Behind The Dish

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 a 85-52 record in three seasons. Johnson’s influence on the program began immediately and has progressed each year. The OU pitching staffs have 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 name 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 rec