The baseball career of LSU designated hitter Cade Beloso can best be described as a roller coaster, as cliché as that may be.
Like most roller coasters, it featured a steady rise to the top.
Throughout high school, he progressively improved into an SEC caliber prospect, most notably on offense.
As a freshman, his batting average and on-base percentage were still well above the national average at .321 and .419 respectively. By the time he was a senior, those percentages had increased all the way to .489 and .616.
He received All-America honors from every recruiting board imaginable coming out of John Curtis High School, a high school residing just an hour-and-a-half’s drive away from the Box. And Perfect Game listed him as the No. 8 prospect in the state.
Many would expect the rise to stall there, as the transition from high school to SEC baseball isn’t exactly seamless. But Beloso immediately made a name for himself. As a freshman, he logged 58 starts, had a respectable batting average of .279 and was second on the team in RBIs with 52 and third in home runs with 10.
Through 17 games in 2020, he sported an improved batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. But unfortunately, that’s where the drops finally appeared.
COVID-19 forced the 2020 season to a halt and when baseball action resumed, Beloso struggled. Though his on-base percentage slightly improved, his batting average and slugging percentage dipped to .226 and .354 respectively.
Still, heading into what was expected to be his last season with the Tigers, many expected him to play a key role in a potential postseason run, himself included.
But during preseason warmups for LSU’s opening day game against Maine, the ride endured its biggest and most worrisome drop, as his season came to an abrupt end. While getting hyped with his teammates, an awkward landing resulted in him tearing his ACL.
Beloso recalled being told his season was over just five minutes before the opening game began, a shock he wasn’t fully prepared to experience. That shock turned into anger, not just because of the prospect of missing a season that hadn’t even begun yet, but also because he wanted to help his team succeed.
“I’m just angry that it happened at that point too. We had a good team last year and I felt like I could have helped that team even more too,” Beloso said. “I didn’t really think ‘why now’ but it kind of crept into the back of my mind, like ‘why is this happening’.”
He was forced to watch from the sidelines as his team went through its ups and downs and ultimately got knocked out by its regional host in Southern Mississippi.
Though there were talks of him returning that season, Beloso and Johnson believed it was best for him to get surgery done so he would be back at 100% when he returned. He had never experienced surgery or rehab prior to that, both of which were difficult to endure.
“I didn’t know how to handle rehab or anything like that,” Beloso said. “I was just kind of confused and angry.”
Through the months following his injury, his outlook on the situation progressively changed. Through his faith, he interpreted it as something that he had to go through and that it happened for a reason.
“I believe God has a plan for everybody,” Beloso said. “Your plan’s laid out whether you know it or not, so you’ve just got to trust God’s plan with that. I think everything absolutely happens for a reason.”
He believes he was meant to play on this team, one that could certainly use him in pursuit of a national championship. He also believes the experience made him stronger both physically and mentally, which is reflected in his statistics.
As it stands, Beloso is having the best season of his career, with his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage all sitting at career highs. He’s also one shy of tying his career high for home runs in a season, with four of those coming conference matchups.
He’s set to play his last SEC series in Alex Box Stadium this weekend, assuming LSU doesn’t draw a conference opponent in a potential regional. The emotions of that fact haven’t quite set in, but one thing is clear to him, he has loved playing in front of LSU’s crowds and representing this university.
“I’ve been through a lot here, a lot of good memories, not-so-great memories,” Beloso said. “But I’m just so thankful for the university. Playing here means so much to me, just growing up watching Jerry Mitchell, Mikie Mahtook, Nolan Cain, the list goes on.
“I’m going to miss this place, but I’m just so thankful for this opportunity. It’s been the time of my life.”
