Tag: Wes Johnson

LSU hiring Terry Rooney as baseball recruiting director

A former assistant at LSU from 2007-08, Terry Rooney returns to Baton Rouge after his most recent stint at Purdue.

LSU has hired [autotag]Terry Rooney[/autotag] as its Director of Recruiting and Program Development, according to multiple reports. The news was first reported by D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers.

Rooney, who spent the last two seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Purdue, is a familiar face in Baton Rouge. He previously served as LSU’s pitching coach from 2007-08.

He left to become the head coach at UCF, where he spent eight seasons and amassed a 261-210 record with two NCAA regional appearances. Since leaving the Knights, he was associate head coach — and briefly interim head coach — at Alabama in 2017.

Rooney was the pitching coach at Houston from 2018-21 before joining the Boilermakers.

It’s the second assistant coach LSU has hired this offseason. Coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] also brought in [autotag]Nate Yeskie[/autotag] as pitching coach from Texas A&M. Yeskie will replace [autotag]Wes Johnson[/autotag], who left to take the head coaching job at Georgia.

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Paul Skenes has made a decision about hitting and pitching in the MLB

Paul Skenes appeared on the KayRod Cast during Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and addressed his plans at the pro level.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] appeared on the KayRod Cast during Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. During the broadcast, Skenes was asked the question that most people are wondering: Will he pitch and hit in the MLB?

Skenes came to LSU last year after spending two years at Air Force where he starred as a pitcher and a catcher. In Skenes’ words, he was actually a hitter more than he was a pitcher. When he came to LSU, [autotag]Wes Johnson[/autotag] helped him hone his craft to become the best pitcher in the country and possibly the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Here is what Skenes had to say regarding the question,

“Absolutely,” he said of his plans to hit and pitch. “Obviously, I didn’t hit this past year, but I’ve hit. I was actually a primary hitter coming into college and then I just started pitching my senior year of high school and it kind of blossomed into what it is now. But I’m 6-foot-7 and I’ve caught my whole life. I don’t know how that totally works. But yeah, I’ve hit my whole life and obviously started pitching the last few years. I’ve done both for the past few years and want to continue to do both as long as I can.”

Alongside teammate [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], Skenes is seen as the likely first or second pick in the 2023 MLB draft.

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LSU director of baseball operations to join Wes Johnson at Georgia

After serving as LSU’s director of baseball operations for a little over a year, Josh Simpson is on to his next venture.

After serving as LSU’s director of baseball operations for a little over a year, [autotag]Josh Simpson[/autotag] is on to his next venture. He will be joining former LSU pitching coach [autotag]Wes Johnson[/autotag] in Georgia as the recruiting coordinator.

Simpson came to LSU after working as a scout for the Texas Rangers in the MLB. There’s no better way to exit a program than to go out on top and that’s what the Tigers did in Simpson’s only season on the Bayou.

We will be keeping an eye on who LSU will hire as their new director of baseball operations. The Tigers recently hired Nate Yeskie to fill Wes Johnson’s position as the new pitching coach. There is no timeline on how long it will take to hire a new director of baseball operations.

I’m sure there will be no shortage of applicants trying to join a team that just won the 2023 national championship.

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LSU baseball hiring Texas A&M’s Nate Yeskie as pitching coach

Nate Yeskie spent the last two seasons in the same role at Texas A&M after working with Jay Johnson from 2020-21 at Arizona.

Following a national championship victory, LSU coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] has made a pitching coach hire to replace [autotag]Wes Johnson[/autotag].

The Tigers are hiring [autotag]Nate Yeskie[/autotag], who spent the last two seasons with Texas A&M in the same role. It’s a reunion between Yeskie and Jay Johnson as the pair worked together at Arizona in 2020 and 2021, when Yeskie was also the pitching coach there.

Yeskie is a two-time National Pitching Coach of the Year and won a College World Series championship in 2018 while working at Oregon State.

“I couldn’t be more excited to add Nate Yeskie as our new pitching coach,” Johnson said in a release. “Nate has an unmatched track record in college baseball for pitching coaches relative to developing pitching talent for professional baseball, College World Series trips, and winning in general. His coaching acumen is very complete and current, and future pitchers at LSU will develop to their highest potential because of the opportunity to work with Coach Yeskie.

“Nate is the perfect coach to lead a great group of returning pitchers in the 2024 season. This is another great step for LSU Baseball coming on the heels of a seventh National Championship. Adding Coach Yeskie is a great first step toward working for No. 8!”

Yeskie replaces Wes Johnson, who spent 2023 with the Tigers after previously working as the pitching coach in the MLB for the Minnesota Twins. Johnson left to become the head coach at Georgia following the season.

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How LSU baseball handled the news of pitching coach Wes Johnson’s departure

Here’s how LSU handled the news of pitching coach Wes Johnson taking Georgia’s head coaching gig.

LSU baseball will be looking for a pitching coach after [autotag]Wes Johnson[/autotag] took the head coaching job at Georgia. The news came at an interesting time with the Tigers in the middle of a postseason run.

LSU head coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said LSU knew about it prior to the news breaking, and Wes Johnson will remain on staff through the tournament.

From a players standpoint, Johnson said LSU’s limited the distractions, saying, “We’re dialed in.”

“You don’t get to choose things all the time and we had a plan,” Johnson said.

LSU held a meeting on Monday about the news. Johnson said LSU already scheduled the meeting prior to the news breaking to the public on Sunday.

Johnson said he thought it was important the team got to hear this news from the coaches.

