Jay Johnson, LSU excited to return home to host a regional after being on the road

LSU didn’t quite go as far as the Tigers would’ve like in Hoover, getting bounced from the SEC Tournament in an elimination game with a trip to the semifinals on the line. But with hosting an NCAA tournament regional more or less a sure thing, head coach Jay Johnson is excited to back in friendly territory.

Johnson would trust the Tigers, one of the top teams in the country all year, to go and get the wins wherever they play. But getting to start the national postseason in front of home fans and in familiar surroundings is a distinct advantage.

Yeah, I feel confident in our team, and I trust them, as I said. I like the fact that we’re going to play at home and get our fans there and behind them, and want to thank all the fans for coming out this weekend, and it feels like a home game. That’s something to be proud of as part of our program, and I think that gives us a lift,” Johnson said.

Plus, LSU just hasn’t been home all that much of late, to begin with. After playing at Georgia to close out the regular season, LSU was in Hoover days later, playing in the SEC Tournament.

“We’ve been on the road now for nine days or ten days, so it’ll be good to get back and get reset and go for it,” Johnson said.

Johnson shared his takeaways from LSU’s trip to Hoover

LSU triumphed 10-3 over South Carolina on Wednesday before bowing out of the SEC Tournament with consecutive losses to Arkansas and Texas A&M, both by a 5-4 score. Despite the 1-2 record, it was not a bad week of play and the Tigers drove in more runs than they let up overall, but just couldn’t execute well enough in key moments to snatch victory out of defeat on Thursday and Friday.

After the team’s exit from the tourney, head Tiger coach Jay Johnson answered questions about the state of the ball club as they turn towards NCAA tournament play. His first thought was that he wished his group was still playing this weekend, but he’s excited to get to host NCAA Tournament games next weekend and hopefully beyond.

“Yeah, it’s a great event,” said Johnson of the SECT. “Wish we were playing tomorrow, whether that was winning yesterday or winning today. There’s a lot to be gained from being here, and we’ll use that to get ready for the NCAA Tournament.”