When the top ranked Tigers take on South Carolina tonight, it will be the 4,000th in LSU program history. LSU also has a chance with a win tonight and a Vanderbilt loss to clinch the Southeastern Conference regular season championship. Shortstop Alex Bregman says it’s a great opportunity for the team…
cut 17 (15) “….tough test”
This is also a big series for South Carolina. The Gamecocks are 12-15 in the SEC and fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

ULM is fighting for a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament. The Warhawks are currently in a tie for seventh place as they begin a three-game series tonight against the Ragin Cajuns who are in fourth place.

And Southeastern Louisiana can win its first Southland Conference Conference championship with a win tonight over UNO.

Former LSU Tiger Odell Beckham has been voted to be on the cover of the EA Sports Maden NFL 16 video game. Beckham beat out Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski a in vote by the fans.

For the LSU football team to have a lot of success in 2015, they’ll need good play from its defensive line and hope the front four can put more pressure on the quarterback. Coach Les Miles says defensive tackles Christian LaCouture and Davon Godchaux will be able to give them great push and he says the Tigers have some young ends who improved this past spring…
cut 30 (20) “….as well”

And there’s a report the Pelicans are waiting to see if Chicago Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau will be available before starting their heading coach search. Thibodeau’s Bulls could be eliminated tonight and there’s talk he won’t return as Chicago’s coach.

Former LSU Tiger Odell Beckham Junior has been selected to be on the cover of the EA Sports Madden NFL 16 video game. The New Orleans native has become one of the most popular players in the NFL thanks to his acrobatic catches during his rookie campaign in 2015.

Senior Jared Foster is expected to start at second base tonight when the number one ranked LSU baseball team visits South Carolina. Foster, who was ruled academically ineligible last week, was reinstated after an “obscure” NCAA rule was uncovered that restored his eligibility. Foster on his reaction to re-joining the team…
cut 16 (15) “…this way”
LSU has a chance with a win tonight and a Vanderbilt loss to clinch the Southeastern Conference regular season championship. First pitch in Columbia is at 6 PM.

Southeastern Louisiana is closing in on winning the program’s first Southland Conference regular season championship. If the Lions win over UNO tonight, they’ll accomplish that feat.

A Northwestern State loss tonight would also give S-L-U the title. The Demons host red-hot Nicholls State tonight. The Colonels have won nine straight.

In the Sun Belt…the Ragin Cajuns close out the regular season with a three-game series against in-state rival ULM. U-L Lafayette is in fourth place in the league standings and can finish anywhere from second to sixth place. The Warhawks are trying to clinch a spot in the Sun Belt tourney as they are currently in a tie for seventh place in the league.

The SWAC Tournament is already underway….Southern and Grambling are both in the winner’s bracket. Southern defeated Jackson State ten to five yesterday, while Grambling beat Alabama A-and-M 8-3. The Tigers take on Texas Southern tonight, while the Jags face Alabama State at 3 this afternoon.

LSU senior second baseman Jared Foster is back with the Tigers baseball team. He was reinstated after he won an appeal that restored his eligibility. Foster was ruled academically ineligible for the rest of the season last week, but he was allowed back on the team thanks to an obscure NCAA rule that was uncovered. Foster says he’s appreciative for his second chance….
cut 30 (13) “…stay focused”
Foster is expected to be at second base tomorrow night when the Tigers visit South Carolina.

Today at the SWAC Baseball Touranment…Grambling State beat Alabama A-and-M eight to three. Grambling scored four runs in the first inning and catcher Roger Diaz had three hits and drove in three runs. Southern banged out 15 hits in a 10-5 win over Jakcson State. J’Markus George pitched eight innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out ten for the win.

Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps has a big decision to make as he looks for a new head coach. Demps believes the head coaching opening New Orleans is an attractive one….
cut 16 (09) “…right direction”
Demps and the Pelicans front office is looking to build on last season’s campaign, which saw New Orleans win 45 games and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

According to CBS-Sports Jon Rothstein, LSU and Houston have agreed to a four-year home and home series in basketball. The two teams will play each other on December 13th in Houston.

Last night in college baseball…LSU thumped UNO nine to one, Nicholls State won its ninth straight as they defeated U-L Lafayette five to four, thanks to a walk-off home run by Seth Stevens. And Louisiana Tech hit two grand slams in a 13-8 win over Northwestern State.

New Orleans Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps says the decision to release Monty Williams as head coach was one agreed to by everyone within the organization. Williams led the Pels to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, but Demps says the firing decision was not based on what did or did not happen…

cut 14 (08) “moving forward”

Demps says he is going to lead the coaching search which is underway immediately.

In college baseball, the number one ranked LSU Tigers rolled past UNO last night 9-1. Grayson Byrd went 2-5 at the plate and had four RBIs to highlight the Bayou Bengals 12-hit effort. LSU improves to 44-8 as they travel to South Carolina for a three game series beginning Thursday night.

And LSU will play that series with second baseman Jared Foster. Foster had been declared academically ineligible for the rest of the season, but his eligibility was restored after an appeal.

