Steve Johnson enters his eighth year as head coach of the baseball program at Fort Hays State University in 2018. He has led the program to MIAA Tournament appearances in three times, including a runner-up finish in 2012.
Johnson owns a career collegiate coaching record of 384-346 entering 2018. He has coached FHSU to 149 wins over the last seven seasons (149-191), ranking fifth all-time in coaching victories for the Tigers.
Johnson has coached 37 All-MIAA and 10 all-region selections in his time at FHSU, including the 2012 Daktronics Central Region Player of the Year, Ryan Busboom. Busboom also earned All-America First Team honors by Daktronics and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association.
Fort Hays State enjoyed its most successful season under Johnson in 2012, qualifying for the MIAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed and advancing to the MIAA Championship game. It was the first championship appearance for FHSU since joining the MIAA in 2007. Fort Hays State finished the season at 29-24 overall.
The best regular season finish in MIAA play under Johnson was in his first season in 2011. Johnson guided the Tigers to a 28-23 record, a fourth-place finish in the MIAA, and an appearance at the MIAA Tournament.
Johnson came to FHSU from Butler (Kan.) Community College, where he was head coach for seven years. While at Butler, Johnson compiled a record of 235-155. He led the program to at least 30 wins in his last six seasons and an NJCAA World Series appearance in 2006. The Grizzlies were co-champions of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division three times in Johnson's tenure, including the 2010 season. He was twice named the Jayhawk Western Division Coach of the Year (2005 and 2007) and was the NJCAA Central District and ABCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2006.
In seven years at Butler, Johnson coached five all-region selections and 34 all-conference selections. Four of his players were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. Six former players went on to play professional baseball. He also had six players earn NJCAA Academic All-American honors.
Prior to becoming the head coach at Butler Community College, Johnson spent eight years as an assistant with three different successful programs. His last two years (2002 and 2003) as an assistant were at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, where he was the pitching coach and chief recruiter. He helped the Indians to the 2002 Southland Conference Championship. He was assistant coach at Barton (Kan.) Community College for four years (1998-2001), helping the Cougars average 30 wins per season in his time with the program. Johnson started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Fort Hays State for two years (1996 and 1997). He helped the Tigers to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship and finish runner-up in the school's first ever NCAA Division II West Regional appearance. In his eight years as an assistant, he coached 10 pitchers that went on to play professional baseball, with two making it to the Major League level. Combining the three institutions together, Johnson had a record of 262-190 as an assistant coach.
Johnson played collegiate baseball for three years. He played two years at Barton (Kan.) Community College from 1989 to 1990, earning All-KJCCC and All-Region 6 honors. He went on to play one year at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he was named MVP of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. That year, UAB made their only NCAA regional appearance in school history. In 1992, Johnson signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization and played five seasons in professional baseball.
In 2000, Johnson was inducted into the El Dorado (Kan.) Baseball Hall of Fame for his performance with the El Dorado Broncos summer collegiate team during the 1990 and 1991 campaigns.
A native of Salisbury, Mo., Johnson earned his bachelor's degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Management at Fort Hays State University in 1997. He is married to the former Gina Spilker of Clay Center, Kan. They have two sons, Caleb and Cooper.
