Could Arizona Baseball be on the verge of a staffing change?

Following a solid run in 2021 that was cut short at the College World Series, could Arizona Baseball soon be on the verge of seeing a staffing change? 

The 2021 Arizona Baseball season was ultimately seen as a success, especially after the Wildcats saw their 2020 season cut short due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus.

Well, in response to the interrupted season, Jay Johnson and the Wildcats ran through the Pac-12, winning the conference for the first time since 2012, en route to securing the programs’ 18th College World Series appearance.

Arizona Wildcats

However, as we all saw, the Wildcats bowed out of the Tournament early, losing to Vanderbilt and Stanford in back-to-back games.

While the season didn’t quite end the way many had hoped or thought, the season was still largely seen as a successful one as the Wildcats went 45-19 and returned to Omaha once again.

Naturally, after a season that Johnson had, teams will start to look at the staff, especially after the successful run he’s had in Tucson that past six seasons.

So, could Arizona Baseball be on the verge of potentially seeing a massive staffing change?

As you may have seen, LSU’s head coach Paul Mainieri is officially retiring after a storied career, and Johnson’s name has popped up to be a potential replacement for the legendary head coach.

Johnson is reportedly a Top 3 Finalist to become the Tigers’ next head coach and could leave the Wildcats in a tough position.

However, it seems like that may not be the only change to the coaching staff as highly-regarded pitching coach Nate Yeskie could also be on the move with Texas A&M perhaps moving quickly to make Yeskie their next pitching coach.

Should the moves happen, the losses of Johnson and Yeskie would be a major blow to Arizona, as the Wildcats just cannot compete with the money that is in the SEC. It would also mean that Arizona would have to work quickly to replace a talented staff.

Here’s to hoping the Wildcats get the best possible outcome!