Quotes From Jay Johnson After Hattiesburg Regional Announcement

QUOTES FROM LSU COACH JAY JOHNSON – May 29, 2022 after NCAA Tournament bracket announcement

On how the SEC Tournament prepares LSU for the NCAA Tournament …
“There’s probably very few things you can do that can prepare you better for the postseason than the SEC Tournament, and it was a great exercise for our team. It was a good challenge, especially after going through the 30-game regular-season SEC schedule. To go against teams that are fighting to get into the NCAA Tournament, fighting to host, fighting for seeding, it was a good experience that will benefit from moving forward.”

On the effect of Jacob Berry and Cade Doughty returning to the lineup …
“They’re two Top 50 draft picks. (The previous LSU staff) recruited Cade here, and I’m glad that they did, he’s a great player. We brought Jacob here, and he’s a great player. I feel that we’re a better team when we have those two guys back in the lineup.”

On four teams from the state of Louisiana receiving bids to the NCAA Tournament …
“It’s awesome. It’s kind of a random coincidence, I played most of the state of Louisiana baseball programs when I was at Arizona. They came out to Tucson, and we had some really competitive games with them. I’m happy for them, and this is a good baseball state. We’ll be pulling for all of those teams to win their regionals.”

On playing an NCAA Regional on the road (LSU has never advanced to the CWS by winning a regional and super regional on the road) …
“I love doing things that have never been done before. The selection committee decided we’re playing on the road, we’re not changing their mind now, and I think we’re excited and ready to roll. The success we had in the SEC this season should give our team great confidence. We swept the defending national champion (Mississippi State) on the road, we swept the national runners-up (Vanderbilt) on the road. We won two out of three at Florida, which has been one of the premium programs in college baseball for the last 13, 14 years. If that doesn’t give our team confidence, I don’t know what will. This week will be all about being in the right frame of mind and playing good baseball.”

On the team’s outlook for the Hattiesburg Regional …
“It’s a great regional field in Hattiesburg and we’re excited to be a part of it. My teams (at Arizona) have gotten to Omaha entirely from the road, and they gotten to Omaha from our home stadium, so I know it can be done both ways. I’m just really excited for this team, to be going to the NCAA Tournament, to have a 38-win regular season while going through a lot of adversity. To do all of that and to play the road schedule that we did, I think it’s a great accomplishment, and it should give our team a lot of confidence going forward. Right now, all that matters is going forward.”

On the characteristics of the LSU team …
“There are some unique things about our team that make us tough to play. I think (LSU centerfielder) Dylan Crews is the best player in the country. (LSU third baseman) Jacob Berry hit .400 in SEC games this season. I think that makes us incredibly difficult to deal with. For the last month-and-a-half, we just haven’t had everybody in the lineup at the same time due to injuries. I think that speaks to the strength of our team; we’re still standing here, and we were on the cusp of playing a regional at home when we haven’t been fully healthy. I feel good about our team and how they’ll respond to the challenges we’ll face this weekend.”