LSU right-hander Thatcher Hurd capped off the 2023 season by earning the win in the Tigers 18-4 victory over Florida in the national championship game.
Hurd will have the chance to be the winning pitcher when LSU opens the 2024 season on Friday at 2 PM against VMI.
Hurd was 8-3 last season with a 5.68 ERA. The ERA is bloated because of a few bad outings, but Johnson says the California native developed into one of the top pitchers in college baseball by the end of the season.
“He showed pitch ability, he showed the ability to manage the game,” said Johnson. “If you’re going to pitch on any Friday and it happens to be this Friday the expectation is to give your team a quality start, a chance to win, he has the mental disposition to do that.”
Johnson also noted that it’s rare in college baseball to have your opening day starter as a pitcher who won eight games the year before. Usually an eight-game winner is playing pro ball the next season.
Alabama transfer Luke Holman will start game two on Saturday afternoon against Central Arkansas after going 7-4 last season with a 3.67 ERA.
Johnson says Holman has thrown the ball well the last two weeks in scrimmages.
“What he does in terms of flooding the strike zone, multiple pitches, he’s a great athlete, he fields his position, he’s quick to the plate, he’s got a low heartbeat, he strikes people out, gets weak contact, such a key part of what we are doing.”
Johnson is holding off on naming a starter on Sunday. He wants to see how the first two games go and if they get played.
Rain is in the forecast on Friday and Saturday. Also, with two opponents in town for the weekend, VMI and Central Arkansas, there could be some scheduling shuffling, as those two schools also have games against each other at Alex Box Stadium.
UCLA transfer Gage Jump could be the starter on Sunday, but he hasn’t pitched a lot in recent scrimmages. Jump is returning from Tommy John Surgery, but Johnson says he’ll be fine as they prepare everyone differently for a season.
LSU is trying to become the first school to repeat as national champs since South Carolina did it in 2010 and 2011.
Johnson does not look at it as they are trying to defend a national championship, instead he says his team is attacking a new opportunity.
“This month has been awesome in terms of that, it doesn’t guarantee us one bit of success, but could not have higher marks on how I believe we’ve improved in the last month, the work they’ve put in and if you’re doing that and focusing on the task hand, I think we’ve handled that part good, I give us an A-plus on that.”
Johnson also knows that just because you won a national title, it doesn’t guarantee a return trip to Omaha. He points out there are several recent champs that didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament the next year, Arizona in 2013 UCLA in 2014, Coastal Carolina in 2017, Mississippi State in 2022 and Ole Miss in 2023.
Johnson told his team to watch the Super Bowl closely as the Kansas City Chiefs won their second consecutive title. He noticed a couple of important traits, how they responded to adversity and execution.
Johnson said Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes bounced back after throwing an interception in the second half and the Chiefs executed at a high level on the game winning touchdown drive in overtime.
A 56-game regular season starts on Friday, there will be ups and downs during the year, but the goal is to play their best baseball in Omaha.
