LOGAN, Utah – After 10 seasons at the helm of Utah State softball, head coach Steve Johnson has announced he will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2023 season.
 
"After 27 years coaching softball, with the last 10 here in Cache Valley, it is time to move on to the next chapter in my life," Johnson said. "Coaching is a challenging profession that requires a lot of sacrifice from the family. For years I have put my teams first and my family second. The time has come to put my wife and daughter first. We love Cache Valley and are excited to continue our journey here with new career opportunities.  
 
"I would like to thank my wife Heather and my daughter Collette for allowing me to follow my dreams all these years. I would like to thank former Athletic Director Scott Barnes and former Associate AD Jana Doggett for giving me an opportunity to lead the softball program here at Utah State. I would also like to thank former AD John Hartwell, Interim AD Jerry Bovee and Senior Woman Administrator Amy Crosbie for continuing to believe in our mission. I would like to thank all those who gave me opportunities along the way including Robin Baker at Wartburg College, Mark Stewart at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School, Dan Kenney at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and Tina Deese at Auburn University. To all the fans of Aggie Nation, thank you for accepting us into your family and supporting us along the way. We will forever be indebted to the love and support you have shown us these past 10 years and we will always cheer to light the A blue.
 
"Finally, I would like to thank all of the players throughout these 27 years. Without all of you, none of this would have been possible. You have believed in what we have tried to do, fought the good fight and, hopefully, came out on the other side better people because of it. I love watching each of you grow into strong and successful women, wives and mothers. To see you succeed in whatever path you have chosen truly inspires me.
 
"The past 27 years have been a long and winding journey that has taken us to places we never thought we would be. It has been an amazing ride but one that must come to an end. We are excited to begin our next journey and want to say thank you again to everyone who has supported us along the way."
 
Johnson, the second-winningest coach in program history, has recorded 201 wins at Utah State and has 351 career wins as a collegiate head coach. He has coached 16 players to 21 all-Mountain West accolades, while three players have earned NFCA all-region honors. Off the field, Johnson has led his players to 95 academic all-MW honors, 67 MW Scholar-Athlete awards and 50 NFCA/Easton Scholar-Athlete nods.
 
"On behalf of Utah State Athletics, I want to thank Steve for his contribution to the softball program over the last 10 years," Interim Athletic Director Jerry Bovee said. "His guidance and mentorship helped our student-athletes reach great success both on and off the diamond. We wish him and his family the best as he begins the next phase of his life."
 
During his tenure, Johnson has coached the Aggies to various team and individual single-season records. He has also coached four student-athletes to hold the top spots on the USU career record list in Riley Plogger (115 runs scored), Victoria Saucedo (339 total bases), Jazmin Clark (84 stolen bases) and Lexi Orozco (39 home runs; 138 RBIs; .631 slugging percentage).
 
Johnson took over the Utah State program after five years at Auburn as the assistant head coach. Working primarily with the Tigers' hitters, slappers and infielders, Johnson helped Auburn advance to three Southeastern Conference Tournaments and NCAA Regional appearances in four years. 
 
At Auburn, Johnson coached five players who earned all-SEC honors, and four players who earned SEC all-freshman team accolades, including tying a school record with two in 2013.
 
Johnson made his head coaching debut at the Division II level, spending the 2003-08 seasons at UNC Pembroke, where he compiled a 153-164 record. He led UNC Pembroke to the program's first-ever NCAA Regional appearance in 2008, earning NFCA South Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2008. 
 
While at Pembroke, Johnson's teams broke 73 school records and had 39 players earn Peach Belt Academic Honor Roll accolades.
 
Prior to his stint at UNC Pembroke, Johnson served as an assistant coach at South Dakota State from 2000-02. He began his professional coaching career as the head coach at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from 1997-2000.
 
Utah State will begin a national search for its next softball coach after the 2023 season is over.
 
For more information on the Utah State softball program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUSoftball, on Facebook at USUSoftball and on Instagram at ususoftball.
 
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