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Jay Johnson reveals how hard he's pushing LSU players to win the SEC Tournament

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater•05/23/23•

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Jay Johnson has LSU right where they want to be entering the postseason. The Tigers finished the regular season at 42-13 and with the No. 3 seed in the SEC as they prepare for their run in the conference tournament starting tomorrow in Hoover.

However, Johnson is also having to weigh his decisions to best position his program for a shot at the College World Series. In a press conference on Tuesday, he explained the position that he and his team are in considering they are already well aware of their fates when it comes to selection into the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s such a unique situation. This team has done such a good job with the regular season schedule. We’ve played our way to where we want to be (and) will be playing postseason baseball at home,” Johnson said. “So, ultimately, I want these guys to get to Omaha, I want them to experience Omaha. We’ve done what we needed to do in regard to that.”

Still, Johnson says LSU isn’t going to just lay down and save themselves up during the SEC Tournament this week. He said their team has higher expectations than that when it comes to competitive opportunities.

“With that being said, we don’t cancel games that we schedule for any reason,” stated Johnson. “If you put the Tiger uniform on, there’s an expectation that were competing to win. Like I said, these guys are winners. And we play to win.”

LSU has earned a lot this season in the form of individual and overall accolades. Even so, they’re not ready to close up shop just yet. As Johnson says, they’re ready to ramp things up during this week in Hoover Met. Stadium and, from there, he’ll worry about what needs to be done to ensure that everyone in their locker room has the best chance possible to hoist a trophy at Charles Schwab Field when it’s all said and done.

“We’re excited to be here. I think it’s one of the best events in all of amateur baseball. And so there’s a little bit of energy that comes with it,” said Johnson. “The players just need to go play, compete. And I’ll handle those long-term, next-week-type decisions as they’re relative to this.”