“We dealt with it well I thought. We had another meeting and briefly talked and we’re locked and loaded for now and moving forward with those pitchers,” Johnson said.

Johnson highlighted the leadership from the players, particularly [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag].

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Jay Johnson disappointed news of pitching coach Wes Johnson’s departure leaked immediately following regional title

LSU’s regional title celebration was a bit overshadowed by news of Johnson leaving to become the head coach at Georgia.

LSU’s win over Oregon State in the Baton Rouge Regional final on Monday secured a super regional hosting spot for the first time since 2017. But the excitement of the moment was overshadowed by bittersweet news.

Pitching coach [autotag]Wes Johnson[/autotag], a new addition to the staff this season from the Major League Baseball ranks, will leave the program to become the head coach at Georgia. Johnson will remain with the Tigers through the remainder of the postseason.

Head coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] said the team is not getting distracted by the news, though he was disappointed to see it leak when it did. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Johnson’s departure minutes following the end of the game.

“We’re dialed in. That’s the way of the world now,” Johnson said per On3’s Matthew Brune. “You don’t get to choose things all the time. Our plan was to let them know Monday morning, but to get it to them, I thought it was important they heard it from me and Wes. It stinks a little bit that they just won a championship and that’s what it should be about. We had another meeting, and we’re locked in from now until the end. It helps that we have great leaders like Paul (Skenes) and Ty (Floyd).”

Floyd told the media that while the news indeed came as a bit of a shock to the team, he wishes Johnson well in his next stop.

“We were all surprised and sad he’s leaving, but we’re excited to see him go to Georgia and have a lot of success after this season is over,” Floyd said. “He’s had a huge impact on me. I’m not the same pitcher I was last year and that’s thanks to him.”

The Tigers hope to keep the distractions at a minimum as the team prepares to host the Kentucky Wildcats in the Baton Rouge super regional this weekend. The first game is 2 p.m. CT on Saturday.

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Report: LSU pitching coach leaving to become head coach at SEC school

Wes Johnson will reportedly head to Georgia after one season in Baton Rouge.

Just minutes after LSU punched its ticket to the super regionals with a 13-7 win over Oregon State in the Baton Rouge Regional final, we found out that there’s going to be a major shakeup on staff after the season.

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, pitching coach [autotag]Wes Johnson[/autotag] will be leaving after one season to become the head coach at Georgia. Johnson will replace Scott Stricklin, who was fired after turning in a 299-236-1 record in 10 seasons with just three NCAA tournament appearances.

Johnson was hired this past offseason from the MLB ranks, where he held the same role with the Minnesota Twins. He had previous SEC pitching coach experience at Mississippi State and Arkansas.

Under Johnson’s guidance, LSU had a 4.60 earned run average as a staff in 2023 with 1.32 walks plus hits per innings pitched.

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LSU lands another baseball transfer from Vanderbilt

LSU added veteran infielder Carter Young from Vanderbilt on Monday.

The Tigers are off to a phenomenal start to the offseason. They’ve hired an MLB pitching coach in [autotag]Wes Johnson[/autotag] and added two of the best players in the transfer portal, outfielder [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] from North Carolina State and pitcher [autotag]Christian Little[/autotag] from Vanderbilt.

Now, they’ve landed another former Commodore as [autotag]Carter Young[/autotag] announced his commitment to LSU on Monday.

Young is a 6-foot, 180-pound junior infielder. He’s coming off of his worst year at Vandy, as he batted just .207 last season in 56 games played and 188 at-bats. Although he had some rough numbers last season, he hit .328 his freshman season and .252 his sophomore year.

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The talent is there, he just has to get his groove back. Hopefully, making a new start on the Bayou is the way for him to do that. Young makes the Tigers’ fifth commit out of the transfer portal as coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] is building a new squad that we hope can go all the way.

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LSU hires Minnesota Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson

Johnson spent the last four seasons at the MLB level after stints as the pitching coach at Mississippi State and Arkansas.

LSU coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] has made a massive addition to his staff on Sunday night as he is set to hire Minnesota Twins pitching coach [autotag]Wes Johnson[/autotag] to fill the same role in Baton Rouge. D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers first reported the news.

Johnson replaces [autotag]Jason Kelly[/autotag], who was hired as the head coach at Washington last week. He spent the last four seasons with the Twins after a college coaching career that included SEC stops at Mississippi State and Arkansas. He also served as the pitching coach at Dallas Baptist and Central Arkansas.

Johnson will join LSU immediately and not finish out the 2022 MLB season with Minnesota, who currently sits in first place in the AL Central.

Obviously, it goes without saying that stealing a pitching coach from the major league level — especially in the midst of a potential playoff season — is a huge win for LSU.

This team will likely enter Year 2 of the Johnson era with high expectations after adding several high-profile transfers and the top 2022 recruiting class in the country.

UPDATE: LSU officially announced the hire on Monday with this statement from head coach Jay Johnson.

“I couldn’t be more excited to announce Wes Johnson as our pitching coach at LSU. We have hired, in my opinion, the best pitching coach in the country at any level. The success he has had at the highest level of baseball speaks to Wes’ ability to communicate, teach, develop and motivate. Our current and future pitchers have a coach in Wes that will get the best out of them and help them develop into one of the best pitching staffs in college baseball on an annual basis.

“I believe Wes will help us recruit and develop a large number of future Major League pitchers at LSU and form them into a dominant staff for years to come. This is a huge day for LSU Baseball.”

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