Tag: Tre Morgan

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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Watch as LSU baseball’s Jared Jones reminds of Tre Morgan with web gem

LSU’s Jared Jones made a play reminiscent of Tre Morgan’s series saving play against Wake Forest.

LSU baseball fell to 2-6 in conference play on Friday night, but it wasn’t without a few highlights.

First basemen [autotag]Jared Jones[/autotag] made a play on defense reminiscent of Tre Morgan’s College World Series play that proved to be critical in LSU’s win over Wake Forest.

The situations were nearly identical. Both were tie games later with runners at the corner and one out. That’s a situation where offenses will look to bunt that runner home.

LSU’s first basemen were ready, wasting no time to charge the bunt and get the out at home, preserving the tie.

Check out both plays below.

Morgan’s play offered a spark to LSU that night and the Tigers advanced to the World Series final.

That’s where the similarities end. LSU’s lineup didn’t find the same late-game success on Friday night, going scoreless the rest of the way and allowing Arkansas to walk it off with a run in the 10th.

LSU will look to avoid a series sweep on Saturday afternoon.

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Two LSU baseball players named preseason All-Americans by D1Baseball

LSU is expecting big years from Tommy White and Luke Holman.

We’re less than a month away from LSU baseball beginning its national title defense, and the preseason honors are rolling in.

[autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] and [autotag]Luke Holman[/autotag] were named preseason All-American by D1Baseball.

White is expected to be one of the top hitters in the sport after a 2023 campaign that saw him homer 24 times while driving in 105 runs. Along with that, he posted a .725 slugging and a 1.158 OPS.

Holman, who was one of the best available transfers on the market, joins LSU after spending two years at Alabama. In 15 starts last year, he had an ERA of 3.67 to go along with 87 strikeouts in 81 innings.

LSU needs big years from both White and Holman. White will be expected to anchor the lineup with [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] gone.

LSU will be counting on Holman to help replace the void left in the rotation with [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] now playing professional baseball.

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Tre Morgan off to hot start in Rays organization

Another former Tiger is off to a scorching hot start with his professional club.

Following his success with LSU in the College World Series, [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] is off to a hot start in the Rays organization.

The Rays used their third-round pick on Morgan last month. He was lauded for his bat to ball skills and elite defense. So far, he’s living up to the hype.

In Single-A, he’s hitting .400 and to pair with his .538 on-base percentage.

On the whole, Morgan’s professional OPS is sitting at 1.063 with 13 hits in just nine games. Morgan is producing despite being a year younger than the average player in his league.

Perhaps the most impressive feat thus far is Morgan has only struck out once.

It’s early and Morgan still has a lot to prove at this level, but with his defense, we could see Morgan in the big leagues sooner than most third-round picks.

He was a three-year starter at LSU, so he’s no stranger to big-time baseball.

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LSU reliever Garrett Edwards goes to the Rays in Round 11

Garrett Edwards has heard his name called in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB draft.

[autotag]Garrett Edwards[/autotag] has heard his name called in the 11th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He was picked by the Tampa Bay Rays.

He will join [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] in the minor leagues as he begins his path to the majors. Edwards is coming off his best season on the bayou. He had a 4-0 record with a 1.93 ERA as he struck out 27 hitters and only walked five out of the bullpen.

Edwards got roughed up in his last outing of the season against South Carolina, but his stuff is still really good. He makes a lot of hitters swing-and-miss and he forces a lot of ground balls. That is a big reason why he was picked.

Edwards has the option to come back to school if he chooses, but he would be in a good situation in Tampa Bay. According to The Advocate’s Leah Vann, he received fifth-round caliber money.

The Rays are the best team in the American League right now, and they do a good job developing pitchers.

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Washington Nationals draft Gavin Dugas in 6th round

Dylan Crews won’t be going to the nation’s capital alone.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] won’t be going to Washington, D.C., alone. [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] was selected by the Washington Nationals in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB draft.

Dugas played at LSU for five years and played in 201 games for the Tigers. He was the embodiment of what it means to be an LSU Tiger. When LSU needed a clutch play, Dugas always seemed to come through. He spent last season flipping between second base and shortstop but he may find himself in the outfield at the next level.

Dugas has a career batting average of .287 with 35 doubles, five triples, 44 homers, 148 RBI and a national championship trophy. Dugas becomes the sixth player from last year’s team to be selected in the 2023 MLB draft, joining [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag], [autotag]Grant Taylor[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag].

He will likely head to Single-A to start his career in the minors, possibly back on the same team as Crews unless they send Crews straight to Double-A.

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Tre Morgan goes to Tampa Bay in Round 3 of 2023 MLB draft

Captain Morgan is headed to the Bay.

Captain Morgan is headed to the Bay.

The Tampa Bay Rays selected Tigers first baseman [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] with the 88th pick in the third round of the 2023 MLB draft on Monday afternoon.

Morgan was one of my favorite players on this year’s team. There isn’t anything he couldn’t do. We are all used to just how good he is at first base but this year he even played in left field and he looked like he could play out there if a pro team needs him to.

During his career at LSU, Morgan hit .332 with 49 doubles, 20 homers and 149 RBI. Morgan is a kid that was a pivotal part of LSU’s title run. Had he not rushed that bunt and thrown home for the out against Wake Forest, the Tigers may have never made it to the national championship series.

He’s going to a great spot as the Tampa Bay Rays are one of the best teams in baseball right now. They have the second-best record in the MLB, only behind the Atlanta Braves.

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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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