishing fifth nationally in hits and leading the conference in walks, doubles, hits, runs, and stolen bases. The Wildcats returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and finished first in the Pac-12 in batting average, doubles, hits, on base percentage, runs, scoring, and slugging percentage. In 2019, Johnson’s offense led all Power 5 teams and finished second nationally in runs per game, slugging percentage, and on base percentage, while finishing third in batting average and total runs. In addition to his reputation for developing hitters, Johnson is also considered one of the top recruiters in college baseball. Both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball ranked Johnson’s 2020 signing class No. 4 in the country – the highest ranking for a program west of the Mississippi River. The class featured 14 players from six states, including two players who ranked in Perfect Game’s Top 100 prep rankings. In 2018 and 2019, Johnson landed Collegiate Baseball’s No. 3 and No. 11 ranked classes, respectively. Arizona was not the first program where Johnson’s impact was felt instantly. Prior to his success at Arizona, Johnson spent two seasons as head coach at the University of Nevada, earning Mountain West Coach of the Year honors in 2015 and leading the Wolfpack to their first ever conference championship in just his second season. That year, the Wolfpack finished 41-15 and ranked first in the country in on base percentage, second in slugging percentage, and third in batting average. Johnson spent 2006 to 2013 as the associate head coach at the University of San Diego, where he spearheaded recruiting efforts and served as the hitting coach over eight seasons. There, Johnson helped sign the nation’s No. 1 class in 2008 and No. 2 class in 2010, and USD’s lineups topped the WCC in hitting six times. At USD, Johnson recruited and coached Kris Bryant, who won the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Award as the nation’s top player before the Cubs selected him No. 2 overall in the 2013 MLB Draft. Johnson’s coaching career began at his alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene, where he served as an assistant coach from 2002 to 2004 before accepting the head coaching position in 2005 at 27 years old. He finished his playing career at Point Loma in 2001, hitting .326 as a senior and earning a Gold Glove as the team’s starting second baseman. A native of Oroville, Calif., Johnson becomes the 26th head coach in LSU baseball history, succeeding Paul Mainieri, who retired after the 2021 season. Johnson and his wife Maureen, a former University of Arizona soccer player, were married in 2016. |
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