Five LSU baseball student-athletes receive degrees

BATON ROUGE, La. – Five members of the 2023 LSU baseball team have earned degrees as graduation ceremonies are held Friday on the LSU campus.

The Spring 2023 baseball graduates are second baseman Gavin Dugas (Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Construction Management); first baseman Cade Beloso (Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Construction Management); catcher Hayden Travinski (Sport Administration); pitcher Bryce Collins (History); and infielder Jack Merrifield (Management).

The graduates are presently in Athens, Ga., for the Tigers’ SEC series versus Georgia.

Dugas, a product of Houma, La., has played in 183 games at LSU with 160 career starts, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in Sport Administration in the Spring of 2022. He has produced 32 doubles, five triples, 40 home runs and 141 RBI over the past five seasons.

He is batting .299 this season as the Tigers’ lead-off hitter with nine doubles, two triples, 13 homers and 39 RBI. Dugas is No. 3 in the nation in hit-by-pitch with 25 on the year.

He led the SEC in RBI in 2021 with 66, and he was No. 3 in the league in home runs that season. Dugas was voted the 2021 NCAA Eugene Regional Most Outstanding Player, leading the Tigers to the regional title by hitting .438 (7-for-16) with one double, two triples, three home runs, six RBI and seven runs scored.

A three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Dugas wears LSU jersey No. 8, which is given each season to the upperclassman who exemplifies the spirit of LSU Baseball through his leadership and dedication to the program.

Beloso, a native of New Orleans, La., has played in 174 games (153 starts) over the past five seasons. He has delivered 20 doubles, three triples and 24 home runs, including a walk-off blast to defeat Army in 2019.

Beloso, a four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, earned a bachelor’s degree in Sport Administration in the Spring of 2022. He has been a force in the middle of the Tigers’ lineup this season, batting .300 with three doubles, one triple, 10 homers and 35 RBI.

He was named to the 2019 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team, as he hit .375 with one homer and three RBI in helping lead the Tigers to the regional title.

Travinski, a product of Shreveport, La., has played in 97 career games at LSU with 41 starts. He has recorded seven doubles, 18 homers and 47 RBI over the past five seasons.

Travinski is enjoying his best career season in 2023, as he has emerged as a potent factor in the LSU lineup. He is hitting .426 this season in 26 games played with three doubles, seven homers and 20 RBI.

A two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Travinski has homered once in each of LSU’s last five SEC series versus Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State and Georgia.

Collins, a native of Valencia, Calif., joined the LSU program prior to the 2022 season after transferring from Arizona. He has appeared in 35 games (two starts) for the Tigers over the past two seasons, posting a 5-2 record with 55 strikeouts in 48 innings while limiting opponents to a .201 cumulative batting average.

Collins, a member of the 2022 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, fired 9.1 straight scoreless innings over seven relief appearances from March 21-April 23 of this season, allowing just one hit with seven walks and 13 strikeouts.

Merrifield, a product of Prairieville, La., transferred to LSU prior to the 2022 season from LSU-Eunice, where he was voted the 2021 NJCAA National Defensive Player of the Year.

Merrifield, a member of the 2022 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, has played in 51 games (15 starts) at LSU, producing three doubles, 14 RBI and 11 runs scored.

Academic achievement has been a cornerstone of the LSU baseball program, as 114 student-athletes have earned degrees over the past 16 years. In addition, LSU players have received SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition on 163 occasions since 2007.