Baseball

Cade Beloso helps LSU win Men's College World Series: 'You just have to thank God'

By Joshua Doering Jun 27, 2023
Cade Beloso celebrates LSU winning the Men's College World Series on June 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)

The LSU baseball team made the unusual decision not to have a team meeting following Sunday’s 24-4 loss to Florida in Game 2 of the Men’s College World Series Finals. There wasn’t anything that needed to be said.

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Monday was a new day, and the Tigers had more than enough motivation with a national championship on the line.

They gave up a two-run shot in the bottom of the first, but answered with six runs in the second and cruised to an 18-4 victory. The national title is the seventh in program history and the first since 2009.

Instrumental to LSU’s success all season was designated hitter and Louisiana native Cade Beloso. His home run in the 11th inning of Game 1 put the Tigers one win away from a national title, and he drove in two more runs in Monday’s winner-take-all Game 3.

The fifth-year senior’s journey the last 18 months made the celebration even sweeter. He tore the ACL in his left knee during the pregame huddle before the team’s 2022 season opener and decided to have season-ending surgery.

Though Beloso contemplated quitting baseball after the injury, he ultimately decided he didn’t want his time at LSU to end with him watching from the dugout as his team lost back-to-back games against Southern Miss in last year’s NCAA Tournament regional. He came back in 2023 and hit more home runs (16) than he had in first first three seasons combined (14).

“To leave LSU a national champion, it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. … Every time we see each other, you’re going to remember the national championship,” Beloso said in Monday’s postgame press conference. “You’re going to remember hugging at the end. You’re not going to remember what happened in each game along the way.”

Beloso leaned on his faith in God during his ACL recovery and gave thanks to the Lord on Monday for providing him with the strength to battle through adversity.

“I thank God so much for giving me the strength every day, highs and lows, riding them all, and appreciating the little things,” he told local TV station WESH after the win. “Man, His grace is unbelievable.”

On the outside of Beloso’s right arm is a tattoo that says “AO1” — short for “Audience of One” — with a cross inside the “O.” His faith is also prominently displayed on his social media accounts, where he’s included “Audience of One” in his Twitter bio and “Follower of Christ” in his Instagram bio.

In the middle of everything happening Monday night, Beloso sent out a tweet giving God the glory.

He also thanked God again during an on-field interview posted to the NCAA Baseball Twitter account.

“This means the world to me. I can’t put it into words,” Beloso said. “You just have to thank God for putting us in this position, allowing us to play baseball every day and just giving us the strength to overcome the good and the bad. I’m just so thankful. So many people to thank for this. I just love LSU so much.”

Through the highs and the lows, Beloso never stopped trusting God’s plan for him. Now he’s leaving the program he grew up watching as a national champion.

“I believe God has a plan for everybody,” he told LSUReveille.com last month. “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.”

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