Georgia chooses Wes Johnson as new baseball coach
LSU pitching coach Wes Johnson will be the new head coach of the Georgia baseball team, sources confirm to UGASports.com.
UGA later made the new official.
“I am looking forward to leading the University of Georgia baseball program and want to thank President Jere Morehead and athletic director Josh Brooks for their support and this tremendous opportunity at one of the premier institutions in the SEC,” said Johnson in a statement. “Being the head coach at Georgia is a dream come true. I can’t wait to meet and start working with our amazing student-athletes and developing our plan to compete for SEC and National Championships. Also, I’d like to thank Scott Woodward and Jay Johnson at LSU as we pursue a national championship this season and for supporting me and my family as we embark on this incredible journey to lead the Bulldogs.”
Athletic director Josh Brooks Johnson's proven track record and history of developing players played a big role in the hire.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Wes Johnson and his family to Athens and the University of Georgia,” said Brooks. “Wes has a proven track record of developing student-athletes while helping teams achieve impressive results. We aim to compete for postseason success and championships, and Wes has done that throughout his coaching career at every level, from high school to college and up to the Major Leagues. We are confident he will make Georgia Baseball one of the premier programs in the country.”
The 51-year-old veteran skipper takes over for Scott Stricklin, who was fired over a week ago. Johnson comes to Athens after spending one season as the pitching coach at LSU, which followed a three-plus year stint as a successful pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins.
He’s also served as the pitching coach at Mississippi State and Arkansas, enjoying success at both perennial SEC powers.
Coaching history
Johnson is in his first year as the pitching coach for the Tigers, after joining LSU in the middle of the 2022 season while serving as the pitching coach for the Minnesota Twins, where he served since 2019.
The 51-year-old Johnson has worked as a collegiate pitching coach since 2008 before joining the Twins and becoming the first pitching coach in MLB history to make the move directly from the college ranks to the big leagues. Johnson was with Minnesota for three-plus years, prior to joining the LSU program last June.
His first Twins staff in 2019 set a club record with 1,463 strikeouts, and he helped lead the team to back-to-back AL Central Division titles in 2019 and 2020. The 2020 Twins staff established a club record for strikeouts-per-nine-innings-pitched (9.38).
During his tenure as a college coach, 30 of Johnson’s pitchers have been drafted by MLB teams, with current Tiger pitcher Paul Skene expected to be one of the top two picks in the upcoming draft.
Prior to accepting the job with the Twins, he was the pitching coach at Arkansas in 2017 and 2018, helping lead the Razorbacks to a national runners-up finish at the 2018 College World Series.
Johnson developed Arkansas ace right-hander Blaine Knight, who posted a 14-0 record in 2018 and was selected in the third round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
At Mississippi State in 2016, Johnson produced six pitchers that were selected in the MLB Draft, most notably Dakota Johnson as the 34th overall selection by the St. Louis Cardinals. After Mississippi State won only eight SEC games the season prior to Wes Johnson’s arrival, the 2016 Bulldogs captured the SEC regular-season title and advanced to an NCAA Super Regional.
Johnson also served as the pitching coach at Dallas Baptist for four seasons. While there, five of his pitchers were chosen in the first 12 rounds of the 2015 Draft, and he helped lead the Patriots to NCAA Regional appearances in three of his four seasons at DBU (2012-15). The 2014 Dallas Baptist staff set school records for strikeouts (506) and opponent batting average (.248).
Johnson served as the pitching coach for three seasons (2008, 2010-11) at Central Arkansas, where his hurlers set school records for ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, opponent batting average, and fewest walks.
What they’re saying
(The following comments about Johnson were posted on LSU's official website LSUSports.net after he was named pitching coach of the Tigers last year)
“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.” – Derek Falvey, Minnesota Twins President of Baseball Operations
“I do let Wes take control and set up a plan for each one of our guys. You’re always going to have times when guys are not throwing the ball the way they want to, even your trusted guys. That’s going to happen. You kind of get back down to the plan of what you’re trying to accomplish when you get out there on the mound. Beyond the plan, are we executing the plan? Are we throwing the pitches that we want to throw, the way we want to throw them? Or not? Wes is really good about that. He’s done that many times over for us.” – Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins Manager
“Wes Johnson is and has become one of the most innovative pitching coaches in college or professional baseball. Wes’ strength is his never-ending pursuit of a better way.” – Brent Strom, Arizona Diamondbacks Pitching Coach
“I knew Wes was the right fit for our program when I hired him, and he brought his passion for the game and for the Razorbacks every single day. Wes’ energy and tireless work ethic was infectious from our players to our staff. I know he had a positive impact on everyone he worked with and every aspect of our program.” – Dave Van Horn, Arkansas Head Coach
“Wes is as good as they get. He has a passion for development and doing everything possible to help pitchers reach their full potential. He is innovative but has the ability to make the complex seem very simple to pitchers, which is how it needs to be when they are in a game. He is also positive and personable, which enables him to treat each pitcher as an individual and helps them come up with their own plan of attacking hitters.” – Dan Heefner, Dallas Baptist Head Coach
