What is Georgia Baseball Getting in Wes Johnson?
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A few weeks ago, the University of Georgia's baseball program parted ways with long-time head coach Scott Stricklin to pursue a new face of the team. It was then announced on Monday that LSU pitching coach, Wes Johnson, had been hired to be the new headman of the Bulldogs' clubhouse. Now the question that is circulating is what is Georgia getting by hiring Brown?
For starters, Brown brings a lot of experience with him to Athens. He has been a pitching coach at the collegiate level dating all the way back to 2008 and even had a three-year stint with the Minnesota Twins in the Major League. Johnson has not only been around baseball for a long time but in the SEC specifically. He has held the position of pitching coach at Arkansas, LSU, and Mississippi State.
During his time with Minnesota Twins, Johnson's staff in 2019 set a club record with 1,463 strikeouts and helped lead the ball club to back-to-back division titles. One of his pitchers, Kenta Maeda, finished second in AL Cy Young voting in 2020 as he pitched his way to a 2.20 ERA and a 6-1 record. Johnson has also been credited with having 30 of his pitchers taken in the MLB draft.
Newly hired Georgia Baseball head coach Wes Johnson.
Johnson also became the first coach in MLB history to make the jump from college baseball straight up to the MLB. Prior to joining the Twins, Johnson helped lead the Razorbacks to a runner-up finish during the 2018 College World Series. He also assisted LSU's 2022 squad, which is currently a top-eight national seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.
Johnson's most recent player product at LSU is Paul Skeens, who has earned an overall record of 11-2, a 1.90 ERA, and has struck out 179 batters this season. Many media outlets have named Skeens as the national pitcher of the year, and is projected to be a first-round selection in this year's draft.
Another tidbit about Johnson's coaching career that Georgia fans might find interesting is that helped Mississippi State completely turn around their baseball program as they went from finishing worst in the SEC to finishing first in the conference the very next season. Six of Johnson's pitchers from that season went on to be drafted into the major league.
Georgia Baseball needed a head coach that could help elevate the program and bring consistent success. Johnson has the experience needed to do that in Athens and also knows what it takes to have success at both the professional and college level.
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- Kirby Smart, NIL and Transfer Portal Make it "Excruciating" on Coaches
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