21st ranked LSU and UL Lafayette meet tonight at the Shrine on Airline in Metairie for the Wally Pontiff Junior Classic. Freshman right-hander AJ Labas will start for the Tigers, he’s 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA, while the Cajuns counter with left-hander Hogan Harris, who hasn’t pitched since the opening weekend because of an oblique injury in the season opener.

LSU will be without its starting second baseman and leading hitter for the next three to five weeks. Brandt Broussard has a broken thumb. Austin Bain could be your starter at second base for the time being, with Daniel Cabrera playing at first base. Also, shortstop Josh Smith has suffered a minor setback as he tries to come back from a back injury.

In other action, Southeastern Louisiana seeks its sixth straight win over Tulane when the two schools meet in Hammond. Nicholls State is hosting Mississippi State. The Colonels are 8-15 on the year. And Louisiana Tech visits McNeese. The Bulldogs have won 14 of their last 17. McNeese is 19-and-7 on the year.

Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson spoke Monday for the first time since her husband’s death at the NFL Owners meeting in Orlando, Florida. There have been questions on whether or not there will be major changes to the teams. Benson says after visiting the office on a daily basis for the last eight years, she knows the organizations are running like a well oiled machine…
Cut 14 (10) “it is.”
Gayle Benson added that it’s upsetting to read or hear reports she may sell or move the teams. Benson made the comments at the NFL owners meetings. She’s been attending them since she married Tom Benson in 2004.

The Pelicans host Portland tonight at the Smoothie King Center. Nikoa Mirotic and Rajon Rondo are questionable with injuries. Mirotic has a hip flexor, while Rondo has a wrist sprain. Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard could also miss the game, because his girlfriend could go into labor.