Jay Johnson wasn’t kidding when he said he was going straight to work following the conclusion of LSU’s baseball season. He continues to add talent to his roster at a dizzying rate. One of those newcomers, former Baylor shortstop Jack Pineda, told Tiger Rag Radio he chose the Tigers because he wanted to compete with and against the very best players in the nation.

Cut 17 (20) “…in that conference.”

Freshman right-hander Thatcher Hurd of UCLA confirmed that he’s transferring to LSU where he could have up to three years of eligibility. Hurd had a 1.06 ERA through 34 innings last season. Meanwhile, redshirt junior utility man Drew Bianco has entered the transfer portal, the 10^th player to do so.

—

The Pelicans will introduce rookies Dyson Daniels and EJ Liddell this afternoon during a press conference at the team’s headquarters in Metairie. Daniels was taken with the eighth pick in last week’s NBA Draft and Liddell, expected to go in the first round, fell into the Pelicans’ laps at pick 41.

NBA free agency begins tomorrow, and the Pels are expected to offer Zion Williamson a five-year extension worth up to $186 million. Williamson has said that signing a new deal is a “no-brainer,” however, VP of basketball operations David Griffin has said there are details to be worked out; including just how much of the extension will be guaranteed.

Since being taken with the number one overall selection in the 2019 draft, Zion has played in just 85 of a possible 226 games in his career. The Pelicans have until mid-October to finalize a deal with Williamson.

—

LSU will welcome Louisiana Tech to Tiger Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025. The Bulldogs will receive a $1.6 million guarantee for the game. It will be the first meeting between the programs since 2018, a 38-21 victory for the Tigers.

LSU Baseball continues to add talent to its roster with the help of the transfer portal. Freshman right-hander Thatcher Hurd of UCLA confirmed that he’s transferring to LSU where he could have up to three years of eligibility. Hurd had a 1.06 ERA through 34 innings last season. His freshman campaign ended prematurely because of a stress fracture in his lower back.

LSU has also recently added North Carolina State slugger Tommy White and Baylor starting shortstop Jack Pineda. They will join Dylan Crews and Tre Morgan to help produce a formidable lineup. Pineda was a guest on Tiger Rag Radio….
cut 18 (16) “….of the time”

Saints defensive end Payton Turner announced on Twitter that he’s been cleared for training camp after missing most of his rookie season because of a shoulder injury that required surgery. In five games last season, Turner had 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack.

Starting tomorrow, the Pelicans can offer forward Zion Williamson a contract extension. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has predicted Williamson would sign a max contract which would be 186-million dollars over five years. But Zion has only played in 85 games during his three seasons in New Orleans.

Dates and times will be announced at a later time, but LSU men’s basketball knows they will have home-and-home matchups with Alabama, Arkansas, Texas A-and-M, Florida and Missouri. The Tigers will also host Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt and travel to Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

LSU has added another arm to its arsenal with the announcement that former UCLA pitcher Thatcher Hurd has given his verbal commitment to join Jay Johnson’s Tigers. Hurd, a freshman right-hander, was the ninth-ranked righty in the 2022 recruiting class. His season was cut short due to a stress fracture in his lower back, but when he was on the field he was impressive, posting a 1.06 ERA over 34 innings pitched, including six starts for the Bruins. Hurd becomes the third potential starter to join the roster through the transfer portal, joining fellow right-handers Dylan Tebrake and Christian Little.

Texas A-and-M pitcher Rawley Hector has announced he’s heading to Ruston to play for Louisiana Tech next season. Coach Lane Burroughs has also named Cooper Fouts to his staff as the team’s recruiting coordinator as well as pitching and catching coordinator.

Tulane loses sophomore closer, Zach DeVito, to Georgia. DeVito was 4-1 with nine saves for the Green Wave last season. However freshman outfielder Jackson Linn confirmed he has withdrawn his name from the portal and will stay with the team.

—

The New Orleans Pelicans have announced their roster for the upcoming NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Aside from new draftees Dyson Daniels, EJ Liddell, and Karlo Matkovic, veterans Jose Alvarado, Trey Murphy III, Naji Marshall, and Jared Harper will be among those competing in the desert from July 7-17. Last summer, the Pels went a perfect 5-0, outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 15 points per game. Their performance was seen as a springboard for a rookie class that went on to be major contributors during the season.

LSU basketball coach Matt McMahon has received his first SEC basketball schedule, with the 18-game slate released Wednesday. Six of those games come against permanent home-and-home foes Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas A-and-M. The Tigers also play series against Florida and Missouri this season. Their home schedule rounds out with Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. LSU goes on the road to face Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State. Dates and times will be announced later this summer.

And Former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow has been nominated for the ESPY for Best Comeback Athlete.

