The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame welcomes the class of 2025 in Natchitoches tomorrow. Pro basketball All-Stars Danny Granger and Vickie Johnson are two of the nine athletes and coaches that will be inducted. Johnson was a two-time Sun Belt MVP with Louisiana Tech. She says the values of her future hall of fame Lady Techster coaches defined her career…

Cut 11 (12) “…about learning.”

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson and his staff are already building next year’s team less than a week after winning a national championship. The Tigers landed commitments from two left-handed pitchers in the portal yesterday. Tennessee freshman Ryler Smart redshirted for the Volunteers last year. North Dakota State reliever Danny Lachenmayer earned nine saves in 24 appearances as a freshman last season. He posted a 2.37 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 38 innings.

The Pelicans concluded a polarizing draft class yesterday by selecting Georgetown wing Micah Peavy 40th overall. Peavy averaged 17 points five boards, three assists and two steals per game his super senior season with the Hoyas last year. He had this to say on ESPN after being drafted…

Cut 19 (11) “…dream.”

New Orleans also signed Kansas center Hunter Dickinson to a two-way contract after the draft. Dickinson averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and a block a game last season and was a two-time All-American. 

Yesterday’s additions add some experience to a draft class that featured two freshman lottery picks. The Pels took best available at seventh overall with 18-year-old Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears. Where the team really made waves was trading with the Hawks to select Maryland center Derik Queen 13th overall. New Orleans gave up the 23rd overall pick this year along with rights to an unprotected pick swap with the Bucks in the 2026 draft.

LSU has landed a commitment from North Dakota State left-handed pitcher Danny Lachenmayer. Lachenmayer posted a 2.37 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 38 innings for the Bison last season. The 19-year-old has three remaining years of eligibility and chose the Tigers over Arkansas, UNC and others.

Current LSU lefty Kade Anderson has collected some more hardware after being named Baseball America’s 2025 College Pitcher of the Year. The sophomore was a consistent ace for the Tigers posting a 12-and-1 record this season with a 3.18 ERA. He led the nation in strikeouts with 180 and was named Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series after allowing one run in 16 innings in Omaha.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025 will be inducted in Natchitoches this weekend. College football coaching legend Nick Saban, former LSU offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth and former NBA All-Star Danny Granger are just a few in the star-studded class of 12 Louisiana sports icons. 

New Pelicans President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars began his tenure in New Orleans with a splash in the first round of the NBA Draft last night. The Pels drafted Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears with the seventh overall pick before trading the 23rd overall pick and next year’s unprotected pick swap with the Bucks to move up to 13 and select Maryland center Derik Queen. Fears averaged 17 points, four assists and four rebounds per game last season as a freshman with the Sooners. He had this message to Pels fans…

Cut 20 (07) “…super hard.”

Queen led Maryland’s “Crab 5” to an Elite Eight appearance with 16-and-a-half points and 9 boards per game as a freshman. The unprotected first round pick is a high price to pay to move up ten draft spots, but Queen says he’s ready to deliver…

Cut 18 (08) “the Pelicans.”

The Pelicans hold the 40th overall pick in the second round of the draft tonight.

The national champion LSU baseball team will host a celebration at Alex Box Stadium tomorrow night at 8. Stadium announcer Bill Franques has been with the Tigers for all eight of their title-winning seasons. He says while this year’s team was certainly headlined by a dominant pitching staff, there was an unsung hero behind the plate…

Cut 18 (10)  “…handled those guys.”

LSU will have to replace the senior catcher along with much of the infield next season. Glen West of 247Sports says the Tigers will look to reload with strong incoming freshman and transfer classes as well as talented bench depth that could see more time next season…

Cut 20 (14) “…for sure.”

Just one day ahead of the draft, the Pelicans are trading veterans CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Wizards for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and this year’s 40th overall pick. 26-year-old Poole led the Wizards with over 20 points and 4 assists a game last season while Bey missed the entire season recovering from a torn ACL suffered in March of last year. The Pels have the seventh and 23rd overall picks in tomorrow night’s draft, and Locked On Pelicans Podcast host Jake Madison says there’s no such thing as a bad pick for the Pelicans…

Cut 21 (15) “…overall pick.”

The longtime voice of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Dave Nitz passed away at the age of 82 this morning. LA Tech broadcaster Malcolm Butler says the Loyal Blue lost an icon.

Cut 6 (07) “…Tech nation.”

Since winning their eighth national championship Sunday, crowds of roaring fans have met the LSU baseball team just about everywhere they go, including when they made their heroic return to Alex Box Stadium yesterday.

Cut 8 (10) “…and everything else.”

The Tigers will hold their championship celebration at the Box tomorrow night at 8:00

The NBA Draft is also tomorrow night at 7:00. The Pelicans have the 7th and 23rd overall picks and will need to address multiple roster spots. The backcourt may be the most glaring need as starting point guard Dejounte Murray is expected to be out with a torn Achilles until  January, and shooting guard CJ McCollum turns 34 in September. ESPN’s most recent mock has the Pels taking six-four Texas shooting guard Tre Johnson at seven. The freshman could provide some needed perimeter shooting for New Orleans if he falls out of the top six.

