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Jay Johnson hired as Baseball HC

Nutriaitch

By Nutriaitch
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LSUDad

LSUDad

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Top 2022 recruit Mikey Romero decommits from Arizona baseball, follows Jay Johnson to LSU

 

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Arizona Athletics

Class of 2022 infielder Mikey Romeroannounced Thursday that he has decommitted from Arizona and committed to LSU, where he’ll play for former UA coach Jay Johnson.

Romero made the announcement on Twitter just hours after Johnson accepted the LSU position.

A native of Menifee, California, Romero was considered one of Arizona’s top commitments for the 2022 class. Romero could potentially be the first of several Arizona commits to follow Johnson to Baton Rouge.

The Wildcats still have 14 prospects committed for the class of 2022 according to Perfect Game, which ranks Arizona’s class No. 10 nationally. Five of the active commits are pitchers who were recruited to play under pitching coach Nate Yeskie. That no longer appears to be a possibility, as Yeskie reportedly has decided to take an assistant coach position at Texas A&M.

Arizona’s next baseball coach will be tasked with persuading some of those commits to stay on board with the new staff.

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LSUDad

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Nicholls baseball transfer commits to LSU recruiting Class of 2022

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There was nothing to suggest the success Nicholls designated hitter Brayden Jobert enjoyed in his abbreviated 18-game freshman season this past spring would lead to a transfer.

But underneath the surface, even being named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America after leading or tying for the team lead in six offensive categories, couldn’t quell the Slidell native’s desire to be closer to home.

His plan to transfer fell into place as the NCAA restored a year of eligibility because of the coronavirus pandemic wiping out most of the season. He committed to LSU for the Class of 2022, but will first play for Delgado Community College in New Orleans in the 2021 season.

“The waiver process didn’t work out, so I wouldn’t have been (immediately) eligible (at LSU),” Jobert said. “I was over the moon (when LSU offered) because that’s what I’ve been dreaming for since I was a little kid. When they offered, I committed because there was no question that I was going there.”

Jobert’s decision to eventually attend LSU came five months after tormenting the Tigers in the biggest highlight of his young college career.

With Nicholls hosting then No. 11 LSU, it was Jobert who helped the Colonels orchestrate a 4-2 upset victory on Feb. 19.

Jobert went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs, singling in a run in the first inning and adding a lead-off homer in the seventh for a 4-1 advantage.

“It was an awesome experience playing against them,” Jobert said. “Having the dream my whole life of playing for them and to end up playing against them, and doing what I did, it was really cool to feel that. I was very blessed to do that against them. I think it had a big part of standing where I’m standing today.”

Jobert had visions of playing in the SEC when he committed to Alabama during his sophomore year at Northshore High School where he wound being ranked the state’s No. 23 prospect as a senior by Perfect Game.

However, first-year coach Greg Goff was fired by the Crimson Tide following a 19-34-1 overall record including a 5-24-1 SEC showing.

That led to Jobert’s de-commitment from Alabama, reopening his recruiting process which included Nicholls, Southeastern, East Carolina and Tulane. He committed to the Colonels in October of 2018.

“I tried to weigh all of my options and had chances to go to Delgado and Jones (Miss.),” Jobert said. “Having my dad play at Nicholls was a very big part of it. It felt like home for me at the time and I committed.”

But that feeling changed, despite his on-the-field success at Nicholls, batting .365 with three homers and 11 RBIs as well leading the team in hits (23), on-base percentage (.459) and tied in runs scored (11). He had five multi-hit games and had a team-high 13-game hitting streak.

“When I got there, I didn’t feel like that was the place for me anymore and ended up leaving,” Jobert said of Nicholls. “And then there was the situation with my grandmother.”

Jobert’s beloved grandmother Edie Jobert lost a 22-year battle with cancer on June 14. That contributed in part to him wanting to continue his career closer to home.

