Former LSU All-American pitcher Paul Skenes has been in the Major Leagues for only eight weeks and he’s already an M-L-B All-Star. Skenes was named to the National League All-Star team despite only ten career starts.

Skenes’ becomes the first player to be selected number one overall in the MLB draft and make the All-Star team the following season. He’s 5-0 on the year with a 2.12 ERA and has 78 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched.

Skenes has at least seven strikeouts in nine of his first ten starts, which is a Major League Record.

Shreveport native Seth Lugo is also a Major League Baseball All-Star. The veteran right-hander is having the best season of his career in his first season in Kansas City. He’s 11-3 with a 2.21 ERA.

Former Northwestern State All-American David Fry is also headed to the Major League Baseball All-STar game. Fry is hitting .305 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs for the Cleveland Guardians.

A former LSU Eunice pitcher has committed to LSU. Connor Benge was 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA at Dallas Baptist this past season. He struck out 35 in 33 innings. In 2023, Benge was a third-team All-American at LSU-E as he had a 2.82 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 70.1 innings pitched.

Former LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese continues to make W-N-B-A history. She collected her 13th straight double-double last night, passing Hall of Famer Candace Parker for most consecutive double-doubles in W-N-B-A history. The Bayou Barbie had 17 points and 14 rebounds in the Chicago Sky’s 84-71 loss to the Seattle Storm.

The Pelicans officially announced the trade that sends Dejounte Murray to New Orleans from Atlanta in exchange for Dyson Daniels, E-J Liddell, Larry Nance Junior, Cody Zeller and two first round picks. Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations David Griffen calls Murray one of the best two-way guards in the NBA.

Friday was a very productive day on the recruiting trail for the LSU football program as they landed two recruits, including a Top 100 player from Indianapolis.

Edge rusher Damien Shanklin announced his commitment to the Tigers on Friday afternoon. 2-4-7-sports has Shanklin ranked as the 48th best player in the country out of Warren Central High School. He’s ranked as the top player in Indiana. He’s six-foot-four, 230 pounds and he chose the Tigers over Alabama and Ohio State.

LSU’s 2025 class now features two of the top edge rushers in the country, Shanklin and Jesse Harrold from Tampa.

LSU also received a commitment yesterday from defensive tackle Brandon Brown. Brown was a Texas commitment. On-3-dot-com and Rivals-dot-com both have Brown ranked as a four star recruit.

The verbal pledges from Shanklin and Brown pushed LSU past Georgia for fourth place in the on-3 dot-com national rankings.
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Another dominating pitching performance last night from former LSU star Paul Skenes. Skenes threw seven innings, allowed four hits, two runs and struck out eight in the Pirates 14 to 2 win over the Mets. Skenes is now 5-and-0 with a 2-point-1-2 E-R-A. That’s now ten career starts without a loss. Skenes also set a Major League Baseball record with at least seven strikeouts in nine of his first ten starts.

Also last night, Alex Bregman drove in three runs as the Astros held on to beat the Twins 13 to 12.

Houston remains two games back of Seattle for first place in the American League West. The Mariners topped the Toronto Blue Jays two to one last night. Former LSU pitcher Kevin Gausman was the tough luck loser as he suffered the loss despite striking out ten over six innings.

LSU’s Steven Milam, U-L Lafayette’s Chase Morgan and Grambling’s Kyle Walker were all named freshman all-americans by D-1 baseball dot-com.

For the second straight day, LSU football has landed a verbal pledge from a four-star defensive tackle. Yesterday it was Zion Williams from Lufkin, Texas. Williams is massive at six-foot-three, 330 pounds.

Today, four-star defensive tackle Brandon Brown flipped his commitment from Texas to LSU. Brown is from Melbourne, Florida. He’s six-foot-one 285 pounds.

First-year defensive line coach Bo Davis was recruiting both of these players when he was at Texas, but now that he is at LSU, Davis convinced these two to come to LSU.

LSU is up to 14 commitments for the Class of 2025 and On3.com ranks the Tigers 2025 class as the fifth best in the nation.

Former LSU commit and the nation’s number one wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class, Dakorien Moore from Duncanville, Texas, has committed to Oregon. Last August, Moore committed to the Tigers, but announced his decommitment last May. It’s a bit of a surprise he didn’t sign with Texas.

The number one prospect in the college baseball transfer portal is headed to Tennessee. Louisville Shortstop Gavin Kilen made his announcement on his Instagram Page. He chose the national champion Volunteers over LSU and Florida.

D-1 Baseball dot-com’s baseball writers have made their way too early picks on who they think will make the College World Series. All ten staff writers chose the LSU Tigers. LSU is the only school where all ten staff writers picked LSU. Nine of the staffers have Florida heading to Omaha next year, while seven had Clemson and Texas A-and-M in the College World Series.

In the NBA….the Golden State Warriors have found a replacement for Klay Thompson, who is now with the Dallas Mavericks. Former Pelican Buddy Heild will replace Thompson. Hield is a 40-percent three-point shooter and averaged 12 points, three rebounds and three assists last season.

