LSU baseball is reaching up in the ranks for its next pitching coach.
The Tigers are set to hire Minnesota Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson for the same role in Baton Rouge, according to a report from D1Baseball.
LSU head coach Jay Johnson pointed to the pitching after the Tigers' disappointing loss in the Southern Miss regional, during which LSU allowed 8 runs in each of its final two losses. Pitching coach Jason Kelly departed for the head coach job at Washington earlier in July.
Wes Johnson had spent the past 4 seasons as the pitching coach for Minnesota, and had previously been an assistant at Mississippi State and Arkansas. The Twins announced plans to promote an assistant coach in Wes Johnson's place, the odd timing of a pro departure underscoring the blockbuster nature of the hire. It's not often a coach leaves a pro team mid-season for a college job.
It's a banner move in what has already been a banner offseason in the transfer portal for the Tigers. The team has already landed NC State 1B/DH Tommy White, Vanderbilt pitcher Christian Little, Creighton pitcher Dylan Tebrake and Baylor shortstop Jack Pineda.
Twins POBO Derek Falvey said Johnson was an important part of the Twins coaching staff and that the team will miss him.
“Wes Johnson has been an integral part of our organization over the last three and a half seasons and has helped guide our pitchers at the highest level. His leadership, insight, creativity, and ability to effectively work across a diverse team were hallmarks of his time with the Minnesota Twins. His influence and impact will continue to be realized in Minnesota through the pitchers and staff members he helped mentor. We wish him and his family all the best during his next stop at LSU.”
Johnson will stay with the Twins through June 30th.