LSU baseball has won four in a row and they are ranked fifth by Baseball America. The Tigers are coming off a sweep over Missouri. They had 40 hits in the three victories and Coach Paul Mainieri says they faced two of the better starting pitchers in the conference…
cut 18 (12) “…get down”
LSU’s next game is tomorrow night when they host Southeastern Louisiana.

In action tonight…24th ranked UL Lafayette hosts Nicholls state. Earlier this season, the Cajuns beat the Colonels five to four in Thibodaux. Northwestern State is at Lousiana Tech. The Bulldogs are 20-12 on the year, while the Demons are 18-17.

Elsewhere….Grambling hosts Wiley and Southern Miss is at Tulane.

Louisiana Tech introduces Brooke Stoehr as the new head coach of the Lady Techsters women’s basketball program. She replaces Tyler Summit, who resigned after two seasons as a result of an inappropriate relationship. Stoehr is a former assistant coach at Tech and she helped the Lady Techsters win four regular season conference titles as a player.

Northwestern State is mourning the death of John McConathy. He’s the father of current Demons Coach Mike McConathy and he’s considered one of Northwestern’s greatest basketball players. John McConathy was an all-american at the Natchitoches school and the fifth pick in the 1951 NBA draft. He was 86 years old.

Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson will not have just one, but two horses who will run in the Kentucky Derby on May 7th. MO Tom and Tom’s Ready will part of the field of 20 horses who will run for the Roses at Churchill Downs.

After a slow start in conference play, LSU finds itself just one game back of Texas A&M for first place in the SEC West. The Bayou Bengals are 9-6 in the SEC and Coach Paul Manieri is pleased at this time…:
Cut 17 (16) “9-6″
Baseball America has the Tigers at NO. 5, while USA Today Coaches ranks LSU seventh. The Bayou Bengals host Southland-leading Southeastern tomorrow night.

In the D-1 Baseball poll, UL-Lafayette is ranked 24. The 24-12 Ragin Cajuns host Nicholls State today. Loyola is at Southern. Louisiana Tech hosts Northwestern State. Grambling hosts Wiley. Tulane hosts Southern Miss.

McNeese’s Collin Kober has been named the Southland Pitcher of the Week.

A reserve New Orleans Police officer who dined with Will Smith the night the former Saints player was shot to death has been pulled from the force, according to a report from WWL-TV. Billy Ceravolo has been retired but served with the department in its reserve ranks. According to the TV station, NOPD officials said they took the action to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Coming off the abrupt resignation of Tyler Summitt who admitted to having an inappropriate relationship, Louisiana Tech announces the hiring of Brooke Stoehr to be its next women’s basketball coach.

Tom and Gayle Benson own two entries in the Kentucky Derby Saturday — Mo Tom and Tom’s ready. Mr. Benson says he is excited to share with New Orleans and Louisiana the experience of having two local horses in the most prestigious race in the country.

Former NFL players already diagnosed with brain injuries linked to repeated concussions, could begin receiving benefits in the coming months after a federal appeals court Monday upheld a $1 billion dollar plan by the league to settle thousands of lawsuits.

LSU is coming off its first SEC series sweep of the year and they’ve won four in a row, which has put them back in the Top 10 in several polls. Baseball America has the Tigers ranked fifth, the USA Today Coaches Poll has them at number seven and D-1 Baseball has the Bayou Bengals ranked 10th.

UL Lafayette is ranked 24th in the D-1 poll. The Cajuns won two of three from Southeastern Louisiana.

McNeese’s Collin Kober has been named the Southland Pitcher of the Week. The right-hander earned three saves in the Cowboys four victories last week. McNeese is at UL Lafayette on Wednesday and they’ll host Southland-leading Southeastern this weekend.

Co-head coach of the Northwestern State woman’s basketball, Brooke Stoehr, will be the new head coach of the Lady Techsters. The 35-year-old played for La Tech and helped them reach a final four and win four conference titles.

At LSU’s spring game, fans were able to get a look at the Tigers new back-up quarterback, Danny Etling, a transfer from Purdue. Etling was 6-of=-12 for 106 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Starting quarterback Brandon Harris enjoys the compeitition….
cut 18 (13) “…get better”
In Lafayette, Cajuns Coach Mark Hudspeth is holding off on naming a starting QB. Freshman Chris Weaver outperformed Jordan Davis in the spring game.

At Louisiana Tech’s spring game, Jaylon Ferguson had three sacks. The former West Feliciana High standout had six sacks last season and knows a lot will be expected from him in 2016….
cut 20 (12) “…for it”

After sweeping Missouri, LSU finds itself ranked in the top 10 in the major college baseball polls. Baseball America has the Tigers ranked fifth, while D1 baseball has LSU at number ten.

The Ragin Cajuns are back in the D1 top 25 poll. UL Lafayette has won 12 of its last 15 and they are coming off a weekend where they won two of three from Southeastern Louisiana.