“She did whatever she could to show up to my games,” Jobert said. “She was fighting through so much pain for 22 years. She still showed up and still cheered me on as much as she could. Since the first game of my sophomore year I started drawing a ‘G’ in the dirt before every single at bat. The first time I did it I hit a home run. I knew from that point on I was playing for her. I know she’s watching over me and making sure I’m doing the right things.”

The transfer to Delgado seemed a logical step for Jobert, and not just because he would have had to sit out the 2021 season because of NCAA redshirt rules if he transferred directly to LSU.

Not only did Jobert’s father, Jacques, play at Delgado before going onto Nicholls, Jobert had also played in the summer for Dolphins’ longtime coach Joe Scheuermann, forging an instant relationship that he sought to rekindle.

“After the season ended it gave me a lot of time to think about what I was going to do,” said the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Jobert, a left-handed hitter. “My grandmother had been battling cancer for 22 years. It was getting real bad. I’m extremely close with my family and I wanted to be closer to home.

“I think overall leaving Nicholls and going to Delgado was what was best for me at the time and I still think it is.”

Jobert, who is playing this summer with the Sanford River Rats in the Florida Collegiate Summer League, believes his experience at Delgado will prove immeasurable. He expects to play a corner infield position after serving strictly as a designated hitter at Nicholls.

“I will learn an unbelievable amount of baseball from coach Joe,” he said. “My game will definitely get better overall. It’s another year to get stronger, improve my knowledge of the game. I think I’ll be an even better player than I was at Nicholls.”

The bigger picture, though, is Jobert had his eventual sights set on LSU where he always dreamed of playing.

With help from LSU hitting coach Eddie Smith, Jobert was able to grab a roster spot with the Sanford River Rats of the 10-team Florida Collegiate Summer League which began play June 27.

Jobert said upon his July 7th arrival to begin play in the league, he looked like someone who hadn’t seen live pitching in 3 ½ months. He’s gradually adjusted and with 17 games left in the regular season, embraces the opportunity once again to play the game that was taken away in mid-March after his college career had gotten off to such a positive start.

“Coming in and seeing 95 (miles per hour) for the first time was tough,” Jobert said. “Baseball’s a tough sport, especially when you take a break from it and you don’t see pitching for a while. The competition is great. Nothing feels better. It sucked to get cut short so early, especially with the season I was having. I was missing it so much. I’m happy that we’re back playing.”

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Nutriaitch

Nutriaitch

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i guess as a complete outsider with only numbers to look at, ok. 

but i’m pretty just Jay did more than just look at stats. 

This isn’t a rebuild. We went to fornicating Supers this year.

We’re not that far away. And we’ll hang another banner before they do. 

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LSUDad

LSUDad

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Arizona baseball star Jacob Berry enters transfer portal

ByNICK KOSKO 16 hours ago
 
 

What does the NCAA's Omaha disaster mean for the college football season?

 
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Arizona’s loss could be another team's big gain. Second-team All-American Jacob Berry entered the transfer portal, sources told 247Sports.

Berry is not the only Arizona baseball player to enter the portal. Sources said Blake Paugh, Ryan Kysar, Quinn Flanagan, German Fajardo, Hunter Cope, Bryce Collins, Tyler Casagrande and Branden Boissiere also entered the portal.

There is a strong possibility Berry could look and decide on LSU as his next destination due to Jay Johnson leaving his post at Arizona for the LSU head coaching job.

This past season, Berry finished with a .352 batting average, 17 home runs, 70 RBI, 19 doubles, five triples, 87 hits, 33 walks and two stolen bases in 63 games (62 starts).

On Monday, Johnson was introduced as the new LSU baseball coach after leaving Arizona. He was asked about the challenge of transitioning from a good program in Arizona to a premier program in LSU.

“That's a great question,” Johnson said Monday. “You mentioned the fan base. That's another reason I wanted to come. I want passionate people that want to achieve elite things around me. So when I mention our team, the fans are a part of that.

