A Look at LSU Baseball's Fully Assembled Coaching Staff After The Hiring of Josh Jordan
Head coach Jay Johnson has filled out his coaching staff after the hiring of former Duke associate head coach Josh Jordan, but what does this mean for the LSU baseball program?
Jordan is a winner. He has elevated every program he’s coached at due to his excellent recruiting tactics and player development abilities. Leaving Appalachian State to take a position with Duke, he immediately made an impression on the Blue Devils, making them a force in the ACC and becoming the 2018 Assistant Coach of the Year along the way.
The real eye-opener here is how the dynamic of Johnson, Jordan and freshly hired pitching coach Wes Johnson will pan out. It’s an all-star coaching staff this LSU baseball program has assembled.
Taking Jordan away from a Duke program on the rise and stealing Johnson from the Minnesota Twins, it shows how promising this Tigers squad is.
Jordan’s resume speaks for itself. Recruiting and developing two of Duke’s outfielders in Joey Loperfido and RJ Schreck, the duo became All-ACC selections. Another gem Jordan helped reach their potential is Peter Matt, who became the first Blue Devil in program history to hit 15 home runs and steal 15 bases.
For Johnson, he received high praise from the Twins upon his departure from the organization. A piece of the puzzle that made them so successful, it was a given his presence will be missed.
"His leadership, insight, creativity and ability to effectively work across a diverse team were hallmarks of his time with the Minnesota Twins," president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said in a statement. "His influence and impact will continue to be realized in Minnesota through the pitchers and staff members he helped mentor."
Now, head coach Jay Johnson gets to reap the benefits of his two grand slam hires. The trio of Johnson, Jordan and Johnson will be lethal on the recruiting trail. We have all seen what this program has done via the transfer portal this offseason already and it’s only going to continue getting that much greater.
The first mission of this fully assembled staff will be to lure the Tigers 2022 MLB Draft eligible players to Baton Rouge. LSU has 10 signees in the class of 2022 who are projected to be Top-200 prospects in the draft and it will be of the utmost importance to steer them to campus rather than the minor league system.
The Tigers have something special brewing, and after the hiring of Jordan, this program just became that much more enticing of a destination. With his recruiting tactics, player development skills and personable traits, LSU went out and made a home-run hire in Josh Jordan.