Tag: Cade Beloso

What is wrong with LSU baseball?

The 2024 season has not gotten off to the best start for the Tigers.

The 2024 season has not gotten off to the best start for the LSU baseball team. After three conference series, the Tigers are 20-9 overall and 2-7 in conference play and have lost all three series. The Tigers dropped series to Mississippi State and Florida 2-1 and then got swept by Arkansas last weekend.

So, what is going on with this team? For one, let’s rewind to the 2023 season. [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers had the two best players in college baseball on their team, [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag]. The No. 1 and No. 2 overall draft picks in the 2023 MLB draft.

Along with that, the team had [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag], [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag], [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag]. That equates to two out of three starting pitchers, first and second base, shortstop, designated hitter, and two of the three outfield spots. One outfield spot ([autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag]), one starting pitcher ([autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag]), and two catchers ([autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag]) were all that remained from last year’s starting lineup.

Replacing six hitters in your starting lineup and two of your starting pitchers is not an easy task. Johnson had to hit the recruiting trail hard for high school kids and players in the transfer portal. He did a great job of rebuilding the team, but some players you just can’t replace. There is no replacement for those guys.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at some stats so far. LSU is in the middle of the road for most hitting statistics in the conference. The Tigers are seventh in the conference in batting average, on-base percentage, and hits, eighth in slugging percentage, doubles, and triples. The biggest issue for LSU on the offensive side is that we are ranked 11th out of 14 in RBI and runs scored. LSU is not hitting the long ball as well either as the Tigers rank ninth in that stat.

Three more interesting offensive stats, LSU ranks first in the conference in double plays and caught stealing. First in those areas is not a good thing. That means you have hit the most double plays and been caught stealing the most. [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] leads the conference in double plays. He has hit into eight of them. That’s three more than the next closest player.

Now, let’s look at the Tigers’ performance on the mound. [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] is the silver lining of this pitching staff. Without him, you would not want to see any of these numbers. Holman has the second-lowest ERA (1.38), second-highest strikeouts (61), and fourth-lowest opponent batting average (.173). Why am I singling him out? Because if you take him out of the equation, LSU does not have another pitcher in the top 15 of the conference.

LSU has the MOST walks in the SEC (131) and the second most wild pitches in the SEC (28). [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] is tied for the most losses in the conference with four and three LSU pitchers are tied for sixth in the conference in wild pitches with four. ([autotag]Kade Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] and Hurd)

LSU is sixth in the conference in fielding percentage but [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] is tied for first for the most errors in the conference with seven. Those numbers will not get the job done, especially in conference play.

LSU will play Southern at home on Monday before hosting Vanderbilt this weekend.

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Jared Jones receives Freshman All-American recognition

Jared ‘Bear’ Jones has been recognized by Baseball America as a Second Team Freshman All-American.

[autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] has been recognized by Baseball America as a Second Team Freshman All-American.

Coming out of high school, Jones was the No. 4 ranked catcher nationally and the No. 1 ranked catcher in Georgia by Perfect Game and ranked nationally as the No. 47 overall prospect.

Jones stepped onto the bayou as a catcher/first baseman and had a stellar freshman campaign. Jones had a .304 batting average with 12 doubles, 14 homers and 45 RBI. Jones spent most of the season splitting time with [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] until Beloso became the everyday starter at first base.

Jones was 1-for-3 against the Gators in the College World Series final. He didn’t play as big of a role down the stretch for the Tigers, but if LSU is going to try to defend their title next season, Jones will be a big part of that title defense.

He will likely be the everyday starter for Jay Johnson’s Tigers as a first baseman next year.

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LSU Tigers flood the LSWA awards list

LSU has nine on the list and won four out of five major awards.

The Louisiana Sports Writer Association has released its All-Louisiana teams and the winner of the season accolades. LSU has nine on the list and won four out of five major awards.

The only major award LSU didn’t win was Freshman of the Year. That title went to Jacob Mayers from Nicholls State. Mayers had a 9-1 record with a 1.93 ERA and 97 strikeouts.

LSU had four players earn First-Team honors ([autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] and [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag]), three earned Second-Team honors ([autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag], [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag]), and two earned honorable mention ([autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag]).

Crews won Hitter of the Year, Skenes won Pitcher of the Year, White won Newcomer of the Year and [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] won Coach of the Year.

Photos from LSU’s national championship celebration at Alex Box Stadium

It was a homecoming for the 2023 Men’s College World Series champions on Wednesday night.

It was a homecoming for the 2023 Men’s College World Series champion LSU Tigers on Wednesday night.

The team made its return to Alex Box Stadium, where it was greeted by a packed house of LSU fans for its championship celebration. The Tigers honored the players who have seen their last action in a purple and gold uniform like [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag], [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] and more.

