Jay Johnson addresses LSU expectations after returning to College World Series

Jay Johnson knows what the College World Series is like, but it’s been a few years for LSU since the team made the trip to Omaha.

Under former coach Paul Mainieri’s final season (2021) ended in the Super Regional, it was another year without the College World Series. Prior to this season, the Tigers last made it in 2017, when they were runners-up to Florida.

Johnson last made it in 2021 with Arizona. Now in his third season with LSU, he kept it in perspective.

“I never really thought of it in terms of how long it’s been for LSU,” Johnson said. “This is my favorite place in the world, and this program has had as good a history as any program in college baseball of being here.

“I think in accepting the job I really wanted this group of players to play here … They’ve done everything that we’ve asked them to do for 700-plus days. When we took the field last weekend, there was a really solid peace of mind that these guys were going to do it. To see the fans get behind them, they’re going to get behind LSU no matter what, but this is a really easy group to get behind, how hard they play, how much they care, how invested they are in the program. That’s kind of where my thoughts were.”

The last time LSU won it all in Omaha was back in 2009 as the Tigers took down Texas. Last year, LSU only got to the NCAA Regional, which was disappointing based on its history.

This team is built different, however. At 48-15 this year, LSU has the second-best odds to win the national title behind Wake Forest. LSU is rolling since a reported meeting post-SEC Tournament. Johnson claimed the team needed to hit the factory reset button.

“We just needed a little bit of a reset,” Johnson said. “I intentionally did not come down on them or crush them when we lost back-to-back series because I trusted the talent enough, I trusted the work enough, I trusted the approach enough. I looked at it as Auburn is a national seed, and we’re on the road, and we were ahead in one of those games. If one inning goes a little bit different, we win that series too.

“Then, you know, we had that tough loss against Mississippi State. Well, in Saturday of that game we were ahead in the eighth inning also. Obviously had the big bullpen lead.

“It was a good time to reset, address, and it was a very simplistic message. Right head, right heart; we’re five wins away from the College World Series. Right head, right heart; we are five wins from there from a National Championship. We absolutely can do this. Let’s get back in the preparation. Let’s get back in character, and we’re going for it. It was just as simple as that.”