What he said: Jay Johnson previews SEC Tournament, postseason play

LSU head coach Jay Johnson met with the media on Monday evening from Hoover, Alabama, talking about his team, their regular season, the SEC Tournament, and more. Here’s a rundown of what he said.

Where this team is mentally to close the regular season

“Mentally, we’re trying to be solid every game we play and mentally this is a group of winners. It was impressive to go 7-2-1 in SEC series and not get swept once. They are a confident group. When you’re a confident person you don’t get distracted by failure the way normal people do.”

On Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews being projected top two in the MLB Draft

“It means a lot. We want to win championship and continue on the great tradition of LSU and the only way I know how to do that is to have great players. When you talk about two players who are likely going to be drafted first and second it shows our ability to develop them. In my opinion you’re looking at the best position player and best pitcher in college baseball, so that’s a really big deal.”

On playing in a tournament setting before the regional

“It does correlate. The difference is you’re not going to play a team in the SEC in the regional. Next weekend you’re playing teams from outside the league that we probably haven’t seen. Playoff baseball is about executing the game the right way and the game that is in front of you then moving onto the next one. That’s one of the reasons I like to have a preseason tournament.”

Brady Neal update: Took batting practice on Saturday prior to the game. Caught some bullpen. Still not 100 percent but he’s doing more than previous.

On the approach to the SEC Tournament

“It’s a unique situation. This team has done a great job with the regular season schedule and they’ve done what they’ve needed to do to play postseason baseball at home, but ultimately there’s an expectation that we play to win. I’ll be the one to decide what’s in the best interest for next week, but right now, Dylan Crews is going to try to beat the opposing pitcher’s tail. It’s a great environment. The players need to go out and compete and I’ll focus on the long-term for next weekend.”

On Dylan Crews handling the pressure

“We always knew how great he was, but I think he put a stamp on that this year. He’s the best player in the country, but how he’s handled himself with everyone knowing he’s the best player in the country is what’s special.”

On Hayden Travinski and Josh Pearson

“They have a chance to make a tremendous impact and it’s not surprising to us because we’re around them everyday, this is just a hard team to get in the lineup for.” Mentions Pearson being better than his numbers and Travinski managing his injuries. Raves about both staying engaged through the first half of the season.

Comparisons of Paul Skenes to Stephen Strasburg

“Nobody knows how good Strasburg was as a pitcher better than me, we lost to him a lot. He struck us out 18 times and it was just remarkable. His slider looked like a fastball and it was impossible to lay off of. For me, he is the best college pitcher I’ve ever seen until I saw Paul do what he did this year. That’s probably the most accurate comparison I can think of.”

On Skenes handling the spotlight

“I had zero concerns and that’s why he was the top priority in recruiting when he went in the portal. Having the talent with that mindset doesn’t happen. There’s not a player who has more positively impacted a program in college baseball more than Paul Skenes.”

Says they won’t name a starter until Wednesday morning since they don’t know who they’re playing first.