Jay Johnson Goes Through A Senior Day “Like No Other” On Final Day Of Regular Season For LSU

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson said goodbye to the good and bad part of the past on Saturday as the Tigers completed the regular season with a 15-11 loss to No. 19 Florida at Alex Box Stadium to complete another three-game sweep.

“That was like no other Senior Day I’ve ever had,” Johnson said after the sixth straight loss for the Tigers (29-27, 9-21 Southeastern Conference), who will not reach the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2011, unless they win the SEC Tournament that begins Tuesday in Hoover, Alabama.

The regular season from Hell is done …https://t.co/nRYw9LZRoA

— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) May 16, 2026

“Because we always had postseason implications factoring into every decision that you make,” Johnson said. “And today, they were not. And it wasn’t going to change anything for the seeding or the game times or whatever in Hoover.”

LSU is the 14th seed in the 16-team, single-elimination SEC Tournament and will play No. 11 seed Oklahoma (32-20, 14-16 SEC) in the fourth game of the day Tuesday, scheduled for 8 p.m.

So, Johnson used eight pitchers and played a few backups.

“I’m glad we were able to get those people in the game, and the fans treated them well,” Johnson said. “I wish we would’ve treated them well with a win. Good fight at the end of the game, but came up a little short again.”

Johnson was able to use many pitchers all weekend, which included an 11-8 loss on Thursday and an 11-1 setback on Friday. So the staff will be ready for the SEC Tournament. LSU will have to win five games in six days to win the tournament and get the automatic NCAA bid.

“Everybody touched the mound this weekend on our staff,” he said. “Didn’t perform well, but at least we got guys out there.”

Johnson also got to enjoy one last game at Alex Box with some star players like shortstop Steven Milam, center fielder Derek Curiel and others who led the Tigers to the 2025 national championship.

“We’re not done yet,” he said. “Trying to enjoy every single second with those guys.”