Jay Johnson not worried about LSU's focus for Super Regional

LSU made quick work of their path through the Baton Rouge Regional last weekend. Even so, Jay Johnson is preaching focus and isn’t at all concerned about whether or not that the Tigers will be ready for Kentucky in their Super Regional.

Johnson recently spoke on how sharp his team is heading into the next round of the NCAA Tournament. He said that he does want them to sit back and appreciate the accomplishment of advancing. However, considering how well they prepared for the opening round, he has every expectation that they’ll be able to dial back in on the Wildcats by the time they take the field again this weekend.

“I think the best thing that happened was, as I said earlier in my opening statement, the preparation for this weekend was elite. So they have a blueprint,” Johnson said.

“I want them to enjoy this,” continued Johnson. “I think, if you don’t for a minute, you kind of forget about why are you actually doing this.”

“Then they’ll have a very structured plan starting with our meeting later tomorrow morning of how we’re going to attack next weekend. And I have no concern whatsoever of them being ready to play next weekend,” said Johnson.

Again, LSU did a number on Tulane and Oregon State in their 3-0 weekend within their region. They looked every bit like the team that had earned the No. 5 overall seed in the nation coming into the postseason.

Still, considering the fashion in which they did it, the Tigers are now in need of something new to pique their interest. That’s why, after they take a pause to recognize what they’ve done, it’ll be all hands on deck again to prepare for Kentucky in order to make it to Omaha and the College World Series.

Johnson confirms Wes Johnson will remain with LSU through end of season

On Monday, news broke that LSU pitching coach Wes Johnson would be leaving to take the head coach position at Georgia. The timing was interesting considering the Tigers are getting ready for the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Still, the expectation was that Johnson would stay with LSU through season’s end.

Jay Johnson confirmed as much after Monday’s win over Oregon State.

Jay Johnson said he has known about Wes Johnson’s plans for a few days, and the plan is for him to finish out the year. As for replacing him, Jay Johnson said he’s confident LSU will find the right person for the job.

“He’s locked in,” Jay Johnson said. “This has been done for about five days. I mean, I think the preparation and the execution of the pitching staff this weekend speaks for itself. And it’s just a new time in college athletics. We were having a meeting tomorrow morning, I was going to tell him tomorrow morning. But obviously, you don’t get to that point. But I love him like a brother. I can’t imagine only spending 11 months with somebody and connecting the way that we have.”

And we’re going to get a great pitching coach. I’m not even worried about that or dialing any of that stuff in. I just love working with him. And he’s made a big impact on our guys, and it’s been great. But it is what it is. And I don’t have any reason to worry about how we’re going to roll going forward.”