Q&A: Beloso, Jones, Skenes discuss personal journeys, maximizing potential at LSU

LSU is just over a week from its first game against Western Michigan to begin its 2023 season. Over the past couple of weeks Jay Johnson and several key players have met with the media to discuss this season’s outlook, the expectations, and how this team is different. The Tigers have a huge target on their back as the unanimous No. 1 team in the country according to every poll and it’s almost time for the rubber to meet the road.

On Thursday afternoon, senior infielder Cade Beloso, freshman catcher Jared Jones, and junior pitcher Paul Skenes met with the media to talk about the season, their personal journey’s and more.

Cade Beloso

How do you feel?

“I feel good, just trying to get my knee as strong as possible and keep it loose. It’s stiff when it’s cold outside, but I feel really good right now and in a good place.”

On coming back for another season

“It was a no-brainer for me. That’s not how I wanted to finish my career. It’s not how I envisioned my senior year to go. I talked to coach Johnson and he said ‘let’s get surgery and get back ready to go.’”

On the infield play

“Everybody is playing much lower and with more confidence this year. We didn’t have a lot of confidence last year. Everyone’s playing well and working hard. [Tommy] looks the part at third. A big part of his game is defense and he’s worked really hard to become a great infielder. His hitting speaks for itself. Jordan [Thompson] had knee surgery right before the season and he still played because the team needed him. What he went through was tough, but that speaks volumes about him as a player. He looks unreal right now.”

On his swing after the injury

“It’s getting back to loading on that leg because it’s my surgically repaired leg. It’s been about transferring the weight onto the leg then transferring back for the swing. We worked hard over the summer and we’re still working hard to get it as right as possible.”

Jared Jones

Why LSU?

“There’s a rich history here of winning and that’s something I value greatly. I want to contribute to these numbers on the wall.”

The potential of also playing first base

“I played a little first base. In travel ball, when we’d play three games I wouldn’t catch all three, so I was playing first. I feel comfortable over there. Obviously it’s an adjustment, but I’m comfortable and i’ve played a little bit.”

Learning more at the catcher position

“I’ve tried being more consistent behind the plate. Blocking what needs to be blocked, framing pitches off the edge and stealing as many strikes as possible. Positioning wise, now we have scouting reports, spray charts, and everything to know.”

How would you describe Jay Johnson’s approach 

“Coach Johnson does a great job at slowing people down and not even focusing on games yet. We have another week to prepare and that’s where our minds are right now.”

Why play college ball instead of going pro?

“The college atmosphere and winning environment [was important]. You get to pro ball and it’s about developing you for pro ball and it’s not about winning. I’m a competitive person and wanted to add more trophies here and take my time with it and not miss out on the college experience.”

Was it a hard decision to not go pro?

“Not really with it being at LSU. Coach Johnson talked to me throughout this process and ultimately me and my family decided LSU was where I needed to be.”

Paul Skenes

On the transition to LSU

“It’s been awesome. The people in the south are so nice and the fans are awesome. It’s been cool to make relationships with the people here and see them at the games. And obviously the food is great here.”

Playing against LSU two years ago

“I won a conference championship last year. That and opening my career here were some of the coolest moments I’ve had.”

On enjoying this year

“I’m happy with where I’m at, just trying to take it one day at a time and enjoy time with the guys because I know that this will probably be my last year of college baseball and after this it won’t be the same. It’s a blessing to be here with them.”

Balancing hitting and pitching

“It’s dynamic. It’s a lot of taking swings three or four times a week and feeling it out. If I don’t feel good I’m not going to take swings because we know how important it is to throw. We have a lot of guys that can hit, so the priority is to throw every weekend. I’m preparing to hit, though.”

How the staff and technology has helped him

“I’ve gotten a better understanding of my body. There haven’t been any huge movement changes, but understanding how my body moves as a whole on the pitching side and the hitting side has [helped] a lot. We’ve been doing more drills to help me understand my body and understand how to move better.”

How the technology is used at LSU

“This is a complete 180 from where I’ve been. We didn’t have access to any of the [data and technology]. I’m a guy that wants to know the why and the how, so I’ll ask about that a lot and get into the details. I just want to understand what makes me good, but also what makes Grant Taylor and Thatcher Hurd good and learn from that.”

His strengths as a pitcher

“Competing and being able to get out of situations. Actually throwing, I’d say throwing all four pitches and being a lot more consistent with my command of all four pitches.”

On wanting to hit and pitch moving forward

“It’s a blessing to be able to hit and pitch. I came into college and I thought I was going to be a catcher and didn’t think I was going to pitch. Then I got better as a pitcher and just grew into my body and since then I’ve been living out a lot of kids’ dreams. It’s something I take pride in and try to keep up with every day. I want to keep doing it as long as I can.”

On his dreams going to the Air Force

“I grew up and the reason I went to the Air Force is because I wanted to be a fighter pilot out of high school. It was a reality for me and so I wanted to fly F-16s, F-15s, just something fast, but I realized my freshman year I would be too big. The goal last year was to graduate and fly C-17s. That’s still an option down the road, but it was tough to walk away from.”