Skip Johnson, Head Coach Oklahoma Sooners Baseball

Behind The Dish

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A true Texas storyteller, I sat down with Skip Johnson in his office in Norman, OK as he talks baseball, developing young men, hunting, and family.
Widely regarded as one of the premier pitching coaches in the country, Skip Johnson has led the Oklahoma baseball program since June 2017. Since taking over the reins after serving one year as the Sooners’ pitching coach, he has led the Sooners to an 85-52 record in three seasons.
Johnson’s influence on the program began immediately and has progressed each year. The OU pitching staff has posted a progressively lower ERA in each of his three seasons in Norman. Oklahoma’s 3.92 team ERA in 2019 was only the seventh team ERA under 4.00 since 1980, and the first since 2015. In his first two seasons, Sooners pitchers posted two of the top five strikeout totals in program history. A total of 14 pitchers have heard their names called in the Major League Baseball Draft over the last four years.
In the 2020 season shortened due to COVID-19, the Sooners compiled a 14-4 record and climbed as high as No. 9 in the national polls. In the process, OU turned in some historic performances. Dane Acker pitched Oklahoma’s first individual no-hitter since 1989 against No. 11 LSU in the Shriners College Classic, and the pitching staff combined for a Big 12-record 21 strikeouts in one game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Cade Cavalli became OU’s 10th first-round selection in the regular June Major League Baseball Draft when he was selected 22nd overall. A program-record four Sooners were drafted in the first four rounds, including all three pitchers in the weekend rotation (Cavalli, Levi Prater, and Acker).
Johnson coached OU to the program’s 38th NCAA Regional appearance in 2018. The Sooners posted a 38-25 record – the highest win total since 2013 – and reached the finals of the Tallahassee Regional. In the process, Oklahoma pitchers set a school record with 608 strikeouts. Outfielder Steele Walker was named a Second-Team All-American by Baseball America and the NCBWA, and pitcher Levi Prater was selected as a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Outfielder Kyler Murray, who went on to win the 2018 Heisman Trophy with the OU football team, was the ninth overall selection in the 2018 MLB Draft. Nine players were drafted, including five in the first 10 rounds (Walker in the second round, pitcher Jake Irvin in the fourth round, pitcher Austin Hansen in the eighth round, and outfielder Cade Harris in the 10th round).
Oklahoma pitchers surrendered the fewest home runs in the Big 12 Conference in 2017 and combined for 531 strikeouts to rank fourth in the league and fourth in OU single-season history. The Sooners’ 9.26 strikeouts per nine innings ranked second in the conference. As a team, OU pitchers struck out 10 or more batters on 24 occasions.
Sooner pitchers combined for 17 starts of six innings or more in 2017, including the first two games of the Louisville Regional. Three Oklahoma pitchers were selected in the 2017 MLB Draft. Sooner closer JB Olson was drafted in the 10th round to extend a string of seven straight years with an Oklahoma player chosen in the first 10 rounds. OU saw starter Devon Perez and reliever Vincenzo Aiello selected on day three of the draft.
Prior to coming to Oklahoma, Johnson spent a 25-year coaching career in the state of Texas, including the most recent 10 years as an assistant and associate head coach at the University of Texas.
Johnson was hired as the pitching coach at Texas for the 2007 season under Augie Garrido, who stepped down from his position as the winningest coach in college baseball in May 2016 to take on new duties in the UT athletics department. In 10 seasons, Johnson helped the Longhorns to seven NCAA Regional appearances, four Super Regionals, and three College World Series appearances.
During his tenure in Austin, 32 Texas pitchers were selected in the MLB Draft, including 14 in the first 10 rounds and three first-round picks. Johnson also oversaw the development of six Longhorn pitchers who have made it to the big leagues. The Texas pitching staff produced a team-earned run average below 3.00 on five occasions and struck out better than 7.5 per nine innings in five of his last eight seasons. As Texas reached its second CWS with Johnson on staff in 2011, his pitchers led the Big 12 in ERA (2.35), batting average against (.198), and strikeouts per nine innings (8.28).
Prior to his time in Austin, Johnson was the head coach for 13 years at Navarro College of the NJCAA’s Texas Eastern Athletic Conference. From 1994 to 2006, he guided the Bulldogs to 13 NJCAA Regionals, nine TEAC championships, and four regional titles while compiling 450 wins.
Johnson has mentored a number of players outside of those he has coached at OU, UT and Navarro, regularly working with three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Homer Bailey of the Kansas Oakland Athletics, and Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles, among others.
A standout baseball player at Denton High School, Johnson began his collegiate playing career at Ranger (Texas) College. After a two-year career there, Johnson moved on to play baseball at the University of North Texas in 1988 before the school dropped its baseball program. He completed his collegiate playing career at UT-Pan American, lettering for the Broncs in 1989 and receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1990. Johnson earned a master’s degree in education from UT-Tyler in 1993.
A native of Denton, Texas, Johnson and his wife, Cathy, have two sons, Tyler and Garrett.
To pre-order "Bottom of the 9th" and support youth baseball reserve your copy https://www.johnpiper.me/Store/books/item/bottom-of-the-ninth/
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