LSU’s Jay Johnson has earned a reputation as one of the most relentless and successful recruiters in the country. He already has the nation’s top recruiting class, with 12 players rated 4-stars or better. He’s been just as solid utilizing the transfer portal to address the Tigers’ needs heading into next season. One player who should make a big impact is Baylor transfer shortstop Jack Pineda. LSU fans got to see him up close back in March when he went 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored when the Bears topped the Tigers 9-6 in Houston. During an appearance on Tiger Rag radio, Pineda said his choice to come to Baton Rouge is about the opportunity to be a champion.

Cut 21 (16) “…attractive for me.”

In two seasons at Baylor, Pineda batted .313 with 135 hits in 105 games.

—

Kim Mulkey is no stranger to high expectations. It’s the price that comes with winning more than 85 percent of your games and three national championships. After leading the Tigers to the greatest single-season turnaround in SEC history and being named AP College Coach of the Year for the third time after her first season at LSU, fans will be expecting the team to pick up right where it left off. Coach Mulkey told Tiger Rag Radio that isn’t as easy as it might look. The Tigers have added talent but lost a lot of experience.

Cut 22 (20) “…is definitely there.”

—

Texas A-and-M pitcher Rawley Hector has announced he’s heading to Ruston to play for Louisiana Tech next season. Coach Lane Burroughs has also named Cooper Fouts to his staff as the team’s recruiting coordinator as well as pitching and catching coordinator.

—

I’m Kevin Gallagher and this Louisiana Radio Network Sportscast is brought to you be tele-leaf-dot-com, Louisiana’s access to medical marijuana from the comfort of your home.

Is LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson done plucking players out of the transfer portal. So far three position players have made the announcement they are transferring to LSU. And two pitchers have also committed to the Tigers.

It all started when Creighton Pitcher Dylan Tebrake announced his plans to transfer to LSU in mid-June. Tebrake has been the top pitcher in the Big East the last two seasons and could still decide to play professional baseball if a Major League team offers him enough money.

Vanderbilt right-hander Christian Little is also heading to LSU after appearing in 18 games for the Commodores this past season.

LSU is also re-tooling its infield with the help of the transfer portal. North Carolina State’s Tommy White blasted 27 home runs as a freshman for the Wolfpack, Baylor starting shortstop Jake Pineda is also heading to BAton Rouge after hitting three-hundred last season. And Vanderbilt shortstop Carter Young is also on his way to LSU.

_________________________________________________________________

Louisiana Tech baseball is getting some players out of the transfer portal. Texas A-and-M pitcher Rawley Hector has announced he’s heading to Ruston to play for the Bulldogs next season. Hector appeared in just nine games for the Aggies last season and had an E-R-A close to eight.

And Baseball Coach Lane Burroughs has named Cooper Fouts to his staff. He’ll serve as the team’s recruiting coordinator and pitching and catching coordinator. Fouts was formerly at Purdue and has 16 seasons of collegiate coaching experience including two stints at Pepperdine.

U-N-O second baseman Amani Larry is transferring to Mississippi State. The former Parkway star finished third in the Southland this past season in batting average and runs driven in. He led the league in runs scored with 67.

Former LSU Tiger and most recently a Rams Super Bowl Champion, Andrew Whitworth, will serve as a studio analyst for Amazon’s broadcasts of Thursday night football. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is up for an ESPY for comeback player of the year.

LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson was able to lure Minnesota Twins pitching Coach Wes Johnson to Baton Rouge for the same position. Tiger Rag Editor Tim Buckley says having a coach with MLB experience should boost recruiting.

Cut 17 (15) “…like that.”

Johnson returns to his roots, having spent nine seasons as a college pitching coach before joining the Twins in 2018. He says his decision was driven by his family.

Cut 21 (11) “…things of that nature.”

The Tigers have also added another infielder in Vanderbilt transfer Carter Young, while outfielder Brody Drost is transferring to Louisiana Tech.

—

ESPN announced today that former Saints special teamer Steve Gleason will be honored next month with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, joining tennis legend Chris Evert and NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo as recipients of the honor. The award celebrates athletes, teams, and sports industry executives that have taken risks and used innovative approaches in the sports world to help the disadvantaged. ESPN will contribute 50 thousand dollars to his Team Gleason Foundation, which raises awareness of ALS and support for those affected by it.  Gleason was named as the 2022 recipient of the NCAA Inspiration Award earlier this year.

—

Former LSU great and recently retired NFL lineman Andrew Whitworth is making the move to television. Whitworth, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams earlier this year, is expected to be part of the Prime Video studio team when Amazon begins broadcasting Thursday Night Football this fall.

