STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State baseball team has found its replacement for Butch Thompson.
A source confirmed Thursday that Dallas Baptist University’s Wes Johnson will be introduced as the team’s new pitching coach at 11:30 a.m. today at a news conference.
Johnson spent the last four years with the Patriots. Thompson was hired last week as the new head coach at Auburn.
The hiring comes days after California State University, Fullerton pitching coach Jason Dietrich couldn’t work out a deal with MSU. A source said Monday that Dietrich and MSU coach John Cohen mutually agreed Dietrich wasn’t the right fit.
Dietrich built his career on the West Coast, but Johnson has been in the Southeast for most of his coaching career. Prior to joining the DBU staff, Johnson spent four seasons coaching at Central Arkansas and Southern Arkansas. During his three seasons in the Southland Conference with UCA, Johnson’s pitching staffs set Division I school records in ERA, strikeouts, batting average against, and fewest walks.
In 2014, Johnson helped the Patriot pitching staff to the 32nd-best strikeouts per nine innings in the country (8.3), 39th best ERA (3.32), and 48th best team walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP, 1.29). DBU’s 2.34 strikeouts per walk ranked 65th in the nation.
In 2009, Johnson guided Southern Arkansas’ pitchers to school records in strikeouts and walks allowed. The pitchers posted a 3.49 team ERA, which ranked 10th in the nation. The staff’s 499 strikeouts set a new Gulf South Conference record.
Prior to his stint at UCA, Johnson spent four seasons as head coach at Abundant Life High School in Sherwood, Arkansas. He guided the Owls to a 102-25 record. In his first two seasons, he led the team to a state championship in 2006 and a runner-up finish in 2007.
In the last seven years, Johnson has had 19 pitchers drafted or sign professional contracts. Hayden Simpson was the 16th pick by the Chicago Cubs in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft.
DBU pitchers Jake Johansen and Cy Sneed were taken in the top three rounds of the draft in the last four years.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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