The 2025 season will be Britt Johnson's ninth with the Mountaineers, following his hire on Aug. 9, 2016.
Johnson led the 2024 Mountaineers' defense to a league-best .977 fielding percentage, the best for a full season in program history. App State played error-free baseball in 25 of 55 games on the campaign and made just 45 miscues overall. Additionally, Johnson was pivotal in recruiting All-American and Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year Banks Tolley, who set the program's single-season home run record after transferring from Ole Miss.
In 2023, the Mountaineers finished with 30 wins, the most since 2013. While guiding the infielders and defense, Johnson aided the Mountaineers to a .971 fielding percentage, the best since 2021 and 4th all-time. While being a vital part of the recruiting process, newcomers such as CJ Boyd (East Carolina transfer) has 17 home runs, tied for first all-time at App State. Freshman Jackson Steensma also has made his mark, with 7 saves, which is eighth all time.
Under Johnson's tutelage in 2022, infielder Austin St. Laurent was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Mountaineer to earn that distinction. Catcher Hayden Cross was also named second team All-Conference.
Working with App State's infielders and defense, the Mountaineers have posted a team fielding percentage ranking inside the top-15 in program history during all six years of Johnson's tenure. The 2021 team had a fielding percentage of .976, a program record for a full season, after recording a .981 percentage during a 2020 season cut short by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic after 17 games.
Filling in as the acting head coach in 2019, Johnson helped App State close out road victories against Arkansas State and Coastal Carolina. He also directed App State to a league win over Little Rock in 2018 and Georgia Southern in 2024.
Johnson joined Appalachian after spending six years with head coach Kermit Smith at Lander University. He started as a volunteer coach and then was promoted after three years to a full-time assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Johnson also coached infielders and assisted with hitters while spending time as third-base coach. Johnson was with Smith during Lander’s two Division II College World Series trips in 2014 and 2016.
In his time as recruiting coordinator at Lander, it had seven student-athletes drafted in Major League Baseball and two sign free agent deals. He helped bring in six All-Americans and 13 Peach Belt All-Conference selections, including eight infielders. In 2014, Johnson’s entire infield was named to the all-conference team.
Prior to Lander, Johnson spent two years as an assistant baseball and football coach at Nash Central High School in Rocky Mount, N.C. He also acted as the strength and conditioning coach for all varsity sports.
He graduated in 2007 from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in exercise sports science. While at ECU, Johnson played football as the Pirates' long snapper under head coach Skip Holtz.
Johnson grew up in Rocky Mount, N.C., where he played both baseball and football in high school. He joined the App State family with his wife, Samantha Vickers Johnson.
In late January of 2018, they became parents of twin boys: Cade Royster and Dax Ficklen. Johnson left a 2021 series at East Carolina to join his wife for the birth of their third child and first daughter: Teegan Gail.
