The UL-Lafayette Baseball program introduced former assistant Matt Deggs as its new head coach today. Deggs replaces the late Tony Robichaux, who died from a heart attack earlier this month. Deggs spent three seasons as an assistant to Robichaux from 2012 to 2014. Sam Houston State hired Deggs as its head coach in 2014 and he led the Bearkats to a Super Regional Series appearance and back-to-back Southland Conference championships.

Southland Conference head coaches and sports information directors have picked Nicholls to repeat as league champions. The Colonels have eleven players on the preseason all-conference teams. McNeese is picked to finish sixth, Southeastern Louisiana eighth and Northwestern in 10th place.

Sun Belt football coaches pick the Ragin Cajuns to repeat as West Champions ahead of Arkansas State. ULM is picked to finish in third place. Appalachian State is picked to finish first in the East and the Mountaineers are the preseason favorites to win the Sun Belt.

Alabama Coach Nick Saban says he’s 100-percent after undergoing hip replacement surgery last April. His bigger concern is getting the Crimson Tide back in the national championship game after losing to Clemson in the title game last year. When Bama shutout LSU in Tiger Stadium last November it looked like they were going to roll to another national title, but Clemson won in a rout last January. Saban on what happened
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The national championship this season is in New Orleans.