“With that being said, we're going to take the best parts of that. There's only a handful of programs around the country that you can count where this many people show up at a college baseball game, and what I want to do, what I think it is important that we do, is create the best home-field advantage in college baseball, and I've heard that's what we have here, and then put a product on the field that they're extremely proud of, that when the Tigers show up, they know what they're going to get. 

“They can't wait to get to the ballpark after a long day of work and they can't wait to high-five the players down the line after a big win, and they can't wait to send their kids to baseball camp because they feel like they're a part of this thing. For me, I only see that as a positive.”

The NCAA introduced the transfer portal on Oct. 15, 2018, providing athletes a path to explore their options. Players do not need to ask permission from their coaching staff in order to transfer. They merely need to request that compliance enter their name. Usually, it takes 24-48 hours for a player to appear following their request. Schools are free to contact a player without restriction once their name appears in the portal.

While a player entering their name in the transfer portal means they intend to explore their options, it does not necessarily mean they will leave. A player is free to withdraw his name at any time. However, schools are under no obligation to keep a player on scholarship once they enter the portal.

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LSUDad

LSUDad

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Setting rivalries aside: LSU's Jay Johnson reportedly hires pitching coach from Arizona State

Adam Spencer | 11 minutes ago
 
 
 

For the past 6 seasons, Jay Johnson has been the head coach of Arizona’s baseball team, leading the Wildcats to the College World Series this past season.

After the Wildcats’ campaign concluded, Johnson was hired by LSU to replace the legendary Paul Mainieri, who retired after the Tigers were sent home.

Now, it seems Johnson has found his new pitching coach, and LSU’s newest assistant comes from an interesting place. Per a report from college baseball insider Kendall Rogers, Johnson is expected to hire Jason Kelly as his new pitching coach.

Johnson spent the last 3 years at Arizona State, which is obviously Arizona’s biggest rival:

 

Still, when a chance to coach at one of the premier programs in the nation opens up, you set rivalries aside and hire the best people for the job.

Surely, Johnson and Kelly will tease each other about their previous schools, but for now, they’ll both be laser-focused on keeping LSU among the ranks of the nation’s elite.

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LSUDad

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Dan Fitzgerald set to become new LSU baseball recruiting coordinator: report

 
 
 
dan fitzgerald baseball
Courtesy of Dallas Baptist University's website. ▲
 
 
Published Jul 7, 2021 at 5:25 pm | Updated Jul 7, 2021 at 5:43 pm
 

New LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson has nearly completed his coaching staff.

LSU will hire Dan Fitzgerald as its recruiting coordinator, which would fill the second slot for a full-time assistant coach, according to a report Wednesday evening from D1Baseball.

Fitzgerald spent the last nine years at Dallas Baptist as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. There, he built a reputation as one of the top recruiters in the country.

The move is expected to be finalized Thursday.

 

With Fitzgerald onboard, Johnson this week will have hired the two paid assistants allowed for college baseball programs. LSU hired former Arizona State assistant Jason Kelly as its pitching coach Tuesday.

Johnson then has to choose a volunteer hitting coach and determine LSU’s support staff, but Kelly and Fitzgerald will occupy the two full-time positions. Johnson prioritized hiring them first because their full-time status allows them to recruit.

Fitzgerald will fill the spot vacated by former LSU pitcher Nolan Cain, who spent five seasons as LSU’s recruiting coordinator. Cain accepted the same position with Texas A&M about a week before LSU hired Johnson.

 

 

During his tenure at Dallas Baptist, Fitzgerald recruited nine eventual All-Americans and 11 players later selected within the top-10 rounds of the Major League Baseball draft. The school placed a league-high 69 players on the Missouri Valley All-Conference team.

