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Wes Johnson Expected to Become UGA Head Baseball Corch


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Georgia finalizing deal to hire LSU's Wes Johnson as head baseball coach, sources say

PETE THAMELESPNJun 5, 2023, 10:36 PM2 Minute Read

The University of Georgia is finalizing a deal to make LSU pitching coach Wes Johnson the school's new head coach, sources told ESPN.

Johnson has extensive SEC experience from his time at LSU, Mississippi State and Arkansas as a pitching coach, which sources said was one of the primary attractions to Georgia's brass. He also brings MLB experience from more than three seasons as the Minnesota Twins pitching coach.

Johnson plans to coach with LSU through the rest of the postseason, per sources. A deal is expected to be finalized soon, as the sides interviewed prior to the start of the NCAA baseball tournament.

Johnson's career path included two unconventional moves. He became the first pitching coach in Major League Baseball history to move directly from a collegiate pitching coach to the league, per his LSU bio, when he joined the Twins in 2019. He also made the rare move of returning to college amid the MLB season when he left to become LSU's pitching coach in June of 2022.

Johnson is regarded among the country's top collegiate pitching coaches, and the ability to develop pitching talent and depth was key to his hire. With 30 former players developed into MLB Draft picks, Johnson's extensive history in identifying and developing pitching was attractive to Georgia's brass, per sources.

Johnson will replace Scott Stricklin, who was fired after failing to reach the NCAA Regionals in two of the past three seasons and in six of nine overall seasons that included an NCAA tournament. In 10 years, Stricklin went 121-146-1 in SEC play and Georgia went 11-19 in the SEC this year.

Georgia's lone baseball national title came in 1990. They finished as the College World Series runner-up in 2008, one of six World Series appearances.

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