Seth Stevens’ walk-off home run gave Nicholls State a 5-4 win over UL-Lafayette last night at Ray Diddier Field. The win gives the Colonels their first season sweep of the Ragin’ Cajuns since 1996 and extends Nicholls current winning streak to nine games. With the loss, the Cajuns fall to 31-20 overall and will head to Monroe to face ULM in their final regular season Sun Belt series. The Colonels improve to 33-16-1 on the season as they will travel to Natchitoches to wrap up the regular season against Southland Conference rival Northwestern State.

Speaking of the Demons, they fell to Louisiana Tech 13-8. Junior Zac Burger and Senior Colby Johnson each hit a grand slams for the Bulldogs in the contest. Northwestern falls to 29-20. Tech improves to 24-25 and they’ll host Marshall in their regular season finale this weekend.

Southern Miss scored six runs in the fourth inning on their way to beating Tulane 8-4. The Green Wave drops to 31-20 on the year and will travel to Memphis to take on the Tigers in a three game series beginning tomorrow night.

In a stunning move, the Pelicans announced the firing of head coach Monty Williams after five seasons, which included two trips to the playoffs. Jake Madison, a writer for a blog website called Bourbon Street Shots, says the move is surprising considering Owner Tom Benson recently wrote a letter expressing support for Williams, who just guided the Pels to the postseason. But Madison says general manager Dell Demps apparently wanted to go in another direction…
cut 14 (14) “…do that”
Williams told W-W-L TV that the decision made by the franchise hurts and this is the “toughest loss” he’s had in his career.

And the Saints have announced they’ve signed first round pick linebacker Stephone Anthony and third round pick, cornerback P-J Williams. Both contracts are four-year deals.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team begin its last road trip of the regular season as they visit UNO tonight. The Tigers have some question marks with the postseason right around the corner. Closer Jesse Stallings blew another save last weekend and the Tigers haven’t settled on a third weekend starter. But Coach Paul Mainieri says every team in college baseball has its issues, but championship teams overcome their weaknesses…
cut 18 (17) “…get it done”
First pitch tonight against the Privateers is at 6:30.

In other action tonight…Nicholls State looks for its ninth straight win as the Colonels host U-L Lafayette. The Cajuns have lost four of their last six. Louisiana Tech, who has won 11 straight non-conference games, hosts Northwestern State. The Demons have won five in a row overall.

The Saints say an image that has Darren Sharper on it that’s located in Champions Square will be coming down soon. Sharper can be seen on a banner that shows Tracy Porter returning that memorable interception for a touchdown in the 2010 Super Bowl. Sharper is now a confessed serial rapist and a spokesperson for the Saints says they don’t want the perception that Sharper is an individual they’re celebrating. The Saints also say some other banners may also be taken down to freshen up Champions Square, which is located next to the Mercedes Benz Superdome.

Former Saints kicker Garrett Hartley is looking for a job again. Hartley, who was on the Saints 2010 Super Bowl team, has been released by the Cleveland Browns.

W-W-L’s Kristian Garic reports the Saints have recently met with free agent defensive tackle Kevin Williams. The 34-year-old has been to six Pro Bowls and had three sacks for Seattle last year.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team hosts UNO tonight and then it’s off to South Carolina for the final three-game series of the regular season. It’s like the Tigers will be a national seed, but Coach Paul Mainieri is not taking anything for granted…
cut 17 (12) “…the end”
First pitch tonight is at 6:30 from Maestri Field in New Orleans.

Also tonight….Nicholls State looks for its ninth straight win as the Colonels host U-L Lafayette. The Cajuns have lost four of their last six. Louisiana Tech, who has won 11 straight non-conference games, hosts Northwestern State tonight. The Demons have won five in a row overall.

Also tonight…Tulane hosts Southern Miss.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team plays its final non-conference game of the season tonight as they visit the UNO Privateers. On paper this looks like a big mismatch as the Tigers are 43-and-8 overall, while the Privateers are 14-and-36. But LSU Coach Paul Mainieri knows UNO will be fired up to play this game…

cut 16 (11) “for their season”

LSU has four more regular season games left then the SEC Tournament, before the NCAA Tournament field is released.

In other college baseball action, Nicholls State puts their eight-game winning streak on the line when they host UL-Lafayette tonight. Northwestern State takes on Louisiana Tech and Tulane takes on Southern Miss in a makeup game from April 14.

The New Orleans Saints have announced they’ve signed six of their 2015 draft picks and that includes Quarterback Garrett Grayson and linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha.

Of course, the big story out of the NFL is that the league has suspended Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the upcoming season. The franchise has also been fined one-million dollars and loses its 2016 first round draft pick as a result of an investigation that looked into the Patriots purposely deflating footballs to lower amounts that the league has specified. Brady’s agent says the quarterback plans to appeal the suspension. By the way, the Saints will play New England in week two of the preseason.

