The Architect: How LSU Baseball Coach Jay Johnson Built a Champion
LSU Head Coach Jay Johnson always had a thought in the back of his mind that Baton Rouge would be home. There was no other job he would have left Arizona for, so when LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward made the call, it was a move Johnson knew he had to make.
The architect of LSU’s National Championship roster, Coach Johnson created the “Superteam Down South,” but he had a little help along the way.
When Johnson arrived in Baton Rouge, it was fresh off of the departure of LSU great Paul Mainieri, who played a major role in reigniting the baseball program due to his recruiting efforts.
Mainieri played a pivotal role in getting Dylan Crews to campus, he recruited Tre’ Morgan and several others, but once Johnson arrived to campus, his efforts in the recruiting space put the icing on the cake.
The “CEO” of this program created a monster of a squad for the 2023 season and his efforts paid off in the long run.
A look into the creation of LSU’s 2023 National Championship squad:
The Louisiana Talent
Whether it be Gavin Dugas, Cade Beloso, Alex Milazzo, Brayden Jobert or Tre’ Morgan, the homegrown talent became a point of emphasis this season. We saw the Tigers entire lineup make major contributions throughout the season with Louisiana legends stepping up when their number was called.
For Dugas, who rocked the historic No. 8 jersey, he returned to LSU for a chance to go out on top. After an up and down 2022 season battling the injury bug, he knew what he had left in the tank and he wanted to empty it in his final go around. It’s safe to say he did just that after propelling his university to a title.
When it comes to Beloso, another super senior on this squad whose story is worth telling every day of the week, 2023 was the year of revenge. After suffering a torn ACL and missing time, his final season in the purple and gold meant much more to him that on-field success. It was about embracing what Baton Rouge has to offer and making the most of what will be the end of his baseball journey.
LSU’s 2023 roster reeled in several prospects from the state of Louisiana with each and every one of them making a contribution in some way or another. Jay Johnson made sure to retain the core guys once he arrived in Baton Rouge while also going out and recruiting others such as Gavin Guidry and Josh Pearson.
Immediate Impact Transfers
The NCAA Transfer Portal has become Coach Johnson’s best friend, and after reeling in the top portal class last offseason, his investment paid dividends.
LSU brought in Paul Skenes (Air Force), Tommy White (NC State) and Thatcher Hurd (UCLA), among others, via the portal last summer.
Fast forward to now and the recruiting efforts of Johnson in order to secure such star-studded talent is what made winning a title possible.
Skenes’ rise to stardom will go down in the history books. A player who arrived in Baton Rouge as a dominant two-way player quickly asserted himself as one of the greatest college pitchers of all-time. Skenes broke the SEC record for most strikeouts in a season (209) and catapulted his name into the conversation of becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
When it comes to Tommy “Tanks” White, his story is just beginning in Baton Rouge. The catalyst to LSU’s title run, a walk-off homer against Wake Forest in the semifinals to propel the Tigers to the College World Series became the “swing heard ‘round the world,” but there’s more for White in the future. The All-American slugger will be back for Year 2 with the LSU program as he looks to become the face of this program.
Finally, Thatcher Hurd. A star pitcher who came to Baton Rouge with concerns regarding a back injury he suffered at UCLA, Hurd’s growth from fall ball to June became a meteoric rise. With one win separating the Tigers from a National Championship, Coach Johnson handed Hurd the ball and gave him the start in the biggest game for this program since 2017. Hurd delivered and the rest is history.
The Superstar: Dylan Crews
There are several superstars within the LSU baseball program, but one stood out from the rest before Johnson even arrived on campus. A major reason he accepted the job in Baton Rouge was largely in part due to All-American Dylan Crews having two more years of eligibility remaining.
Johnson had the 2023 season circled. It would be Crews’ final year with the Tigers and both knew it would be the year where they raised the trophy over their heads and were crowned National Champions.
Crews has cemented his legacy in Baton Rouge. A player who has inserted his name into the conversation as the greatest Tiger to ever step foot in Alex Box Stadium, Crews became the heartbeat of this 2023 roster.
The two-time SEC Player of the Year kept this group in check, became the leader of a star-studded group and ultimately propelled this program to a historic run in Omaha that ended in becoming a National Champion in his final game repping LSU.