Highlights from the event included coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag], who was named the national Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball on Thursday, receiving a ceremonial key to the city of Baton Rouge.

LSU also unveiled a new design for the stadium’s Intimidator, which will undergo a full redesign to include all seven national titles ahead of the start of the 2024 season.

Here were all the photos from a truly special night for the LSU faithful.

Cade Beloso: A story of perseverance

They call him the Creole Bambino. He is the inventor of the “belly bomb.” He was a pivotal part of this LSU championship run, and he almost didn’t play this season.

They call him the Creole Bambino. He is the inventor of the “belly bomb.”

[autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] was a pivotal part of this LSU championship run. And he almost didn’t play this season.

Beloso was a member of Paul Maineri’s 2018 recruiting class, which was ranked as the No. 1 class in the country. Beloso was not the big star of the class, either. He was not a headliner who everyone thought would be the best LSU player ever. He was just a kid from John Curtis High School in New Orleans who had always dreamed of being an LSU Tiger.

He grew up watching LSU legends and he would go to Alex Box Stadium and try to get autographs from all of them. As a freshman at LSU, Beloso had a .279 batting average with 10 homers and 52 RBI.

Not too shabby in the SEC.

He was off to a hot start in his sophomore campaign before COVID-19 happened. Then, the whole world came to a halt.

 

Life changed for everyone when COVID hit, and Beloso’s first season after was his worst year as a Tiger. He had a .226 batting average in 51 games. He was in a slump of the worst variety.

Prior to last season, there was a lot of buzz surrounding Beloso having an incredible comeback year. Then there was another setback. In the pregame huddle before the first game of the season, Beloso tore his ACL and meniscus.

He had to have season-ending surgery right away. Cade became an advocate for mental health.

“If you’re not okay… see somebody. The human body is not geared to hold all of that inside you because it creates this great deal of pressure and one day it’s all gonna explode,” he said. “It’s okay to talk about your feelings and it’s okay to express yourself.”

After having his worst statistical year at LSU and then having surgery for a torn ACL and meniscus. Cade could have folded. He could have hung the cleats up and chosen a different path in life, but he decided to come back for one more year.

Beloso wasn’t a starter to begin the season. He split time with freshman [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag]. By the time April rolled around, Beloso had cemented himself as one of the best hitters in the lineup and a guy that should be playing every day.

On a team full of star players — [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag], etc. — it was Beloso who came through when the Tigers needed a hero the most.

During Game 1 of the CWS finals against Florida, we entered the 11th inning tied as both teams’ pitchers tossed a masterpiece. It felt as if one swing would be the deciding factor of the game. Beloso led off that inning and on a 0-1 count, he provided that swing. Cade Fisher served up a 93 MPH fastball and Beloso didn’t miss it.

The Tigers didn’t get the win in game two that they hoped for, but that set the stage for a winner-take-all game three on Monday night. Jay Johnson made a lineup change prior to the first pitch and instead of batting Golden Spikes winner, Crews first, Beloso was penciled in as the leadoff hitter.

Beloso went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two HBP (hit by pitch). On the biggest stage of them all, Beloso hit 10-for-27 (.370) in the College World Series with two homers and eight RBI. The kid from New Orleans lived out his dream of playing for the LSU Tigers and winning a national championship.

“I just love it here so much,” he said. “I thank God for blessing me with the ability to play here for five years. I would take all the ups and downs 10 years in a row. I would do this all over again in a heartbeat. I’m embracing all of the emotions.”

Two of Cade’s last messages to Tiger fans were, “Don’t dream, set goals.” and “Go Tigers, I love you, and I hope I represented you guys the right way.”

Beloso is a player who did it all the right way, carrying himself the right way and giving credit to whom it was deserved. He is the embodiment of an LSU Tiger, and he ended the season as a champion.

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Why this LSU baseball national title is more special than the rest

You can’t define this team with one play, which makes LSU’s title run all the better.

Championship runs are often boiled down to a single moment. One great play that stands out.

It’s shown over and over again on the stadium big board and finds its way into every preseason hype video until the end of time.

It comes naturally. You recognize it right away and say, “That was special.”

For LSU on its way to winning the 2023 College World Series, there wasn’t just one moment. You can’t define this team by one play or one player.

On the surface, it looks simple. The program with the most national titles in the last 30 years added another trophy to the case with a team led by the top two MLB draft prospects. Nothing about that is a Cinderella story. It’s LSU doing what LSU expects to do.

But it wasn’t that simple.

You can ask five LSU fans what their favorite moment from this College World Series was and you could get five different answers.

Maybe it’s Tre Morgan charging a bunt down the first-place line to throw a Wake Forest runner out at home and preserve a 0-0 tie in an elimination game. Or it’s [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] hitting a walk-off home run later that night.

