The Saints ended the first two days of preseason Organized Team Activities yesterday. Head Coach Kellen Moore says eighth overall pick Jordyn Tyson, who battled injuries at Arizona State, has been limited through rookie minicamp and OTAs.
Also returning from injury are center Erik McCoy, safety Julian Blackmon and cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. McCoy has missed 10 games in each of the last two seasons and was sidelined by a bicep injury that required significant procedures to repair, but he says he feels 100% after extensive offseason rehab. Blackmon started week one at safety last year but missed almost the entire season with a torn labrum. He’s returned to his role as deep safety, shifting sophomore safety Jonas Sanker into the slot for the majority of first-team reps. Emerson was a full participant after recovering from a torn Achilles. The veteran corner signed with the Saints this offseason after three productive seasons with the Browns
UL-Lafayette will begin its NCAA Baseball tournament run tonight in game two of the Starkville Regional against Cincinnati. The Cajuns are coming off a hot end to the season, winning four out of five games against a then-ranked Coastal Carolina team and finishing the Sun Belt Championship as runner-up behind Southern Miss. They’ll face a Cincinnati team ranked 24th in the country by D-1 Baseball and led by sophomore infielder Quinton Coats, whose 28 homers rank fourth in college baseball. The Bearcats won their last six conference series of the regular season and are 8-and-3 in May. First pitch between the Cajuns and Bearcats is at 6:00. The winner will go on to face host Mississippi State, while the loser takes on Lipscomb in an elimination game.
Chalmette High School product Mitchell Robinson plans to return from pinky surgery for Game One of the NBA Finals. The Knicks center underwent successful surgery on his right pinky finger, which he injured off the court during New York’s Eastern Conference Finals Sweep of the Cavaliers. Robinson is a former five-star recruit out of Chalmette High and has spent eight seasons with the Knicks, who are making their first Finals appearance in 27 years.