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By Olivia Sayer
Georgia Ike Cousins Head baseball coach Wes Johnson walks to the dugout before the first round of the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament between LSU and Georgia at Hoover Met Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Georgia lost 9-1. (Photo/Mady Mertens; MadyMertensPhotography)
With the head coaching carousel in full swing, Georgia baseball locked up its guy. The Bulldogs signed head coach Wes Johnson to a contract extension through 2030, the team announced earlier this week.
“This past season is one we will always remember,” director of athletics Josh Brooks said. “It is a testament to the tremendous work that Coach Johnson and his staff did, and continue to do, in developing our student-athletes both on and off the field.”
Johnson walked into a less than ideal situation at Georgia. The Bulldogs had talent but finished their 2023 campaign 11th in the SEC. With a 29-27 overall record, many saw Georgia as a program that needed rebuilding. Luckily for the Bulldogs, Johnson was not one of those people.
“I heard the term so many times when I got here about rebuild, rebuild, rebuild,” Johnson said of Georgia’s national perception. “You don’t have to rebuild, but you can go out — and if you do your due diligence and run your models — you can find a team that can win in your ballpark.”
Johnson got to work the second his plane landed in Athens. While fulfilling his duties as LSU’s pitching coach, Johnson assembled a team that included 18 transfer portal additions and 10 freshmen. It required long hours and little sleep, but Johnson did it for a program he believed in.
“With what [Brooks] is doing with the facilities and what’s already in place, we will make this the best place to play college baseball,” Johnson said in his introductory press conference.
Statements of optimism are typical from head coaches when they are introduced. However, Johnson meant what he said, and it showed within his players.
“He really changed the whole culture of UGA baseball,” veteran Josh Stinson said in January on his podcast Catch 42. “He brings a lot of energy, and he wants you to believe in yourself. So I feel like that’s getting us going in the right direction.”
Georgia, indeed, took a step in the right direction with Johnson at the helm, as the Bulldogs finished with their best program record since 2019 and first Super Regional appearance in 16 years. Georgia had its most accomplished season since 2008, when the Bulldogs finished one win shy of a title.
Many Bulldogs had career years under Johnson’s tutelage, contributing to Georgia’s record-breaking number of home runs. The plethora of transfers also made their mark, while the pitchers steadily improved throughout the season.
Although Johnson’s extension was coming no matter what, the current job openings in college baseball likely incentivized getting the deal done. Texas A&M is looking for its next head coach, while other programs are pulling to keep theirs.
No matter what happens next in the offseason coaching carousel, the Bulldogs will observe knowing their leader is locked in.
“Today is another great day for our program as we look to the future and watch Georgia baseball continue to excel under his leadership,” Brooks said.