It’s [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] making a leaping grab in left, taking a walk-off hit away from the best player in the country not on LSU.

It’s [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] punching out 17 batters for the best start of his career or [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag], the homegrown fourth-year senior, hitting the winning homer in extra innings.

Some might point to [autotag]Riley Cooper[/autotag], who became a dominant force out of the bullpen, flipping the script on what we thought about that unit all year.

It’s [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag], who played the worst game of his life on Sunday only to be the spark on Monday.

It’s LSU facing rivals Oregon State, Tennessee and Florida over the last month and sending them all home, avenging losses of previous teams.

Nowhere in that did I mention [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] or [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], two of the greatest players in LSU history who spearheaded the title run.

That’s why this one is so special. We watch sports for those individual moments. The ones that get the crowd stomping and make viewers at home leap off the couch.

Baseball, in particular, is built around this. It doesn’t have the unflinching momentum of a football game or the quick back and forth of a basketball game. Because of that, the biggest moments on a baseball field fall with even more thunder. Tension builds and builds until something special happens.

An LSU had a whole lot of special happenings in Omaha.

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5 takeaways from LSU’s national title win in Omaha over Florida

Here are five takeaways as Jay Johnson leads LSU to a national title in Year 2.

For the seventh time in program history, LSU baseball won a national title.

[autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] became the first second-year coach to ever win a title behind a star-studded team led by [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag].

LSU fought off elimination in the bracket earlier in the week and again in the final.

For veteran stars like [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag], it was a Cinderella ending. Skenes was named tournament MVP, and program staples like [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] got one last chance to shine.

Here are five takeaways from LSU’s title-clinching win in Omaha.

CHAMPS AGAIN: Thatcher Hurd, record-setting offensive performance lead LSU to CWS national title win over Florida

The LSU Tigers just won their seventh national championship in school history!

What a difference a day makes.

One of the best traits a baseball player can have is a short memory. LSU got shellacked by the Gators in Game 2 of the College World Series final, but the Tigers not only turned the tables on Monday, but they also flipped the table over.

Game 3 wasn’t even close as LSU got everything it wanted in a dominating 18-4 win as LSU captured a national championship for the seventh time in program history.

For the first time in the series, Florida scored first with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning to give them an early lead. That would wind up being their only lead of the game.

[autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] put the Tigers on the board in the top of the second inning with an RBI single to cut the lead in half. A bases-loaded hit by pitch and a walk gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead, but LSU was not done in the inning. [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] both hit RBI singles to increase the lead to 6-2 LSU.

In the top of the fourth inning, LSU scored four more runs as Thompson hit an RBI single, [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] hit a two-run homer, and [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] hit an RBI single to make it 10-2 Tigers.

[autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag]’s night was over after pitching 6 innings and giving up two runs on two hits, seven strikeouts, and two walks. The UCLA transfer was everything [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] and the Tigers needed him to be. In the top of the seventh, LSU scored again on a bases-loaded walk to increase the lead to 11-2. The Gators got that run back in the bottom of the inning with a solo shot of their own.

LSU scored three runs in the top of the eighth and four runs in the top of the ninth as Jobert capped off the scoring with a two-run homer to increase the lead to 18-4.

[autotag]Gavin Guidry[/autotag] got the final three outs in the ninth inning as the LSU Tigers won their seventh national championship in school history and the first under coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag].

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PHOTOS: LSU outlasts Florida in extra innings to take Game 1 of College World Series final

The Tigers survived extra innings to take down Florida in Game 1.

It was another thriller for LSU in Game 1 of the College World Series final against Florida.

Despite not having [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] available, [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] looked just about as dominant, pitching eight innings with 17 strikeouts while allowing just three runs. LSU’s offense struggled in turn, though, and the Tigers found themselves trailing by one run in the eighth inning.

[autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] tied the game with one swing of his bat, and the game ultimately went to extras. Things were quiet until the top of the 11th, when [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] broke the tie with a solo shot that ultimately proved decisive.

LSU won 4-3 and is now one win away from capturing the seventh national title in program history. Here were the best pictures from Saturday night’s win.

Reactions from LSU’s Game 1 extra-innings win over Florida in College World Series final

The Tigers are one win away from a national title.

The Tigers started off the championship series the right way on Saturday night, outlasting Florida in extra innings 4-3 to take a 1-0 series lead in the College World Series final.

[autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] had a career night on the mound, pitching eight innings while allowing just three runs with one walk and striking out 17 batters, the second-most of anyone in a CWS game.

Still, LSU’s offense struggled to take advantage, and this was a tight game down the stretch. Florida held a late 3-2 lead, but [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] ended that with a solo shot in the eighth.

The game went to extras, and another homer from [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] in the 11th proved to make the difference. Now, LSU just needs to win one more game to take home the seventh national title in program history.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Game 1 win.