Talking a look at the Southland standings, Southeastern is still in first place with a 13-2 league record. McNeese is gaining on the Lions. The Cowboys took two of three from Lamar this past weekend.

In Conference USA, Louisiana Tech took of three from FIU. The Bulldogs won the series finale 5 to nothing as Casey Sutton tossed a complete game three-hit shutout.

In the SWAC, Grambling and Arkansas Pine-Bluff are tied for first in the SWAC West division.

LSU starting quarterback Brandon Harris was 11-of-15 for 106 yards in Saturday’s spring game. Harris liked what he accomplished…
cut 17 (11) “…go out”
At Louisiana Tech’s spring game, new starting quarterback Ryan Higgins threw for 469 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Two freshmen wide receivers stood out. Kam McKnight had 8 catches for 106 yards and one touchdown, while Alfred Smith grabbed four passes for 120 yards. Higgins says McKnight and Smith will be really good football players…
cut 19 (16) “…as well”

State Police Col Mike Edmonson wrote a letter to the lawyer of the man accused in the shooting and killing of former Saints player Will Smith, saying they will not take over the murder investigation. John Fuller, attorney for 28-year-old Cardell Hayes, made the request of state police. Edmonson says he’s confident city police can conduct an objective and professional investigation. Smith was allegedly gunned down by Hayes last weekend in what police call a road-rage incident.

Spring football is over for the Tigers and the anticipation for the 2016 season begins. Based on a large number of starters returning, LSU will be ranked in the Top 10 in the preseason polls. Coach Les Miles says if the Tigers want to be a national title contender, they must be dedicated to improving…:
Cut 16 (20) “to be elite”

At Louisiana Tech’s spring game, new starting quarterback Ryan Higgins threw for 469 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Two freshmen wide receivers stood out. Kam McKnight had 8 catches for 106 yards and one touchdown, while Alfred Smith grabbed four passes for 120 yards. Tech opens the season September 3rd at Arkansas.

In college baseball, LSU completed the three game SEC series sweep at Missouri following a 15-2 pounding on Sunday.

UL-Lafayette rallied for five runs in the 6th to overcome a three-run deficit and defeat Southeastern 5-4 on Sunday to take the series in Hammond.

McNeese State secured their series with a 1-0 shutout over No. 25 Lamar. ULM picked up the 5-3 win over Georgia State marking the Warhawks’ second consecutive series win.

Nicholls State fell to Central Arkansas 7-2 in Thibodaux. Southern beat Prairie View 13-9.

LSU’s Ben Simmons was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association men’s college basketball player of the year.

The LSU baseball team fell behind two to nothing last night to Missouri but exploded for five runs in the third inning and went on to beat the other Tigers seven to five. Bryce Jordan hit a three-run homer in that five-run third. Relief pitcher Hunter Newman made LSU’s lead hold up as he pitched three scoreless innings of relief for his second save of the season…
cut 30 (10) “….base dugout”
That’s Chris Blair on the LSU Sports Radio Network calling Newman’s strikeout to end the 8th inning. LSU and Missouri go at it again today at 2 PM.

In other action, the Ragin Cajuns defeated Southeastern four to one. Brenn Conrad and Joe Robbins each solo home runs for UL Lafayette. Georgia State beat ULM seven to three, FIU blanked Louisiana Tech 1-0. Lamar over McNeese five to one, Northwestern upended UNO six to one and Nicholls defeated Central Arkansas eight to two.

Should be outstanding weather for all of the spring football games that will take place today across the state. LSU’s spring game begins at 3 PM at Tiger Stadium and can be seen on the SEC Network. Coach Les Miles says the first-team offense will go up against the first-team defense for about 25 plays.

UL Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, ULM, McNeese, Northwestern and Southeastern will all have spring games today.

Two football stars were remembered fondly yesterday as a public visitation for former Saints defensive end Will Smith took place at the team’s training facility in Metairie. Funeral services also took place in Madisonville for former LSU and Saints running back Hokie Gajan, who died of cancer. Smith’s number 91 and Gajan’s number 46 were displayed on the side of the Superdome last night.

The LSU gymnastics squad will compete for a national championship today. The Tigers are in the Super Six compeitition, which will be shown on ESPN-U at eight PM from the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Former coaches, teammates, friends and fans are at the Saints training facility to pay their final respects to former Saint Will Smith. The team is showing highlights of the defensive end’s career on televisions, there’s large pictures of Smith and his preserved high school locker is also on display. Funeral services were also this afternoon for former Saints and LSU running back Hokie Gajan, who died after a battle with cancer.

The 2016 schedule for the Saints is out and based on winning percentages from last season, it won’t be easy for the Black and Gold to get back in the playoffs. New Orleans opens the season by hosting Oakland. They have one Monday night game and that’s September 26th against Atlanta. They visit Carolina for a Thursday night game on November 17th. Three of the team’s last four games are on the road, including a trip to Arizona on December 18th.

