Presser Notes: LSU's Jay Johnson talks opening day

LSU head coach Jay Johnson had his first official press conference of the 2024 season on Wednesday afternoon, two days before the first pitch of the season. The 2023 national champions have reloaded after losing plenty of top-end talent and enter the year as the No. 2 team in the nation.

Here’s what Johnson said of his team and what’s ahead. (Quotes/notes are paraphrased)

*** Thatcher Heard will pitch Friday, Luke Holman Saturday, then play it from there since its four games.

Says Thatcher’s improvement from last season showed his pitchability and ability to manage the game. Says expectations are giving him the ball with a chance to win. He proved that at the end of last season and in the fall he really improved. Says bringing back his experience is incredibly valuable.

“We treat every game like a playoff game. We aren’t close to [where we need to be] right now, to be frank and I don’t mean that in a bad way. We have a lot of work to do to sort out our options on this team.” 

*** Gage Jump’s status: “We get players ready in different ways sometimes. Says they’re going to take care of the player and make sure he’s good to go.”

*** “The weather unpredictability is the first thing, the second is we have multiple teams here and we need to make sure we can play all four of our games. We had a phenomenal crowd last year when we played Southern during the week and I thought this was awesome.” Johnson says weather is a concern for opening day, so they’re trying to play earlier to get their game in. Also, it should be warmer than it was last year. “I don’t see any scenario where our game isn’t the first game played.”

*** On shuffling up the starting lineup in the field: “One game at a time. We’re still learning about our opponent and matchups on the field for these games. Everything we do is about winning the game. Our development of position players since returning has been phenomenal.” There are some players dealing with small nicks and injuries right now that could change things up.

*** How has the team done moving on from last year’s title? “Phenomenal. This month has been awesome in terms of that. It doesn’t guarantee us one bit of success, but I’m super impressed with how much we’ve improved over the past month. I’d give them an A+ on doing that.”

Johnson raves about Hayden Travinski and Alex Milazzo’s leadership qualities on this team and their impact.

*** Asked about the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, Johnson talks about his respect for Andy Reid. Says they watched them play on Christmas and they lost and he told his dad “You don’t have to worry about the Chiefs” then raves about them handling adversity and continued perseverance. Says he told his team to watch the games and how the Chiefs respond to adversity, turnovers, etc. 

*** On avoiding the letdown: “We have an opportunity in front of us that hasn’t been easy to do recently. Says teams have won it and then missed the tournament the following year. “We need to attack this opportunity. High marks for players for how they’re approaching this year.”

*** Asked about Riley Cooper not being on the staff after spending so much time with him… Johnsons says it’s hard to replace him, but “The best medicine is we have real guys to fill those shoes and I’m excited about that.”

*** Johnson asked about comparing top end talent of this year’s team to last years: “Comparison is the thief of joy. I really haven’t thought of that. We don’t have to defend last year. I’m excited about what we had for 2024.”

*** On Chase Shores: Says they would love to see him on the mound, but they’re continuing to be careful. He starts throwing again next week and they don’t have a timetable on his return. “The worst moment of the year last season was when he got hurt.”