Jay Johnson enters his third season as a member of Kathy Bocock's softball staff after joing the Phoenix in December of 2015. Johnson arrived from Grace College where he served as the associate head coach and head JV coach for the Lady Lancers. At Grace, was responsible for the team’s strength and conditioning, hitting, individual skills improvement and working with the outfield.
As a member of the Phoenix coaching staff the past two seasons, Johnson has assisted the maroon and gold to 58 wins while also contributing to the team's success in a number of areas including hitting, recruiting, defensive drills while also working with the infield and outfield along with Bocock.
In 2015, Johnson helped lead the Lady Lancer’s to the NCCAA World Series, its first 30-win season in nearly 21 years and consecutive trips to the national tournament for the first time in school history. He also mentored two NCCAA All-American honorees in first teamer Brook Shell and second teamer Clarissa Knight.
Prior to Grace, Johnson coached at Northwest High School in Canal Fulton, Ohio, where his primary responsibilities included instructing hitting, catching and outfield. He also served the strength and conditioning coach for Lenoir-Rhyne’s volleyball team also was an assistant coach at Montreat College.
Johnson was a four-year letterwinner and a two-time All-Conference performer for the baseball team at Montreat. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. He and his wife, Heather, have three children, Grace, Taft and Mack.