The LSU football program landed a commitment from a four-star defensive tackle on the fourth of July. Zion Williams is six-foot-three, 330 pounds from Lufkin, Texas. He’s the first defensive tackle in the Tigers Class of 2025 that’s ranked fourth in the country according to on3-dot-com.

Former LSU commit and the nation’s number one wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class, Dakorien Moore from Duncanville, Texas, has committed to Oregon. Last August, Moore committed to the Tigers, but announced his decommitment last May.

LSU football could pick up two more commitments today. Four-star Texas defensive tackle Brandon Brown will announce his verbal pledge at two PM. And later on this afternoon, Four-star weakside defensive end Damien Shanklin from Indianapolis will also announce his decision. He’s been seriously considering LSU, Alabama and Ohio State.

The number one prospect in the college baseball transfer portal is headed to Tennessee. Shortstop Gavin Kilen made his announcement on his Instagram Page. He chose the national champion Volunteers over LSU and Florida. Last season he hit .339 with nine home runs and 22 doubles for the Louisville Cardinals.

In case you missed it, LSU landed a power bat with a commitment from Dalton Beck, who led the Southland Conference in slugging percentage, hits, RBIS and home runs during his junior year. Beck belted 18 home runs for UIW and he was named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year.

Northwestern State needs a new softball coach. Lacy Prejean has resigned and we’ll see if she ends up back at U-L Lafayette. Prejean was an assistant coach at U-L Lafayette for five seasons before taking the job at Northwestern State. She played for new Cajuns head coach Alyson Habetz at Alabama.

LSU has received a commitment from a left-handed hitting power bat. Dalton Beck belted 18 home runs for Incarnate Word last season and he was named the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year. Beck also hit .377 with 67 runs driven in for the Cardinals.

There’s been a lot of talk about Texas A-and-M infielder Kaeden Kent transferring to LSU, but Kent says he’ll continue to wear an Aggies uniform. But Aggies backup catcher Max Kaufer is on the move as he’s announced his transfer to South Carolina. Blaise Preister a transfer from Meridian Community College is your likely starter behind the plate for the Tigers.

Louisiana Tech Associate Baseball Coach Mitch Gaspard has announced his retirement. He’s spent the last five seasons with the Bulldogs and he’s been a coach for over 30 years. Gaspard is a former head coach at Alabama and Northwestern State. Jake Wells will reportedly replace Gaspard as hitting coach. He was an assistant at Tech in 2015 and 2016 and he’s also been an assistant at Alabama, Mississippi State and U-L Lafayette.

Northwestern State head softball coach Lacy Prejean has resigned after just one season. The Demons were 19 and 31 this past season. The Carencro grad is a former assistant at U-L Lafayette, so it’s possible she’s heading back to Lafayette to be an assistant coach for the Cajuns.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has posted the 2024-25 hunting regulations pamphlet on the L-D-W-F website. LDWF administrator Tommy Tuma says printed copies of the pamphlets will be available in August at LDWF offices and at vendors where hunting and fishing licenses are sold.
Cut 5 (09) “…Labor Day weekend.”
This season’s pamphlet has the season schedule for the state’s ten deer hunting areas.

LSU pitcher Thatcher Hurd has entered the transfer portal. Hunt Palmer with ESPN Baton Rouge says it’s unlikely that Hurd would be on the team next season as he’s expected to be a high draft pick in the Major League Baseball draft in a couple of weeks.
cut 20 (10″ to the table”
MLB-dot-com ranks Hurd as the 114th best prospect.

Backup Shortstop Ryan Kucherak also entered the transfer portal. He was one of the top shortstops in Arizona coming out of high school, but barely played his freshman season at LSU.

Former LSU star Angel Reese is a WNBA All-Star as a rookie. Reese got emotional as she talked about the achievement…
cut 19 (12) “…believed”
Reese is averaging 13 points a game and close to 12 rebounds a contest. She leads the WNBA in rebounds per game. Reese also has 11 straight double-doubles and she’s one away from tying Candace Parker’s record for consecutive double-doubles.

The Recreational red snapper season will be weekends-only through Labor Day weekend after a brief close to the season from July 7th to the 12th. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Director of Marine Fisheries Chris Schieble (shee-ble) says these changes are an attempt to slow an above-average catching season.
Cut 13 (08) “…Labor Day weekend.”
55% of allocated red snapper have been caught since the season opened on April 15th.

Tuesday was the final day for LSU Tigers baseball players to enter the transfer portal and two of them decided to get in, including right-handed pitcher Thatcher Hurd. Hurd was the Tigers opening day starter in 2024 but struggled through most of the year and ended up with a 6.55 ERA.

MLB-dot-com ranks him as the 114th best prospect in this month’s Major League Baseball draft. ESPN 104-5 in Baton Rouge sports talk show host Hunt Palmer says getting in the portal gives Hurd options in case he falls in the draft or the signing bonus is not what he’s looking for…
cut 20 (20) “…to do”
Backup Shortstop Ryan Kucherak also entered the transfer portal. He was one of the top shortstops in Arizona coming out of high school, but barely played his freshman season at LSU.