Longtime public address announcer at Alex Box Stadium, Bill Franques, has been with the program for all eight of its national titles. Franques was in Omaha for this year’s victory and says this team’s defense was one of the best he’s seen come out of Baton Rouge…

Cut 17 (17)  “…defensive first baseman.”

The Tigers had a .981 fielding percentage this year with just 44 errors in 68 games.

Dave Nitz, the legendary voice of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, passed away this morning at the age of 82. Nitz called over 45-hundred Louisiana Tech games over 50 years of broadcasting in Ruston. The West Virginia native was inducted into the LA Tech Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

LSU was the last team left standing in Omaha yet again as the Tigers earned their eighth national championship with a 5-3 win over Coastal Carolina yesterday. Junior righty Anthony Eyanson was the winning pitcher, allowing three runs through six and a third inning and striking out nine. Eyanson says this is exactly what he envisioned when he decided to transfer from UC Davis to LSU.

Cut 19 (19) “…obviously.”

The Tigers’ success was thanks in large part to the pitching duo of Eyanson and sophomore lefty Kade Anderson. Anderson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series after pitching a complete game shutout in game one of the finals.

After LSU’s College World Series title, Tigers coach Jay Johnson revealed starting second baseman Daniel Dickinson played in the NCAA Tournament with a broken hand.

Cut 14 (10) “…what is.”

In yesterday’s victory, Dickinson hit a leadoff single in the top of the third and was brought home by a Michael Braswell bunt and an Ethan Frey RBI double to tie the game early at one a piece. Tigers center fielder Chris Stanfield stepped up to the plate with bases loaded the next inning.

Cut 13 (11)  “…all year.”

Stanfield roped a two-RBI single to left, and outfielder Derek Curiel brought him home with his own two-run single to take a 5-1 lead. The Chanticleers couldn’t overcome the four-run deficit, and the Tigers claimed a second national title in three years.

The Tigers are champions of the baseball diamond for the second time in three years after sweeping Coastal Carolina in the College World Series finals this weekend. LSU allowed just three runs in two games to a Chanticleer team that hadn’t lost since April. Sophomore Kade Anderson pitched nine shutout innings in game one, and junior Anthony Eyanson struck out nine and gave up just three runs through six and a third innings yesterday. One LSU fan says they were the difference…

Cut 14 (09) “…let’s rock.”

Redshirt sophomore Chase Shores closed out the win yesterday, allowing just one hit and striking out four of the last eight outs. Anderson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series and has been mocked to go first overall in this year’s MLB Draft. Johnson becomes the first coach to win two championships in just four years with a team.

After losing game seven of the Chapel Hill regional last year, LSU coach Jay Johnson put together a star-studded cast. With contributions from veterans, impact transfers, and talented freshmen, Johnson says LSU’s eighth national championship team had it all…

Cut 16 (18) “…the season.”

LSU finished the regular season with a 42-and-13 record and lost just one of its 11 NCAA Tournament games.

The OKC Thunder were also crowned champions last night after beating the Pacers 103-to-91 in game seven of the NBA finals. Thunder guard and regular season MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named Finals MVP. The NBA Draft is Wednesday at 7:00.

LSU is headed to the championship series at the College World Series after a walk-off six to five comeback win over Arkansas last night. The game was a rollercoaster for Tigers first baseman Jared Jones who failed to complete a double play in the top of the eighth, letting in the go-ahead Arkansas run. He responded with a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the inning and a walk-off single in the ninth…

Cut 10 (10) “…any other way.”

LSU will take on Coastal Carolina in a best-of-three series beginning Saturday. It will be a chance at revenge for both the Tigers and head coach Jay Johnson. The Chanticleers upset the Tigers in the 2016 Baton Rouge Super Regional before beating Johnson’s Arizona team in the championship series. This year’s Coastal team has won 26-straight games, the longest active streak entering the championship in College World Series history.

The LSU softball team signed two new transfers in Kentucky infielder Ally Hutchins and Louisville outfielder Char Lorenz. Hutchins started 58 games at third for the Wildcats last season batting .285 with six home runs and 19 RBI. Lorenz is coming off an All-ACC second Team freshman season with a .368 batting average and .677 slugging percentage. The Freshman All-American slugged nine home runs and set a new single-season freshman RBI record with 53.

Nicholls and the Southland conference announced they’ll be kicking off the 2025 college football season with a nationally televised week zero as the Colonels host Incarnate Word. Kickoff is scheduled for noon August 23 on ESPN2.

The Saints Hall of Fame announced cornerback Tracy Porter and Safety Brett Maxie will be joining the hall as the 2025 class. Porter, a Port Allen Native says it was a dream come true playing four years in New Orleans

Cut 17 (11)  “…was unbelievable.”