LSU coach Jay Johnson expresses excitement following official announcement of new pitching coach Wes Johnson

The LSU Tigers made a big hire to its baseball staff under head coach Jay Johnson on Sunday. Wes Johnson was previously working in the MLB with the Minnesota Twins, but LSU was able to hire him away and bring him to Baton Rouge as the Tigers’ new pitching coach.

On Monday, after LSU officially announced the addition of Wes Johnson, Jay Johnson took to Twitter to share his excitement for the addition to his staff.

“Big time! We have hired one of the best pitching coaches in all of Baseball to LSU,” Johnson tweeted. “Wes is elite. This is a massive day for the Tigers! Welcome Coach, Angie and your family to Tiger Nation! #GeauxTigers.”

Jay Johnson previously served as Arizona’s head coach, leading the Wildcats to the College World Series in 2021. He was then hired as the new head coach at LSU. Johnson led the Tigers on a solid stretch in his first year at the helm, going 40-22 overall, 17-13 against SEC opponents, and becoming the No. 3 seed in the Hattiesburg Regional.

Wes Johnson has plenty of experience in the SEC already, as he previously had stops with the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks prior to departing the college ranks for the MLB.

Hiring Johnson away from the Twins was a major move for LSU’s staff, and it was perhaps an unexpected one as the MLB is not even halfway through its regular season. Jay Johnson clearly had his man in mind, and he did what he had to do to bring him to Baton Rouge.

LSU will be looking for even more improvement next season, and Johnson will have a new arm to utilize when he arrives. The Tigers recently added the transfer commitment from former Vanderbilt pitcher Christian Little. LSU also added former NC State first baseman and designated hitter Tommy White.

Little is viewed as a potential first-round MLB Draft pick in the future, and he had a 3.72 ERA in 38.2 innings of work this past season.