LSU Baseball's Daniel Cabrera, Cade Beloso Voted to Coaches Preseason All-SEC First-Team

Tigers picked to finish third in SEC West according to coaches

LSU right fielder Daniel Cabrera and first baseman Cade Beloso were named to the Coaches Preseason All-SEC First-Team Thursday. 

Cabrera, who is a career .300 batter for the Tigers with 20 homeruns and 104 RBI, was also selected as a 2020 Preseason First-Team All-American by Baseball America. The junior, who batted .284 in 2019 with 12 homers and 54 RBI, will wear the distinguished No. 8 jersey in 2020, carrying on the legacy of Antoine Duplantis and previous veteran leaders who have been worn it over the years.

"We don’t have that many veteran position players. Daniel is the most talented one we have," coach Paul Mainieri said at Media Day. "I think he just knows the responsibility. I let the player who wears (jersey) number eight decide on who to give it to. When Antoine (Duplantis) wanted to give it to Daniel Cabrera, I asked Daniel how he would feel about that because there is a responsibility of leadership. I was really happy with his response. He wanted the number eight and embraces that responsibility.”

Beloso is entering his sophomore season with the team after .279 with 10 homeruns and 52 RBI in his freshman season as the primary first baseman. He was also named to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament team in 2019 after hitting .375 with one homer and three RBI.

In addition to Beloso and Cabrera's honors, LSU was picked to finish third in the SEC West behind Arkansas and Mississippi State by the coaches. LSU starts its season on Valentine's Day with a three game series against Indiana.