Blueprint. Recipe. Development. Those are the words you'll hear most often from new LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson as he lays out his vision for the program he's taking over in Baton Rouge.
But what exactly is that blueprint? Part of it can be summed up in Johnson's constant refrain that made it onto a tee-shirt worn by his Arizona Wildcats at this year's College World Series: It's a ball ... or it's a line drive.
That offensive philosophy that drove Arizona to success is one that Johnson described as mirroring the Skip Bertman "Gorilla Ball" days, and one he's excited to begin implementing at LSU.
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"To be able to potentially bring that back with some of the talent that’s on the roster right now, with this blueprint, I think it’s going to be really exciting," Johnson said in an interview with LSU's Emily Dixon, shared on Tuesday. "I’m really, really eager to get to work with the players and start implementing how we get there.”
Johnson was officially introduced as LSU's head coach on Monday, speaking to the media for the first time after being hired to succeed Paul Mainieri. The outgoing Tigers coach and Bertman were both in attendance, gifting Johnson his the No. 2 jersey he'll wear as coach of the Tigers as well as a bat on the field at Alex Box Stadium.
But it's not just the approach at the plate that Johnson says he'll focus on with the Tigers. Championship teams need to be able to win in a variety of ways, he said. That's been the case in both of his trips to Omaha with Arizona. That first trip in 2016 came in his debut season as the coach of a roster featuring speed and high-quality pitching. His team that season led the NCAA in sacrifice bunts, ultimately falling to Coastal Carolina in the championship series.
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This past season he lauded his balanced, explosive roster and their wire-to-wire success that led to Johnson winning Pac-12 coach of the year and directing his team to Omaha again with a Super Regional victory over Ole Miss. That team fell in two games.
Johnson said he expects to bring that balanced approach to this Tigers roster as well. Whether it's through small-ball, Gorilla Ball, infield shifts or other methods -- it can't be a one size fits all approach to winning games.
"With the talent on the roster, with some of the incoming recruiting potential that we have, we’ll be able to play a brand of baseball that’s flexible," Johnson said. "That we’re not just going to win one type of way on one type of day, and if you want to be a championship team that’s the way it has to be."
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MORE FROM JOHNSON
THOUGHTS ON LSU'S PASSIONATE FANBASE
“Wouldn’t have it any other way. To be at a place that loves college baseball, that supports college baseball. It is unmatched at this university and this program. And really, I want to make them proud. When they look out at that field, that’s what a championship baseball team looks like. That’s what a championship program looks like. And I’m going to give them my blood, sweat, tears, pour them all in the bucket. And we’re in a tight game in the 7th inning against a tough SEC opponent, I want them to do the same thing. And one of the reasons I was drawn to this job is I know that’s in place. And so our goals are in alignment and we’re all going to work together to make this something we’re all going to be proud of.”
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ON JOINING THE SEC
“You used the word compete. The other word I use is challenge. It’s the ultimate challenge at the ultimate place. And that’s what has me excited the most. And I’m so excited to play against the best programs to play against the best coaches, to recruit the best players. And what you’ll get, what our fans will get, on a daily basis is a team of great fundamentals, a high level of competitiveness and high-level character. And I think those three things on a daily basis over a long period of time on the recruiting trail, on the field, I think our fans will come to appreciate the brand of baseball that we play and the program that we are.”
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ON ASSEMBLING A STAFF
“I really am excited about the time. I’m excited because it’s LSU and the brand and the tradition and all of those things. But I’m also really excited about the players that are on the roster. And the goal is to get those players to be the best they possibly can be, and find a different gear, a different level in terms of their development. So the immediate staff decisions are going to be based on ‘what do we need now for 2022 LSU Baseball?’ And those same people that are the right fit for that will also be the right fit for moving our program forward and being a contender year in and year out. Where they’re built in hard work, they’re built in discipline, great recruiters, great developers of players and I think our team is going to be really excited to work with them.”