There are reports that Ruston athletic director and former football coach Billy Laird suffered a stroke over the weekend. According to K-T-V-E’s Brady Renard, doctors are still performing tests. Laird was the head football coach Ruston, before stepping down a couple of years ago. He was a quarterback at Louisiana Tech prior Terry Bradshaw in the 1960s.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team is in position to win a bunch of championships over the next six weeks. The Tigers swept Missouri this past weekend, leaving their magic number to clinch an SEC Regular season title at two. LSU’s magic number to win the SEC west is one. LSU is at UNO on Tuesday and then they can win an SEC title during a three-game series at South Carolina, which starts Thursday. Coach Paul Mainieri on the LSU Sports Radio Network…
cut 19 (17) “….for championships”
LSU right-hander Alex Lange has been named SEC Freshman of the Week. Lange allowed just one run on two hits in seven innings as the Tigers defeated Missouri eight to two on Saturday.

The Saints have announced they’ve signed six of their 2015 draft picks and that includes Quarterback Garrett Grayson and linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha. (Ha-ol-e Ki-Ka-ha).

But the big story out of the NFL is that the league has suspended Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the upcoming season. The franchise has also been fined one-million dollars and loses its 2016 first round draft pick as a result of an investigation that looked into the Patriots purposely defalating footballs to lower amounts that the league has specified. The Saints by the way, will play New England in week two of the preseason.

There are reports that Ruston athletic director and former football coach Billy Laird suffered a stroke over the weekend. Acccording to K-T-VE’s Brady Renard, doctors are still performing tests. Laird was the head football coach Ruston, before stepping down a couple of years ago. He was a quarterback at Louisiana Tech prior Terry Bradsaw in the 1960s.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team completed a sweep of the Missouri Tigers with a six to five, 10-inning victory to finish out the regular season schedule at Alex Box Stadium. Jake Fraley had the winning hit, as Conner Hale scored from third base.

Hale led the Tigers at the plate on Sunday. He had three hits, drove in two runs and scored twice. Coach Paul Mainieri on the LSU Sports Radio Network says the senior from Florida has had a special season…
cut 18 (15) “…tough pitcher”
The Tigers have a two-game lead in the loss column over Vanderbilt for the overall lead in the SEC.

Southeastern Louisiana’s magic number to clinch a Southland Conference regular season title is at one as the Lions clobbered Central Arkansas 11-5 yesterday.

Brenn Conrad delivered a two-out, two-run single in the 8th inning as the Ragin Cajuns edged South Alabama three to two on Sunday. The Cajuns improved to 31-and-19 overall, 15-and-11 in conference play.

Keelin Rasch was 5-for-5 at the plate as ULM beat Arkansas Little Rock six to one. Brandon Bell threw six shutout innings to earn the victory.

Louisiana Tech scored five runs in the final three innings, but lost to Old Dominion six to five yesterday as they were swept in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Conference USA meetings begin today. Louisiana Tech will push to have the 2015 men’s and women’s basketball tournament to be held in Shreveport-Bossier City.

Also, former Louisiana Tech men’s basketball coach Michael White was introduced today as the new head coach at Florida.

LSU and UL Lafayette have found out they are hosting regionals in the NCAA Softball Tournament. The Tigers will welcome, Texas Southern, Nebraska and Arizona State to Baton Rouge. The Cajuns have Weber State, Mississippi State and Baylor coming to Lamson Park.

The number one ranked LSU baseball beat number 21 Missouri six to five in ten innings yesterday to complete a three game sweep of Mizzou. The Tigers won, despite falling behind 3-0 in the 1st inning. Coach Paul Mainieri on the LSU Sports Radio Network liked how his team battled back…

cut 17 (11) “of the season”

LSU is at UNO on Tuesday and then they visit South Carolina for a three-game series on Thursday. The Tigers have a two-game lead in the loss column over Vanderbilt for the overall lead in the SEC.

Both the LSU and UL-Lafayette softball teams will host regionals in this year’s NCAA Softball Tournament. LSU gets a number 5 seed and will welcome Texas Southern, Arizona State, and Nebraska to Tiger Park. UL-Lafayette nabs the number 13 national seed and welcomes Baylor, Mississippi State, and Weber State for tournament play that begins Friday.

In Sun Belt baseball action over the weekend, ULM defeated Arkansas-Little Rock 6-1 yesterday to take the weekend series. UL-Lafayette dropped two out of three against league leader South Alabama. The Ragin Cajuns drop to fourth place in the conference standings. UL-Lafayette will travel to face ULM in a regular season ending series beginning Friday.

In the Southland, McNeese State swept Grambling. The Cowboys will finish their regular season at Central Arkansas. Northwestern State won three from Abilene Christian and Nicholls State swept UNO. The Colonels will host UL-Lafayette tomorrow before facing the Demons in Natchitoches to finish the season. And Southeastern Louisiana won two of three against Central Arkansas. The Lions will host UNO beginning Thursday. Heading into the final week of the regular season, Southeastern sits on top of the conference standings followed by Northwestern, Nicholls, and McNeese State. The Lions are already assured a spot in the conference tournament.