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LSU

Jay Johnson: 'I want Omaha to be my place in the world'

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax06/23/25BarkleyTruax
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Jun 26, 2023; Omaha, NE, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Jay Johnson looks over the field before the game against the Florida Gators at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

LSU defeated Coastal Carolina in straight games in to win 2025 College World Series, the program’s second national championship in three seasons. Both titles have been won under head coach Jay Johnson, who arrived in Baton Rouge in 2022.

One day after the championship win, Johnson joined Paul Finebaum to discuss the Tigers’ championship run, and the expectation that came after winning the 2023 national championship. The LSU head coach is hoping to be back in Omaha very soon.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t mean this like egotistically or arrogantly at all,” Johnson said. “I just, I want Omaha to be my place in the world. To get there three times in the last five years, win a couple, it just feels very, very special. I’m very, very proud of the players. All we want them to have is a great experience here. We want them to be want it to be a training ground for their dream of being a major league player someday and to have a chance to compete for a championship, which this program here has always been about.”

Johnson has built exactly that, sending more than a few players to the MLB Draft since taking over in 2022. Last offseason, an SEC-record eight LSU pitchers were drafted during the 2024 cycle. 2023’s draft speaks for itself as LSU pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews went on to become the first players from the same school to be selected No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the same draft. The Tigers’ 2023 national title team ended up seeing 13 players drafted into the pro ranks — the nation’s best that season.

Under Johnson’s guidance, LSU has produced four first-round draft picks: Skenes, Crews, RHP Ty Floyd in 2023, and infielder Jacob Berry in 2022. This season, more of the same success at the 2025 MLB Draft is expected.

Johnson recently went to bat for his star pitcher Kade Anderson to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Anderson is coming off a complete game shutout against Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the CWS championship series.

When you’ve been at the top like LSU has since Johnson’s arrival, it’s no surprise they’re churning out MLB prospects on a yearly basis. With no signs of slowing down in that regard, addition trips to Omaha appear to be in order for Johnson and company.