In each of his four seasons as assistant coach, Steve Johnson has helped Auburn hitters develop and improve their game. The 2012 Tigers hit the most home runs (46) since the 2005 squad hit a program-record 68. The Tigers also continued to build on the philosophy of quality at-bats as the 2012 team reduced its strikeouts for the third consecutive season and produced the fewest strikeouts since 1999. The 2012 Tigers averaged fewer than five strikeouts per game.
Johnson also helped shortstop Lauren Guzman earn All-Southeastern Conference Second Team honors and Branndi Melero earn SEC All-Freshman honors in 2012.
In 2011, Auburn set program top-five marks in batting average (.279/5th-best), runs scored (272/5th-most), RBI (235/5th-most), doubles (97/2nd-most), triples (8/3rd-most) and walks (160/2nd-most).
Working with the Tigers' hitters, slappers and infielders, Johnson has helped take Auburn to three consecutive SEC Tournament and NCAA Regional appearances. In 2011, Auburn was ranked in both the ESPN and NFCA top 25 polls, spending 12 weeks in the NFCA poll and reaching a high of 21st. Auburn also registered its first-ever series win over a top-five team, taking two-of-three games from No. 4 Georgia.
Additionally, the 2011 Tigers set a program record with a 15-game winning streak to open the season.
Johnson joined Auburn in 2009 and helped make an immediate impact defensively as the Tigers' cut their errors by one-quarter and their fielding percentage jumped 14 points from the previous season. After showing modest improvement in Johnson's first season, the Tigers' offense saw significant improvement in 2010 as the team set four-year highs in batting average, home runs, hits and RBI.
Individually, Johnson helped Kyndall White earn Second Team All-SEC honors in 2010 and Myesha Finney earn Second Team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 2009. Additionally, Johnson helped Elizabeth Eisterhold, Amber Harrison and White establish career highs in batting average, home runs and RBI, while Lauren Guzman set career bests in batting average and home runs.
Additionally, Johnson helped utility player Morgan Estell earn Freshman All-SEC honors in 2011, the first Auburn player to earn freshman honors since 2007. Estell tied for the fifth-best single-season batting average in Auburn history (.376), recorded the fourth-most doubles in a single-season (18) and the third-best on-base percentage (.478) in 2011.
A native of West Des Moines, Iowa, Johnson compiled a 153-164 record in six years as head coach at UNC-Pembroke, prior to coming to Auburn in 2009. He guided the Braves to a 46-14 overall record in 2008 and the Peach Belt Conference championship, going 17-1 in league play. Johnson also led the Braves to the program's first ever NCAA Regional appearance in 2008.
For his effort, Johnson and his coaching staff earned NFCA South Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2008.
During the 2008 season, the Braves set or tied 33 school records including most wins in a season (46) and most conference wins (17). UNCP players earned a total of six all-region awards and three All-America honors under Johnson's tutelage in 2008. The Braves were ranked 15th nationally for winning percentage (.767) and 36th in earned run average (2.0).
At one point in 2008, the Braves were ranked fifth nationally in the NFCA II Top 25 Poll finishing the year ranked 28th in the country.
While at UNC-Pembroke, the Braves broke 73 school records and had 39 players earn Peach Belt Academic Honor Roll accolades.
Johnson earned his undergraduate degree in U.S. history and secondary education from Wartburg College, graduating cum laude in 1997. Johnson then earned a graduate degree in athletic administration from South Dakota State University in 2002.
Johnson began his professional coaching career as the head coach at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from 1997-2000.
Johnson then served as the first assistant coach/graduate assistant at South Dakota State from 2000-02 before becoming the head coach at UNC-Pembroke.
Johnson is married to the former Heather Jeanette Wesemen.