LSU will make the 169-mile trip east and open play on Friday night against third-seeded Kennesaw State in the Hattiesburg Regional. The Owls, champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference, are 35-26 this season and are making only their second-ever NCAA tournament appearance. Despite that, Tigers coach Jay Johnson says KSU isn’t to be taken lightly…

Cut 16 (17) “…a great test.”

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

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Also traveling east will be the Southeastern Louisiana Lions who will be the fourth-seed at the Auburn Regional, meaning they will face the top-seeded Tigers on Friday. SLU went 2-3 against the SEC this season, with wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss.

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The U-L Ragin’ Cajuns are back in the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years and as a reward, they will take on second-seeded TCU on Friday night. U-L dropped 2 of 3 to the Horned Frogs, the regular-season Big 12 champs, last season and outfielder Tyler Robertson hasn’t forgotten.

Cut 19 (11) _“…give them anything.”

Louisiana Tech continues to prepare for its opponent in the Austin Regional, third-seeded Dallas Baptist. Tech feels like a program on the rise, with an 84-39 record over the last two seasons, including the Conference USA regular-season title last year and its first-ever tournament title this season.  The Patriots are in the tournament for the seventh straight season and will join Conference-USA in July, making this matchup even more intriguing.

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EA Sports announced that to honor the late John Madden, the cover of the Madden NFL 23 video game will have his image on the cover of all three editions of the game. The gaming company will also make a $5 million donation to the John Madden Legacy Commitment to Education.