The future of LSU baseball is bright under Jay Johnson

LSU baseball is going through a transition period after welcoming a new head coach this summer.

The Tigers hired Jay Johnson to replace long-time head coach Paul Mainieri.

Mainieri led the program for 14 years, guiding LSU to five College World Series appearances and a championship (in 2009).

The West Virginia native, who played at LSU, retired after the 2021 season. In Mainieri’s final season, the Tigers reached the NCAA Super Regionals.

Johnson, a California native who was a second baseman in college (at Point Loma Nazarene), was hired by LSU in late June.

The future of LSU baseball is bright under Jay Johnson

Following Mainieri as the Tigers’ head coach isn’t an easy task. Johnson has big shoes to fill.

But so far, it certainly appears that the future of the program under Johnson is bright.

Recruits are already loving Johnson.

One of LSU’s latest commits, in fact, is coming all the way from California to play for the Tigers because of his relationship with Johnson.

2024 pitcher/outfielder Noah Malone wanted to play for Johnson at Arizona. When he found out that Johnson was heading to Baton Rouge, he decided he wanted to play for the Tigers –despite not knowing much about the program.

“Back when he was at Arizona. We had developed a really good relationship,” explained Malone this week to Rivals.com after committing to LSU.

“I’m going to school to come play for Coach Johnson, it just happens to now be further away than just California to Arizona,” added Malone.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of college sports. And it’s clear that Johnson is an excellent recruiter. LSU should continue to routinely land the top talent in the country, which should hopefully translate to more College World Series appearances for the storied program.