Dallas Baptist reached the NCAA tournament seven times with Fitzgerald on staff. After losing to Virginia in the NCAA super regional earlier this year, it finished the 2021 season ranked No. 14 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

Fitzgerald was named the No. 7 assistant coach in the country in 2018 by Baseball America. Two years earlier, D1Baseball had ranked him the 17th best recruiter in college baseball after he pulled in the No. 27 class in the nation, according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

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LSUDad

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Jason Kelly joins LSU baseball staff as pitching coach

 
By TigerBait Staff
July 8, 2021
 

BATON ROUGE, La. – Jason Kelly, the 2018 National Assistant Coach of the Year in college baseball, has been hired as LSU’s pitching coach, head coach Jay Johnson announced Thursday. The hiring is effective upon the completion of the university’s background check process.

Kelly earned the national honor after he helped lead Washington to the 2018 College World Series, marking the first CWS appearance in school history. He most recently worked at Arizona State for the past two seasons as the Sun Devils’ pitching coach.

“I am incredibly excited to announce Jason Kelly as our pitching coach here at LSU,” Johnson said. “Coach Kelly is one of the best pitching coaches in the country at any level and possesses a very complete skill set that will help our current and future pitchers at LSU reach their full potential and pitch at an elite level.

“Coach Kelly is excellent in the game in regards to his preparation and pitch calling. He is outstanding in the training environment, helping pitchers develop elite velocity, pitchability and pitch design.”

Kelly in 2021 directed an Arizona State staff that sparked the Sun Devils to an NCAA Tournament berth despite injuries to ASU’s three weekend starters and its closer. Kelly’s impact at Arizona State was immediate in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, as the team ERA was lowered from 4.93 in 2019 to 3.56, and the Sun Devils were on pace to finish in the nation’s Top 100 in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts per nine innings, strikeouts/walks ratio and hits per nine innings.

Kelly served as Washington’s pitching coach for seven seasons (2013-19), producing 15 MLB draft selections. After making only one NCAA Tournament appearance in the 13 seasons prior to Kelly’s arrival, the Huskies earned three NCAA berths during his seven seasons, including the 2018 College World Series.

“Coach Kelly has an advanced ability using new age data and metrics to help our pitchers understand their pitch arsenal and how to best use it,” Johnson said. “Most importantly, he is great at building relationships and is a great communicator, which will help us continually recruit and develop elite pitching staffs at LSU. This is a great day for current and future LSU pitchers.” 

D1Baseball.com named Kelly the 2018 National Assistant Coach of the Year for his integral role in Washington’s drive to its first-ever CWS appearance. The Huskies finished first in the Pac-12 and 10th in the nation in walks per innings. In 2017, Kelly helped the Huskies attract a Top 10 recruiting class, and in 2016, he developed and mentored Washington pitcher Troy Rallings, a first-team All-American and the Pac 12 Pitcher of the Year.

The 2014 Huskies achieved their highest national ranking in team history, reaching No. 5 in Baseball America, Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball, and the pitching staff played a huge role in UW’s success. The team ERA of 3.11 ranked third in the pitching-rich Pac-12 Conference and was the lowest by the Huskies since 1985. 

Kelly worked as the pitching coach at Cal Poly from 2007-12, and in his first season he produced two pitchers that were selected in the Top 5 rounds of the MLB Draft. His 2011 Cal Poly staff recorded the best ERA in the school’s 17-year existence as a Division I program.

He began his collegiate coaching career at Chico State, where as the pitching coach he helped lead CSU to back-to-back Division II College World Series berths. His 2005 Chico State staff registered the sixth-best ERA in the nation.

Prior to coaching at Chico State, Kelly spent one season (2004) working in baseball operations at Cal Poly and one season (2003) coaching at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, Calif. He also coached summer college teams from 2002-04, helping both the San Luis Obispo Blues and the Anchorage Bucs to the National Baseball Congress World Series.
 
Kelly was a pitcher at Cal Poly in 1999, and after redshirting in 2000, he went on to pitch at Cuesta College in 2001 and at Missouri Valley College in 2002. He is a 1998 graduate of St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, Calif. 

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