Josh Johnson - Softball Coach - Mississippi State

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Josh Johnson

Title:
Associate Head Softball Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Email:
jjohnson@athletics.msstate.edu
Phone:
325-0560

Josh Johnson, who joined Mississippi State’s staff as an assistant coach on August 27, 2019, has brought advanced technology and analytics to the Bulldogs’ approach to player development. He is pursuing his doctorate in biomechanics at Mississippi State while working on research with State’s Athlete Engineering department utilizing motion capture technology.

Johnson was elevated to associate head coach on July 1, 2022, and also leads State’s talent-identification efforts as the Bulldogs’ recruiting coordinator.

In his three seasons at MSU, Johnson has transformed the Bulldog pitching staff. From 2017-19, MSU struck out 6.19 batters per seven innings and walked 3.47. Since Johnson arrived in 2020, the Bulldogs have averaged 7.54 strikeouts and just 2.90 walks. MSU has also been among the top five SEC teams in strikeouts in all three years.

In 2022, State’s pitching staff struck out 98 batters looking, which was second in the SEC and third in MSU history. MSU’s 410 total strikeouts were fourth in the SEC. Johnson’s pitchers were instrumental in the Bulldogs reaching their first Super Regional in program history.

After losing the opening game of the 2022 NCAA Tallahassee Regional, MSU won four consecutive games to win the regional, including sweeping a double header with No. 2-seed Florida State. On Saturday Annie Willis shut out South Florida, and Aspen Wesley shutout Florida State in Sunday’s first game. It marked MSU’s first set of consecutive shutouts in the NCAA Tournament. Willis also shut out then-No. 4 Florida earlier in the year.

Under Johnson’s tutelage, Willis saw her childhood dreams come true when she was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 WPF Draft by the Smash It Sports Vipers. She is the fourth Bulldog pitcher to be chosen in a professional draft.

The 2021 campaign saw State’s pitchers posted the third-highest strikeout total (417) and No. 4 strikeouts per seven innings mark in program history (7.51). The pitchers also struck out a school-record 109 batters looking.

Johnson’s pitching turnaround began immediately in the 2020 season. After finishing last or second to last in the SEC in nearly every pitching category the prior season, Johnson’s group ascended to the top of the league.

In the circle, State set school records in strikeouts per seven innings (9.27), fewest hits allowed (102) and opponents’ batting average (.158) with the third-best ERA on record (1.36). After finishing last in the SEC with 130 walks in 2019, the Bulldogs’ pitching staff finished fourth with just 58 walks. The Bulldogs were fourth in the nation with a 1.36 ERA and second in the SEC in both strikeouts (245) and opponent’s batting average (.158).

In that first season, Johnson guided Willis to the first of her two career no-hitters and saw her break the MSU single-game record with 19 strikeouts in that game. Willis was eighth in the nation in 2020 with a 0.80 ERA and ranked seventh in the country in strikeout-walk ratio (9.75). She finished second nationally in fielding independent pitching (0.82), which estimates the runs allowed per game based only on outcomes the pitcher can control such as walks, strikeouts and home runs.

As good as Willis was, Emily Williams was even better. In her first year under Johnson, she allowed just 2.30 hits per seven innings, which led the NCAA in 2020. Her ERA was third nationally, and her strikeouts per seven innings ranked seventh. She led the SEC with a .099 opponents’ batting average.

Prior to MSU, Johnson spent four seasons as part of the Ball State’s coaching staff as a pitching coach and was elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2019 campaign. In his tenure, the Cardinals complied a 157-119 record and a 56-49 mark in Mid-American Conference play. He also helped guide Ball State to the 2018 MAC Western Division Crown.

His pitching staff registered 300-or-more strikeouts in each of his final three seasons, with all three totals ranking among the top five single-season marks in program history. His staff’s ERA was also below 3.00 in each of those seasons. In 2018, the Cardinals turned in their lowest ERA under Johnson as their 2.48 ERA led the MAC.

Johnson helped Alyssa Rothwell develop into a shutdown closer over the 2019 campaign, setting a new Ball State and MAC single-season record with 14 saves on her way to breaking the NCAA career record two years later.

Prior to joining the staff at Ball State, Johnson served as the pitching coach at UTEP in 2014. Before his one season at UTEP, Johnson served as the top assistant and pitching coach at the Louisiana for the 2013 season, which saw the Ragin’ Cajuns advance to the NCAA Ann Arbor Super Regional after winning the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional. Under his guidance, the Ragin’ Cajuns pitching staff increased its strikeout total by 122 from the previous season, with Jordan Wallace ranking third nationally with 382 strikeouts.

Before arriving at Louisiana, Johnson spent three seasons as the head coach at Faulkner State Community College (2010-12) where his 119-60 career record made him the winningest coach in program history. His Sun Chiefs players would earn 14 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-America honors, while breaking every team and individual batting, base running and pitching record on the books. His teams posted the two highest finishes in program history, including the school’s first state championship appearance.

Johnson, who started his fastpitch softball career in 1995, played at the Major level of the North American Fastpitch Association (NAFA) from 2004-2017 as both a pitcher and an outfielder. A 16-time NAFA All-World Team selection, Johnson was inducted into the NAFA Hall of Fame in 2013 and was the association’s Most Valuable Player in 2014. He has also competed in numerous tournaments for the United States Men’s National Fastpitch Softball Team, most recently playing in the 2015 Pan American Games held in Toronto, Ontario.

As a student-athlete, Johnson was a four-year letterwinner and 1998 First Team All-Conference selection in baseball at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where he earned his bachelor’s in psychology in 2000 and his master’s in Applied Psychology in 2003. Johnson also earned letters in cross country and track & field at Wisconsin-Stout, finishing his athletics career as the only 14-time varsity letterwinner in school history. He continues to hold the Blue Devils’ program record in the indoor 1,000m run, at 2:31.92.

A native of Oregon, Wisconsin, Johnson is joined in Starkville by his wife, Jenny, and sons, Jake and Jett.