The LSU baseball team begins a three-game series tonight against Alabama. Sophomore left-hander Jared Poche will get the start on the mound for the Tigers, and Coach Paul Mainieri has all the confidence in the world in Poche…

cut 16 (16) “good start”

The series will not be played in Tuscaloosa, because of ongoing renovations with Alabama’s ball park. So the games will be played just outside of Birmingham at the same ball park where the SEC Tournament is held.

In Ruston, Louisiana Tech edged ULM 3-2. The Warhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead but Tech rallied with two runs in the fifth and got the game winner in the sixth. Laetten Galbraith picks up the win in relief for the Bulldogs, while the loss goes to ULM’s Cole Hendrix. This was the first time Tech and ULM faced each other on the diamond in seven years.

It was tight throughout, but in the end Loyola of Chicago claimed the College Basketball Invitational championship with a 63-62 win over ULM last night in Monroe. The Ramblers take the title by winning the first two games of the best of three series. The Warhawks finish the season with a 24-14 record.

The Pelicans have won three in a row after stuffing the Lakers last night 113-92. Six Pelicans scored in double figures with Anthony Davis’ 20 leading the way. The Pels west coast road trip continues Friday when they face the Sacramento Kings.

The Pelicans win coupled with Oklahoma City’s 135-131 loss to Dallas means the Pels are now just a game and a half out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Saints announced that they’ve agreed to a one-year contract with veteran right guard Jahri Evans. The extension likely provides the team with more salary cap relief for the upcoming season and keeps Evans under contract through the 2017 season. The Black and Gold also announced the signing of cornerback Kyle Wilson to a one-year contract. Wilson was drafted in the first round by the Jets in 2010, but was a considered a disappointment in New York.