LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson expressed gratitude while reflecting on his experience living in Redding.
Johnson helped LSU capture the program's seventh NCAA College World Series title beating Florida 18-4 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha on Monday night.
Before Johnson was crowned national champion at LSU, he was a 19-year-old Shasta College student-athlete in 1997. He played second base for the Knights before rising up as one of the country’s top college baseball coaches.
“I’m grateful for that small chapter in my life,” Johnson said after beating Florida 4-3 in Game 1 of the College Baseball World Series. “It set the stage and helped build the foundation for the success that has followed.”
Shasta College baseball coach Brad Rupert explained how Johnson charted his path to the top college coaching ranks as a freshman — he claims Johnson knew he wanted to coach, specifically at LSU.