Jay Johnson raves about growth of Gage Jump as pitcher

The LSU Tigers and head coach Jay Johnson turned to Gage Jump for the first game of the SEC Tournament in Hoover. He didn’t disappoint in that outing, helping lead the Tigers to a win over the Georgia Bulldogs.

After the game, Johnson praised Jump for his performance this season, and how he grew in SEC play as a pitcher to become one of the best in the country.

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“I think he’s been great for a while,” Jay Johnson said. “I think, just giving you all some context, he’s one of the best high school pitchers I’ve ever seen. Recruited him hard to Arizona, and he chose UCLA. That was a gut punch because I believed he would be exactly what everybody saw today. Then, he only had 14 innings before he got hurt there as a freshman.”

Prior to being the head coach at LSU, Jay Johnson was the head coach at Arizona. A West Coast player himself, Gage Jump started his career at UCLA before transferring. That connection in recruiting is likely a key reason why he ended up at LSU.

This season, with the Tigers, Gage Jump has thrown 73.2 innings in 15 appearances. Of those appearances, 14 were starts, one was a complete game, and he earned a save in the one game he didn’t start. His ERA is sitting at 3.42 and he has 89 strikeouts on the season.

“Then, coming in in the Fall, he was difficult to deal with for our players and I don’t think he gave up a run in the non-conference schedule. One of those was a win against Louisiana Lafayette who I believe won the Sun Belt. He just completely shut them down,” Johnson said.

“Then, the start of SEC play, I think it was an adjustment. It was the first time maybe somebody had punched back as far as traffic, baserunners, those types of things. I think once he got past Mississippi State and the Arkansas start, I think he’s been elite ever since. I think he’s pitched like one of the best pitchers in the country, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he is.”

In the win over Georgia in the SEC Tournament, Gage Jump threw seven innings and only allowed one run, which set LSU up for a key win as they look to make their case for an NCAA Tournament bid.