Jay Johnson proud of LSU stars becoming a team

There’s a difference between a collection of talent and a team, and LSU skipper Jay Johnson recognizes that.

The Tigers can out-match any team in the country when it comes to talent, but that doesn’t always equal a title. LSU is more than that, and that’s something Johnson is extraordinarily proud of as his team prepares for the College World Series.

“Very proud of our team this year. Obviously a great collection of talent, but they became a team. We were very deliberate in how we did that. We’ve had great player leadership,” stated Johnson. “To have the expectations on them to be the No. 1 team in the country preseason, hold that for 11 or 12 weeks and not have a losing week the entire season speaks to their consistency and their talent.

“I believe we’re playing the best baseball that we have all year right now, and very proud of being here. With that being said, we’re highly motivated to continue our streak of our best baseball right now. Can’t wait to get on the field. Very proud and very honored to bring this group of players to Omaha.”

With players like Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes leading the charge, it’s easy to see why LSU is in the position they’re in. However, boiling it down to just their top players would be severely oversimplifying it.

The Tigers and Jay Johnson have designs on being the last team standing, and they’ll do so together, not because of a sole name on the back of their jersey.

Jay Johnson addresses LSU expectations after returning to College World Series

Moreover, Jay Johnson knows what the College World Series is like, but it’s been a few years for LSU since the team made the trip to Omaha.

Under former coach Paul Mainieri’s final season (2021) ended in the Super Regional, it was another year without the College World Series. Prior to this season, the Tigers last made it in 2017, when they were runners-up to Florida.

Johnson last made it in 2021 with Arizona. Now in his third season with LSU, he kept it in perspective.

“I never really thought of it in terms of how long it’s been for LSU,” Johnson said. “This is my favorite place in the world, and this program has had as good a history as any program in college baseball of being here.

“I think in accepting the job I really wanted this group of players to play here … They’ve done everything that we’ve asked them to do for 700-plus days. When we took the field last weekend, there was a really solid peace of mind that these guys were going to do it. To see the fans get behind them, they’re going to get behind LSU no matter what, but this is a really easy group to get behind, how hard they play, how much they care, how invested they are in the program. That’s kind of where my thoughts were.”

The last time LSU won it all in Omaha was back in 2009 as the Tigers took down Texas. Last year, LSU only got to the NCAA Regional, which was disappointing based on its history.

This team is built different, however. At 48-15 this year, LSU has the second-best odds to win the national title behind Wake Forest. LSU is rolling since a reported meeting post-SEC Tournament, and there’s no limit to their potential in Omaha.

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this article.