Wes Johnson officially begins job as Georgia's next baseball coach
Wes Johnson officially begins job as Georgia's next baseball coach
After helping lead LSU to capture the 2023 College World Series title, Wes Johnson officially began his new position as the University of Georgia’s head baseball coach last week.
Johnson served as the Tigers’ pitching coach this past year but took the job at Georgia on June 5. He replaces former head coach Scott Stricklin, who was let go after more than a decade.
“I am very excited to be here and take over a program that - in my mind - is going to be the best place in college baseball and football,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t be here today without my wife and my family. I want to thank them. I also want to thank President [Jere] Morehead and Director of Athletics Josh Brooks for giving me this opportunity.”
Johnson has never been a head coach, although he brings in wealth of experience and knowledge to UGA, so he will be taking on a new role this upcoming spring for the Bulldogs.
Johnson has coached baseball teams from high school and junior college to the professional level. He’s also been successful at every stop, and his resume speaks for itself.
During his time at LSU, he coached potential No. 1 MLB Draft prospect Paul Skenes, who helped lead the Tigers to capture the 2023 College World Series title. Johnson’s also coached more than 30 pitchers that ended up playing in the majors throughout his career.
Despite having never been a head coach, Johnson feels as if he’s ready for this new challenge. He explained that his time with the MLB’s Minnesota Twins helped groom him.
“I’m ready now,” Johnson said. “I had some opportunities with some smaller places over the years. When you get to the big leagues, the game is so fast. You understand how hard it is to maintain those guys' level. As I went through there and was running the defensive side of the ball, the pitching, running the bullpen, winning back-to-back [AL] Central titles, making it to the playoffs, the knowledge that I gained from that, you might learn in 10 years doing what I’m doing right now. I was fortunate enough to get three and a half.”
Johnson hopes he can help Georgia be a top contender in college baseball during his tenure. The Bulldogs haven’t been to the College World Series since 2008 and advanced to a Super Regional in over a decade, but he is confident the program can succeed.
Georgia’s athletic department has already devoted itself to upgrading its baseball facilities and Foley Field. The revamping of the grandstands and the construction of a new pitching lab started in late May after the season ended and before Johnson was hired.
“I think the facilities now are phenomenal but with what [athletic director] Josh Brooks is doing, it will become the best place to play this game at this level. With the commitment not only they made to the facilities, but with the technology that we're going to be able to bring in and implement, they’re behind that. That’s what they were looking for.”” Johnson said. “You know, I'm huge on development there. When I heard that we're doing the $45 million upgrade and we want the technology, that was a perfect match right there.”
When Johnson first got the job, he met with returning players and incoming signees. He talked to them about the future of the program and whether or not they wanted to be at UGA.
After, several hit the transfer portal and a few more decided to enter the 2023 MLB Draft, Johnson received great news when slugger Charlie Condon announced he was returning.
He has also already added several key pieces from the transfer portal in Kolby Branch (Baylor), Slate Alford (Mississippi State) and Lukas Farris (Western Kentucky), Clayton Chadwick (Sam Houston State), Weston Eberly (Columbia), Brian Zeldin (Penn), Dylan Goldstein (Florida Atlantic) and John Marant (College of Central Florida).
However, Johnson doesn’t want to solely rely on the portal, but rather recruit high school talent, especially in the state of Georgia, which is full of the nation’s top prospects. He also hopes on retaining a lot of current Bulldogs’ from this past year’s roster.
Johnson, who is an Atlanta native, said he knows a thing or two about the state’s talent.
“I’ve coached and recruited for a long time, and if you’re going to be any good, you come to the state of Georgia. They’ve got phenomenal baseball players here. So I’ve developed a lot of relationships with coaches here over the years. I’ve recruited a lot of players out of Georgia,” Johnson said in June during his opening presser. “I’m coaching one right now, who’s going to be a first-rounder at LSU from right outside of Atlanta – Ty Floyd. A lot of ties and connections here, and we will enhance those even more.”
Johnson has also recently completed hiring his new coaching staff. He has brought in Will Coggin, who was previously at the University of Kentucky as the baseball team’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Johnson also retained a staff member from Stricklin’s tenure in Brock Bennett, who is going from volunteer coach to assistant coach.
Finally, the new head Georgia head coach brought in former LSU director of baseball operations Josh Simpson. Both Coggin and Bennett will work with the hitters while Johnson works with the pitchers as their coach. Coggin is also expected to help lead recruiting for the Bulldogs. As of this week, Simpson’s role on the staff is yet to be known.
Johnson said that a lot of things stood out to him as he decided to take the job at UGA. He also loved how the university’s administration is devoted to taking baseball seriously.
“You want to be at the highest level you can be at and have a chance to be as successful as possible at that level. I think a lot about how fast-paced this is and that’s the way it should be. I don’t think it’s a marathon, I just think it’s a sprint that doesn’t have a finish line. You have to wake up and sprint every day. That’s something I like to do,” Johnson explained. “My wife can speak to that, you’re just used to it. Not that in other leagues you don’t have to sprint in, I don’t mean it like that, but that’s just the way I’m wired.
“I enjoy it. I want to be around the best players and I think this league is that. I think I learn more from players in the big league than they do from me. Seeing how they react,” he added. “I learned more from Paul Skenes than he’s probably learned from me. You get around great people and great players, you’re going to learn a lot or you should be learning a lot, in my opinion. I don’t ever want to lose that. I want to constantly be learning. I think that this place is, with what Josh [Brooks] is doing, with facilities, and what’s already in place, we will make this the best place to play college baseball.”