Tag: jared jones

D1Baseball editor gives an inside scoop on LSU Baseball

LSU will start its title defense on Feb. 16 against VMI.

Kendall Rogers, the managing editor for D1Baseball, took a trip to Baton Rouge to check out the defending national champions to see how they are looking going into 2024. After leaving the bayou, Rogers gave his thoughts on what he saw.

A few interesting thoughts on this. Talk about a strong starting rotation. [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag], [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] and [autotag]Gage Jump[/autotag] are about as good of a three-man rotation as you will find anywhere in the NCAA. Don’t sleep on [autotag]Cam Johnson[/autotag] either. He is just a freshman but he has the talent to be a Friday night starter already. [autotag]Justin Loer[/autotag], the transfer from Xavier is also a top-tier pitcher. What a rotation.

Another thing, it seems that true freshman [autotag]Jake Brown[/autotag] has earned his spot on the roster as a starter in the outfield. To complement that, it seems [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] will slide [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] down to second base. Pearson has spent the last two years as a corner outfielder for the Tigers but now he will take the place of [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag].

Rogers was even kind enough to give us a possible starting nine for the Tigers. It looks like the outfield will consist of [autotag]Mac Bingham[/autotag] (Arizona transfer), [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] and Jake Brown. In the infield, it will be [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] at third base, [autotag]Michael Braswell III[/autotag] (South Carolina transfer) at shortstop, Pearson/[autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] at second base, [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] at first base, [autotag]Alex Millazo[/autotag]/[autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] at catcher, and Travinski/[autotag]Ethan Frey[/autotag] as the designated hitter.

LSU will start its title defense on Feb. 16 against VMI.

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3 Tigers named among top 20 draft eligible sophomores by D1Baseball

Jay Johnson and the defending national champion LSU Tigers have landed three players on D1 Baseball’s top 20 draft-eligible sophomores list.

[autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] and the defending national champion LSU Tigers have landed three players on D1 Baseball’s top 20 draft-eligible sophomores list. Jared Jones, [autotag]Gavin Guidry[/autotag] and [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag].

They call him “Bear.” Jared “Bear” Jones is a first baseman/catcher who can absolutely swing it. He has light tower power that helps him hit tanks out of Alex Box Stadium on nearly a daily basis. Jones had a .304 batting average with a .426 on-base percentage and a .640 slugging percentage as he hit 14 homers and had 45 RBI.

Guidry is the prime example of a five-tool player. There is not anything he can’t do. He was profiled as an infielder out of high school but coach Johnson decided that Guidry could be a very valuable pitcher for LSU last year. Guidry went on to have a 3-0 record with a 3.77 ERA over 28.2 innings pitched.

Kling had a roller-coaster season in 2023 but he showed promise as a talented outfielder that can fly and when he is hot at the plate he is nearly unstoppable. Kling finished 2023 with a .289 average with five doubles, two triples, four homers, and nine RBI.

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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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WATCH: Josh Pearson makes ‘SportsCenter’ Top 10

Josh Pearson made waves with his play in center field this week

As usual, some of college baseball’s best have shown up in Cape Cod for summer league baseball.

A few LSU players are there, including outfielder [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag].

Playing for the Brewster Whitecaps, Pearson made a catch that put him in the “SportsCenter” top 10.

A Louisiana native from West Monroe, Pearson was a sophomore in 2023. He was a consistent presence in right field and the bottom of the lineup.

With several of LSU’s top contributors off to the professional ranks, Pearson will get a chance to earn a spot at the top of the lineup and compete for the starting job in center field.

Pearson hit .226 last year but hit .299 as a freshman. He has a career OPS of .871 with 12 home runs.

Other LSU players in the Cape Cod League are [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag], [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag], [autotag]Griffin Herring[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Loer[/autotag].

It’s valuable experience for a lot of guys who will be expected to take on bigger roles next year.

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LSU signee Blake Mitchell drafted by Kansas City Royals with 8th pick

Blake Mitchell is one of the top players in LSU’s 2023 recruiting class.

