LSU baseball has at least two more games to play as they host the Super Regionals, but at least one assistant coach will be out the door this offseason.
Tigers pitching coach Wes Johnson will depart to take over as the head coach for the University of Georgia, news that LSU head coach Jay Johnson confirmed in his postgame. The news was first reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Wes Johnson will stay with the team throughout the postseason, Jay Johnson said, noting that it had been a "done deal" for nearly a week as of Monday. He had originally planned to meet with the team Tuesday morning to inform them.
“He’s locked in. ... I think the preparation and the execution of the pitching staff this week kind of speaks for itself,” Jay Johnson said.
Wes Johnson joined LSU's staff this offseason in a splash hire for the Tigers, coming from the Twins organization to take over in Baton Rouge. He led a resurgent LSU pitching staff that battled significant injuries, but one that was paced by superstar Paul Skenes, who is widely expected to be one of the top picks in the upcoming MLB draft.
Wes Johnson is very familiar with the SEC even beyond LSU, also having stints as a pitching coach for Mississippi State and Arkansas.
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Georgia fired head coach Scott Stricklin, who'd held that job for 10 years, after a first-round exit at the SEC Tournament. The team went 29-27 overall and 11-19 in SEC games. In Stricklin's tenure the team was 299-236-1 and earned three NCAA Tournament bids.
LSU continues in the 2023 NCAA Tournament after dominating Tulane behind a complete game from Skenes in the regional opener, then earned back-to-back victories over Oregon State (7-6 and 13-7) to reach the Super Regional, which will be against the winner of Indiana-Kentucky and be played at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge.
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