LSU’s spring game is tomorrow at 3 PM. The first team offense will face the first team defense for 20 to 25 plays in the first half. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says the most interesting aspect of Saturday’s spring game is what will new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda’s 3-4 defensive scheme look like…
cut 17 (19) “….are lining up”
Worsham says keep an eye on rookie linebackers Devin White and Michael Divinity Junior who are early-enrollees.

The LSU baseball team begins a three-game series tonight against Missouri. The Tigers are 8-0 all time against the other Tigers from the SEC East. In other action, UL Lafayette battes Southeastern this weekend, Northwestern is at UNO, ULM hosts Georgia State and Louisiana Tech begins a nine-game homestand against FIU.

The LHSAA has called a special meeting where member principals will have the opportunity to vote on a new playoff format that’s different from the public-private school split. The new playoff proposal would end the split in Classes 5A and 4A and it would create metro and rural divisions in Classes 1A though 3A. It would also combine classes B and C. Chairman of the High School Relations Committee Michael Boyer says in football the number of state championships would be reduced from nine to eight…
cut 19 (14) “…one yet”
A date has not been set for the special meeting.

The dates are set for the Saints 2016 schedule. New Orleans will open the regular season at home against Oakland, they’ll also host Atlanta for a Monday night game on September 26th and visit Carolina on Thursday November 17th.

The visitation for former Saints star Will Smith is from two to seven PM today at the team’s training facility in Metairie. Funeral services are also scheduled today former Saints and LSU running back Hokie Gajan who died this week at the age of 56 from cancer. Sportswriter John Ed Bradley played with Gajan at LSU and says Hokie was an original and will be greatly missed…
cut 5 (09) “….heartbreaking”

Two of Louisiana Tech’s games have been moved so they can be shown on national television. The Bulldogs home game against Western Kentucky has been moved to Thursday, October 6th and the regular season finale at Southern Miss has been moved to Friday November 25th. Details on what networks will carry those games will be announced at a later date.

And after taking two of three from Vanderbilt last weekend, LSU visits Missouri for a three-game series starting tonight.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association has called for a special meeting so member principals can vote on a new playoff proposal. School Relations Committee chairman, Mike Boyer, says the expanded public/private split to other sports vote is causing problems for the LHSAA, so they want to give principals another option…:
Cut 18 (19) “available”

The funeral for WWL Saints Color Analyst and former LSU and Saints player Hokie Gajan, is today in Madisonville. Gajan lost his battle with cancer this week at the age of 56. Sportswriter and Gajan’s former LSU teammate John Ed Bradley says Gajan was reliable on the field, and he never gave up…:
Cut 6 (06) “be there”
The visitation begins at 10 at St. Anselm Catholic Church and the funeral mass begins at 3 p.m.

The LSU Spring game is tomorrow and fans will get to see if the Tigers passing game has actually progressed as Coach Les Miles claims. Brandon Harris is the returning starter at quarterback. Purdue transfer Danny Etling is the new back-up QB. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham…:
Cut 16 (20) “Anthony Jennings”
The game begins at 3pm.

The New Orleans Saints schedule is ranked the 4th toughest in the NFL. They’ll face off with the challenging teams in the NFC West and AFC West. The bye week is very early for the Saints this year, and they also have just two primetime games. One is against rival Falcons in the Superdome on Monday Night Football, they also end the season against Atlanta on the road. They open the season against Oakland on September 11th.

Tonight the NFL releases the regular season schedule for the Saints and all 32 teams. At this time we know, New Orleans will play its division rivals twice and they’ll also have games against the Rams, Seahawks, Lions, Cardinals, 49ers, Giants and teams from the AFC West. We’ll find out today when those games will occur.

The NFL Draft begins two weeks from today and it’s being reported that Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch visited the Saints. New Orleans has the 12th overall pick and the six-foot-seven Lynch is considered one of the top quarterbacks in this class.

The Pelicans season is finally over. New Orleans ended the 2015-16 campaign with a 30-52 record after losing to Minnesota 144-109 last night. Coach Alvin Gentry says because of all of the injuries, he would grade the season as an incomplete. Gentry declined to speculate whether there will be any changes in the front office.

The LHSAA’s executive committee voted today to hold a special meeting so principals can vote on a plan that would bring Classes 5A and 4A back together for football, ending the public-private school playoff split for those two classes. The proposal would also split classes 3A, 2A and 1A between rural and metro schools. It’s unclear when this special meeting will take place.

The LSU baseball team scored multiple runs in the first four innings and went on to beat Grambling 14-11 last night. Jake Fraley drove in three runs for the Tigers, Austin Bain won his third game of the season as he struck out six in two innings of relief. Wesley Drain hit his sixth homer of the season in a losing effort.

McNeese won its sixth straight last night as the Cowboys defeated Louisiana Tech three to one. McNeese will now get ready for a Southland series at 25th ranked Lamar this weekend. Lamar has won eight straight at home.