Jay Johnson
- Says Thatcher Hurd will start Friday, Luke Holman Saturday. They'll figure out the rest of the weekend later.
- Gage Jump is still getting ready from his UCL injury. Says he's doing fine.
- Thinks if you look at Hurd's improvement in the end of last season and his great work of late, it made sense for him to earn the start. Feels he gives them a great chance to win.
- Loves Holman. Says they liked what he saw from him when they prepared to play Bama last year. He can strike people out and has "a low heartbeat." Pitched well the last couple of weeks.
- Says they're playing in the early window this weekend to give them more time to play if weather becomes an issue.
- Gives his team an A+ for putting last year behind them and focusing on this season. Winning the natty last year doesn't benefit them in any games this year, so they are focused solely on this year.
- Super proud of Hayden Travinski and Alex Milazzo for their leadership ability. They command a lot of respect, and even when they aren't playing, they're still leading at a high level.
- He's excited to put Gavin Guidry in the game because he's improved a lot this season.
- Has a lot of respect for Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Says defending champs have the ability to overcome adversity, have perseverance and execute at a high level. Wants his team to play like that.
- Likes what he's seen from Steven Milam. He came from New Mexico where you don't play against a lot of elite pitchers, but feels he's adapted really well so far.
- Says they have a ton of arms who can come out of the bullpen and give them good innings.
- Says he's feeling really good coming off a broken leg in the CWS. He was ready a couple months into the fall and has been practicing since.
- Says they aren't defending anything. They're attacking this season and this is a new team who's trying to win a natty.
- Calls Hurd the ultimate competitor. He works his butt off and has added muscle and weight, says you can see it on the field in his velo going up.
- Thinks it helps to have three catchers who can play at any point in time. It's a demanding position, so keeping legs fresh is important.
- Thinks this years team has incredible depth. Feels they can win defensive games and offensive games.
- Says you can always improve in this game, and he's been trying to take the next step offensively.
- Feeling great, is excited to start playing baseball.
- Has been working on posture and his lower body. Wants to have better command.
- Thinks his curveball has come a long way. Feels he's dialed it in over this fall and it should be more consistent.
- Good to know he's in the starting rotation, but he and the team are focused on Friday's game.
- Said the tools at LSU are a step up from Alabama. The pitching lab has been very nice because they didn't have that at Bama.
- Feels the nutrition here is a lot better than Alabama too.
- Watching three games here last season was awesome and made him realize how special Alex Box is.
- Likes having three catchers who you can plug in at each time. Feels all three are talented enough to start, so he doesn't really care who's behind the plate for him.
