Sources say LSU has hired Arizona Coach Jay Johnson as its new head baseball coach. Johnson led Arizona to the College World Series twice in six seasons in Tuscon. He’s also been a head coach at Nevada and spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at San Diego. Aaron Fitt from D1baseball.com says Johnson is known as a great hitting coach.
“I mean he has a long track record, his teams have always hit, when he was at the University of San Diego, and of course Kris Bryant comes to mind, they he had a lot of other guys who hit there too, lesser known guys who really performed, at Nevada they hit, when he was at Arizona that’s what they are known for, very, very good offensive mind,” said Johnson.
Fitt says one of Johnson’s biggest challenges will be dealing with a passionate fan base who expects a trip to the College World Series every year.
“Doing with alumni in Tuscon is not quite the same with dealing that fan base down in Baton Rouge, and so we’ll see how that goes, I definitely think that will be adjustment for everybody and the fact he’s always recruited the West,” said Fitt.
Fitt says what will help with the learning curve is that Johnson takes a over a program where there’s plenty of talent.
“Jay is going to inherit a program that’s in really good shape and I don’t think it will be that difficult to keep it going, I mean they are built to win next year that young talent is very exciting,” said Fitt.
Right fielder Dylan Crews and first baseman Tre Morgan were named freshman All-Americans.
Comments