Arizona’s Johnson named LSU’s new baseball coach

Published 12:00 am Saturday, June 26, 2021

BATON ROUGE — Jay Johnson, who led the Arizona Wildcats to two College World Series appearances in seven seasons, was named LSU’s new baseball coach on Friday, director of athletics Scott Woodward said in a prepared statement from the university.

The reigning Pac-12 Baseball Coach of the Year led Arizona to a conference championship and a berth in the College World Series in 2021.

“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, 44, said in the statement from LSU. “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 paid $1.2 million per year with his salary increasing by $50,000 increments until he reaches $1.4 million per year in the final year of his six-year contract, The Advocate reported. The contract also includes $750,000 to help pay his $1.09 million buyout at Arizona, which covers his $540,000 salary for 2022 and $550,000 for 2023.

The contract reportedly also includes incentives of $20,000 for winning a Southeastern Conference championship and $100,000 for winning a national championship.

“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.”

Johnson replaces Paul Mainieri, who resigned after 15 seasons at LSU. The Tigers lost in the super regional this season to Tennessee. Their last College World Series appearance came in 2017. LSU won the 2009 College World Series under Mainieri, who was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013, joining his father, Demie Mainieri of Miami-Dade Community College North, as the only father-son duo in the hall.

Mainieri went 641-285-3 (.691) over 15 seasons at LSU and finished his career with a 1505-777-8 (.658) overall record in 39 seasons

Johnson will be introduced at Alex Box Stadium on Monday, 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.

Arizona reached the CWS championship series in 2016, Johnson’s first year at the school.

The Wildcats had college baseball’s No. 4 recruiting class in the fall, and in 2021 led the nation in hits. Arizona ranked first in the Pac-12 in runs, hits, doubles, triples, RBIs, walks, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases and extra base hits.

His 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, 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.

In 2016, Johnson 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, finished 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.

Johnson is also considered one of the top recruiters in college baseball, according to the LSU press released. 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.

One recruit already has announced he is switching his commitment from Arizona to LSU. Shortstop Mikey Romero of Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California, wrote on Twitter Thursday, “With the news of coach Jay Johnson leaving Arizona I have decided to decommit. My family and I have decided to commit to

@Lsubaseball. We couldn’t be happier and I couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to play for that fan base, and for a chance to win a natty!! #GeauxTigers”

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, California, 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.