Wes Johnson is just getting started.
A painful loss makes the coach hurt for his players, but he is a man who enjoys an eminent reputation that brings about inherent recruiting advantages. He is already at work for next season.
High school players will want to play for this man – one who can pick up the phone and call Big League managers, coaches, and players any time he likes. Johnson talks to baseball scouts as often as he does his own family. This suggests there is going to be a culture with Georgia baseball that will bring about championship dividends.
Johnson worked overtime during his first year coaching the Bulldogs by accentuating the positive. He didn’t arrive in Athens with favorable recruiting circumstances.
The calendar worked against him, but Johnson set about establishing his program by underscoring his work ethic and utilizing his reputation, enabling him to put together a winning roster.
Let’s also not forget that when he cobbled his first team together, Johnson was out front early, telling Bulldog baseball enthusiasts that his first team would “score some runs.” This is coming from a man whose expertise is pitching.
He didn’t kick trash cans, didn’t slug water coolers, or go into an expletive-filled rant when his team could not do anything right and lost 18-1 in the first game of a critical three-game playoff series. His soft-spoken style belies a deep, competitive nature. His assets are motivation, inspiration, deep study, fundamentals, and knowledge.
Johnson’s faith in and commitment to analytics will never waver, and he will gain the advantage. Just give him time. “He is going to build a dynasty here,” former big-league pitcher and color analyst for ESPN Ben McDonald predicted during last weekend’s Super Regional in Athens.
An example of Johnson’s baseball intellect was an interview with Collegiate Baseball’s editor, Lou Pavlovich Jr., in September.
“Johnson may be the only pitching coach in baseball who can quantify by scientific data how many pitches each of his hurlers will be able to throw in a given game, which cuts down on injuries,” Pavlovich wrote. “For relievers in games, his warmup procedure is vital to stay away from throwing unnecessary pitches before entering games. How many times have you seen relief pitchers essentially throw a game in the bullpen before being summoned into the contest?”
Johnson’s Bulldogs returned to win the series' second game against N.C. State, but lost in the series final, 8-5, leaving too many men on base to be able to advance to Omaha, which would have made this one of the most serendipitous seasons ever for the “Diamond Dawgs.”
I'm not sure what the Bulldog coach did the morning after. Still, based on what we know about this astute, introspective leader of the UGA baseball program, he was up early, not dwelling on the disappointing result, and looking ahead.
Johnson will evaluate the season as one in which Georgia made significant progress, but the goal of bringing about improvement’ll drive him.
There’s no reason, he will tell you, that Georgia shouldn’t be an annual contender for a berth in the College World Series in Omaha.
When I first met him, it was easy to see Johnson was aware that the state of Georgia has an acclaimed baseball reputation, from Ty Cobb, Spud Chandler, and Johnny Mize to current superstar-in-the-making Charlie Condon.
The past is gleaming with lore and accomplishment, and today, there is abundant talent for developing a championship program.
“The baseball tradition in this state is rich,” Johnson said. “You look at the high school level and you find some of the best talent there is in Georgia. You evaluate the Atlanta area and all over the state, and you find really, really good baseball.”
In his first season in Athens, there were highs and lows, but they accentuated the positive, which is the Wes Johnson way. Even when he was in the big leagues for four years, he never mentioned the word slump with any player on the roster. He would point out all the plusses on the stat sheet.
Getting the better of Georgia Tech in the regional tournament to host a Super Regional at Foley Field was also special, and it brought about positive thinking on the future of Bulldog baseball.
Georgia fans can take heart in Wes Johnson being a selfless man who preaches loudly by his actions that it is all about the team – not about him.