LSU signee [autotag]Blake Mitchell[/autotag] likely isn’t making it to campus.

On Sunday night, the Kansas City Royals made Mitchell the eighth overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, joining [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], who went first and second overall.

Mitchell is a class of 2023 commit for [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag]. He is ranked as the No. 1 catcher in the country and the No. 8 prospect in the country by Perfect Game.

This is one of those deals where you recruit the best players in the country and let them decide whether to go to school or to go pro. The ball is now in Mitchell’s court.

Mitchell was taken as the No. 8 overall pick by the Kansas City Royals. Mitchell was presumed to be the Royals’ No. 1 target on their draft board and they believe they can sign him even if they give him over his slot value of $5,980,100.

If Mitchell signs with the Royals, LSU should be okay at catcher. The Tigers still have [autotag]Brady Neal[/autotag] and [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] behind the plate. Plus, we don’t know if [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] or [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] will come back for another 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.

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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LSU’s Jared Jones named Second-Team Freshman All-American

The Marietta, Georgia, native was honored by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Beware the Bear.

[autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] was honored as a Second-Team Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Jones, who’s from Marietta, Georgia, emerged onto the scene in Baton Rouge as a first baseman and designated hitter. He has a batting average of .304 with 14 homers and 45 RBI.

He hasn’t seen as much playing time lately with the progression of [autotag]Cade Beloso[/autotag] at first base and the fact that Jones has been a little banged up recently. Despite that, his future is bright at LSU.

At the start of the season, he is a big reason why the Tigers were doing so well until he got into a slump. Jones will be a cornerstone for the Tigers for at least the next two years.

LSU begins a run at another national title in Omaha this Saturday night at 6 p.m. CT as they take on the Tennessee Volunteers.

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LSU heads to losers’ bracket after SEC tournament loss to Arkansas

LSU will play Texas A&M in an elimination game Friday at 3 p.m. CT.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Hagan Smith[/autotag], the No. 2 seed facing the No. 3 seed, [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and [autotag]Peyton Holt[/autotag] facing each other the storylines wrote themselves ahead of Thursday’s SEC tournament game against Arkansas for LSU.

Ultimately, the Razorbacks will have Friday off while LSU will have to face Texas A&M in an elimination game after the Hogs won 5-4.

[autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] got the scoring started with an RBI single in the top of the first to draw first blood. The Tigers scored again in the fourth inning when [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 LSU.

The Razorbacks flipped the script in the bottom of the fourth inning as they plated five runs (only two earned) against Skenes. That chased him from the mound. He finished the day after going 3.2 innings and allowing 5 runs on four hits, three strikeouts, and two walks.

[autotag]Riley Cooper[/autotag] stepped in to try and finish the inning. With the game tied 2-2, Cooper appeared to have gotten the third out, BUT [autotag]Alex Milazzo[/autotag] was called for catcher’s interference with bases loaded and that scored a run. They scored two more after that to make it 5-2 Arkansas after four innings.

In the top of the eighth inning, [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] hit an RBI single to score Travinski to cut the lead to 5-3 as we headed to the bottom of the eighth. The top of the order was due up in the ninth for the Tigers but could they make a comeback?

[autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] popped out for out number one. Crews then hit a solo homer to cut the lead to 5-4 as [autotag]Paxton Kling[/autotag] came into pinch-hit. Kling struck out for out number two. White grounded out for out number three and Arkansas won 5-4.

With the loss, LSU will play Texas A&M on Friday in an elimination game at 3 p.m. CT.

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Four LSU baseball players receive postseason SEC honors

The list was headlined by Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes, who were named SEC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.

The SEC released its seasonal honors, and four LSU Tigers were a part of it. [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] and [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] all received at least one honor from the conference.

On top of being First Team All-SEC, Crews and Skenes were recognized as the SEC Player of the Year and the SEC Pitcher of the Year, respectively. That’s back-to-back Player of the Year titles for Crews as he plays in what will likely be his last year of college baseball.

The next task facing this Tiger team will be playing in the SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama. The Tigers will face off against either South Carolina or Georgia on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. CT.

Here’s a rundown of each player who was honored.