4:45 LRN Sportscast May 4

The New Orleans Saints released a pair of players to make room for the signing of Tyrann Mathieu, as “Honey Badger” took his physical and signed his reported three-year, $33-million contract today. It’s an exciting time for Mathieu’s high school alma mater, St. Augustine where he was a multi-sport star for the Purple Knights. School President and CEO Aulston Taylor says his journey and perseverance serve as an example to the young men who walk the school’s halls today.

Cut 18 (21) “…someone did that.”

It’s not Breakfast at Wimbledon, but the Saints will face the Minnesota Vikings in London on Oct. 2 as part of the NFL’s International Series. The game will be played in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with kickoff at 8:30 am locally on the NFL Network.

Plenty of college baseball across the state last night, starting with LSU’s 10-6 victory over Nicholls. The Tigers hit four home runs, two from freshman Josh Pearson, but committed three errors to help keep the game close…Lamar routed Southern 15-5 on The Bluff, while McNeese blasted Stephen F. Austin, 17-7. Eight different Cowboys had at least two hits, with seven driving in at least one run. Braden Duhon, Payton Harden, and Julian Gonzales combined to go 10-for-15, with nine RBI and five runs scored.  Louisiana Tech picked up its third straight win, beating UL-Monroe 11-5. Jorge Corona’s grand slam in the top of the eighth broke the game open for the Bulldogs. And Tulane took the Pelican Cup from UNO for the first time since 2018 with a 6-5 win over the Privateers.

UNO’s men’s tennis team makes its first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament this Friday, after claiming the program’s first-ever conference championship. The downside…the Privateers open against the defending national champion and second-seeded Florida Gators.