Johnson’s hiring worth wait for UA

Newly hired pitching coach Wes Johnson (left) speaks alongside Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn Thursday, June 16, 2016, during a press conference to announce his hire at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville. A native of Sherwood, Johnson comes to Arkansas after a year at Mississippi State.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas baseball Coach Dave Van Horn had to wait three weeks to contact one of his top candidates to fill the Razorbacks' vacant assistant coach position.

He didn't have to wait long on a response.

It took Wes Johnson less than 48 hours to decide to return to his home state. The Sherwood native was contacted by Van Horn on Monday and was officially announced as the Razorbacks' new pitching coach Wednesday.

"It's a chance to come home," Johnson said during his introductory news conference Thursday at Baum Stadium. "I'm from here. [So is] my wife and her family.

"This game requires you to be away a lot, and it gives her a chance to get closer around family."

Johnson, 45, will have a base salary of $180,000, according to his letter of agreement obtained through an open records request by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

He will also be paid $15,000 per year through a personal services agreement with the Razorback Foundation, bringing his total annual compensation to $195,000.

Johnson said it was not a difficult decision to leave Mississippi State, where he spent one season and helped the Bulldogs to one of the best turnarounds in college baseball. After finishing in last place in the SEC last season, Mississippi State won the SEC regular-season championship and advanced to the NCAA super regionals.

Van Horn said he is hopeful Johnson can be part of another worst-to-first season at Arkansas. Pitching was an issue for the Razorbacks in 2016, with a veteran group combining for an SEC-worst 6.07 ERA in conference games.

Arkansas finished the year with 13 consecutive losses, capped by a series sweep by Johnson and Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.

The Bulldogs won their NCAA regional but were eliminated Saturday with a second loss to Arizona in the super regionals. Van Horn said he sent a text message to Mississippi State Coach John Cohen on Monday, asking for permission to speak with Johnson.

"I liked him as a pitching coach, and I liked him as a person," Van Horn said. "It's just ironic that he is from Arkansas. That was just a plus."

Van Horn said he knew of Johnson from his time as an assistant coach at Central Arkansas and Southern Arkansas, and Van Horn also followed his success in four years as an assistant at Dallas Baptist. The Patriots had three pitchers who were named All-American during Johnson's time there.

"I was really impressed with what was going on at Dallas Baptist a few years back," Van Horn said. "His name was getting out there.

"I knew that I would need to hire a pitching coach down the road and that [previous UA pitching coach Dave Jorn] was going to retire shortly. [Johnson's] name kept coming up."

Van Horn said he spoke by phone with at least two candidates, but Johnson was the only one to formally interview on campus.

"I kind of knew who I wanted, No. 1, and you know me, I am pretty much to the point," Van Horn said. "I don't want to waste a lot of people's time, and it's such a busy time of the year -- I don't want to mislead people and take coaches and bring them here when they need to be recruiting for the program they are working for.

"I did take some calls and talked to some guys a little bit, and basically said, 'I do have a couple of guys in mind and then we will go from there.' "

Johnson is best known for his ability to increase velocity from his pitchers. His players have included Hayden Simpson, a former Southern Arkansas pitcher who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the first round in 2010, and Dakota Hudson, who was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round last week.

"Philosophy on pitching is real simple: I like power," Johnson said. "I try to develop it. That's what I want. I want power fastballs. I want power breaking balls.

"We want guys bigger, faster, stronger on the mound. That's what my track record shows, and that's what I have had success doing."

Johnson is under contract with Arkansas through June 30, 2018, and his contract has several built-in incentives. Among them, he will be paid the equivalent of three months' salary if the Razorbacks win a national championship, two months' salary for a College World Series appearance, 1½ months' salary for a super regional appearance and one month's salary for a regional appearance and SEC championship.

The contract also includes a no-compete clause that prohibits Johnson from taking any non-head coaching position in the SEC.

Johnson's base salary is about $20,000 more than Jorn's, who resigned last month after spending the past 14 years -- 20 years total -- with the Razorbacks. But Jorn also had a personal services agreement worth about $10,000 from the Razorback Foundation.

Sports on 06/17/2016