Former LSU star Angel Reese is a WNBA All-Star as a rookie. Reese got emotional as she talked about the achievement with reporters…
cut 19 (12) “…believed”
Reese is averaging 13 points a game and close to 12 rebounds a contest. She leads the WNBA in rebounds per game. Reese also has 11 straight double-doubles and she’s one away from tying Candace Parker’s record for consecutive double-doubles.

Former LSU baseball stars Dylan Crews and Tre Morgan will play in the MLB All-Star Futures game on July 13th at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Crews was promoted to Triple-A a couple of weeks ago and he’s hitting .259 with two home runs and seven RBIs for Rochester. Morgan was a third round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays last year and the talented first baseman is hitting .340 with four home runs and 34 RBIs in A Ball.

LSU pitcher Thatcher Hurd has entered the transfer portal according to on3sports.com. There was a good chance Hurd was not returning anyways as he’ll likely be selected in the upcoming Major League Baseball draft. The transfer portal could be a fallback plan for Hurd if he doesn’t get the signing bonus he’s seeking from the team that selects him the draft.

Southeastern Louisiana athletics director Jay Artigues has been named the chairman of the of the NCAA Division One-Baseball Committee. The committee is responsible for selecting, seeding, and bracketing the entire 64-team NCAA Tournament field, as well as recommending rule changes. Artigues says it’s not an easy job, but rewarding…
Cut 18 (11) “…and as the host.”
Artigues has served on the committee for the last three years.

Former LSU baseball stars Dylan Crews and Tre Morgan have been named to the Major League Baseball All-Star Futures rosters. They will play in the futures game on July 13th at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The Washington Nationals used the second overall pick to take Crews in last year’s Major League Baseball Draft. The 2023 Golden Spikes Award winner was promoted to Triple-A a couple of weeks ago and he’s hitting .259 with two home runs and seven RBIs for Rochester.

Morgan was a third round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays last year and the talented first baseman is performing well in A ball. He’s hitting .340 with four home runs and 34 RBIs.

LSU will take over the SEC Network for 24 hours starting tonight at 11 PM as the SEC Network will re-air the Tigers come from behind win over Texas A-and-M in the regular season finale last year. Tomorrow night, the network will re-air the gymnastics team winning the national championship and Jayden Daniels’ record-breaking performance against Florida where he accounted for 606 yards of total offense.

The Saints released their training camp schedule. The first practice will be at U-C Irvine in California on July 24th. The Black And Gold will return to New Orleans on August 19th and hold a practice at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium on the 20th and there will also be a practice at the Superdome on August 23rd. Both of those practices I just mentioned in New Orleans will be open to fans.

LSU’s Will Campbell and Harold Perkins have been named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-American Team. Campbell received first-team recognition as the Monroe native is a two-year starter at left tackle. Perkins was selected to the second team. He has 13 sacks in two seasons at LSU.

Louisiana Tech has announced changes to tailgating and parking for the upcoming football season. There will be three sections of free tailgating around Joe Aillet Stadium. And the biggest parking change is the bisecting of the White Lot which will now have a carved-out section for free public parking.

Former LSU catcher Brady Neal has found a new home in the Southeastern Conference. Neal has announced he’s transferring to Alabama after two seasons with the Tigers. Neal was one of the top prep catchers in the country coming out of high school, but lost playing time last season as he struggled to hit SEC pitching.

Southeastern Louisiana athletics director Jay Artigues has been given an important job. He’ll serve as the chairman of the NCAA Division One baseball committee, which is responsible for selecting, seeding and bracketing the entire 64-team NCAA Tournament field. Artigues has been serving on the committee for the last three years, but now he’s the chairman…
cut 17 (12) “….everyone involved”

NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning says he enjoyed watching LSU starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier at last week’s Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux. After waiting his turn since arriving at LSU in 2021, Nussmeier finally gets a chance to start. The Lake Charles native credits the strong bond he’s developed with co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan for his development…
cut 20 (19) “….apart”

The Saints released their training camp schedule today. The first practice will be at U-C Irvine in California on July 24th. The Black And Gold will return to New Orleans on August 19th and hold a practice at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium on the 20th and there will also be a practice at the Superdome on August 23rd.

Texas and Oklahoma officially joined the Southeastern Conference today. SEC Associate Commissioner Herb Vincent says one of the challenges of increasing their membership to 16 schools is football scheduling…
cut 19 (12) “…finalized”
Men’s basketball is sticking with an 18-game schedule, while baseball is staying at 30.

Former LSU baseball players who entered the transfer portal following the 2024 season are finding new homes. Pennsylvania native Paxton Kling says he’s committed to Penn State. Relief pitcher Aiden Moffett has committed to Texas and catcher Brady Neal announced today that he plans on attending Alabama.

The Pelicans starting center the last three years, Jonas Valanciunas has signed a three-year, 30-million dollar deal with the Washington Wizards. And reserve forward Naji Marshall is signing with Dallas and so is four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson who is leaving Golden State.