—

Westgate five-star safety Derek Williams announced on Twitter that he’s 100 percent committed to the Texas Longhorns, where he will join Arch Manning among others. Tioga offensive lineman Hayden Christman has announced his commitment to Louisiana Tech.

The final D1 baseball rankings have LSU finishing the season at number 25…however that could be the lowest we see the Tigers placed for quite some time. This offseason LSU has already added some dynamic transfers and regardless of the results of the upcoming Major League Baseball Draft, they’ll welcome the top recruiting class in the country. Recruiting hasn’t stopped with players either. Tigers head coach Jay Johnson believes he’s added the best pitching coach in baseball to the staff, Wes Johnson from the Minnesota Twins. Tiger Rag Editor Tim Buckley says Johnson’s resume speaks for itself.

Cut 16 (15) “…pitching coach.”

The Tigers have also added another infielder in Vanderbilt transfer Carter Young, and LSU outfielder Brody Drost is transferring to Louisiana Tech.

—

ESPN announced today that former Saints special teamer Steve Gleason will be honored next month with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, joining tennis legend Chris Evert and NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo as recipients of the honor. The award celebrates athletes, teams, and sports industry executives that have taken risks and used innovative approaches in the sports world to help the disadvantaged. ESPN will contribute 50 thousand dollars to his Team Gleason Foundation, which raises awareness of ALS and support for those affected by it.

—

The chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board says casinos in Shreveport and Lake Charles are seeing an influx of sports bettors from Texas. Ronnie Johns says sports betting has been operational for over six months now, producing 12-point-five million dollars in additional tax revenues for the state with 80 percent of that from mobile sports betting. Johns says a portion of that money goes towards early education…

Cut 14 (12) “…sports betting”

Minnesota Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson has been named the new pitching coach at LSU. Johnson has agreed to a three-year deal that would pay him one-point-one million dollars. Tigers head coach Jay Johnson says Wes Johnson is the best pitching coach in the country.

Tiger Rag Editor Tim Buckley says it’s been a busy offseason for Jay Johnson, who has also been busy adding starting infielders through the transfer portal…
cut 18 (16) “….some gusto”
And Johnson has added another infielder as Vanderbilt shortstop Carter Young has announced he’s transferring to LSU after hitting .207 with seven home runs this past season, but the year before he hit 16 home runs.

Outfielder Brody Drost is transferring from LSU to Louisiana Tech.

The chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board says casinos in Shreveport and Lake Charles are seeing an influx of sports bettors from Texas. Ronnie Johns says since sports betting is not legal in the Lone Star State, the properties on the western side of the state are benefitting and they are investing that money back into their casinos
Cut 13 (09) “…incredibly nice”
Johns says sports betting has been operational for over six months now and it’s produced 12-point-five million dollars in additional tax revenues for the state.

Another blue chip recruit from Louisiana is heading to Texas. Westgate five-star safety Derek Williams announced on Twitter that he’s 100-percent committed to the Longhorns.

LSU Baseball Coach Jay Johnson says he’s hired the best pitching coach in the country, Wes Johnson. Wes Johnson is pitching coach for the American League Central division leading Minnesota Twins. Prior to his time with the Twins, he was pitching coach for Arkansas in 2017 and 2018. In 2018 the Razorbacks were national runners-up.

Ole Miss won its first national championship in baseball yesterday with a four to two win over Oklahoma. Former LSU player and assistant coach Mike Bianco wins his first national title as a head coach, 22 years after taking the job in Oxford…
cut 7 (10) “…accomplish anything”
Bianco was a captain on the Tigers 1989 College World Series team and was an assistant for LSU when they won three titles from 1993 to 1997.

LSU’s Myles Brennan was one of several college quarterbacks at this weekend’s Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux. Brennan is preparing for his sixth season at LSU and says he never thought his college career would take the winding road that it has…
Cut 16 (17) “…what’s ahead.”
Arch Manning, who recently committed to Texas, was also a camper at the Manning Passing Academy. Arch announced his verbal commitment with a six-word Tweet on Twitter. His uncle Peyton Manning liked how Arch publicized his commitment…
Cut 20 (12) “ …in high school”

LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson has hired Minnesota Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson to be the pitching coach for the Tigers. On paper it looks like a good hire. Minnesota has the 11th best team ERA in Major League Baseball and they are in first place in the A-L Central. Wes Johnson was the pitching coach at Arkansas in 2018 when the Razorbacks finished as national runner-ups.

There are many people in Louisiana happy for Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco. His Rebels won the College World Series yesterday with a four to two win over Oklahoma. Bianco is a former LSU player, assistant coach and a former head coach at McNeese. It took him 22 seasons as the head coach at Ole Miss to finally win a national title
Cut 5 (10) “…been through.”
Bianco was on the hot seat a month ago as the Rebels finished ninth in the SEC, two games under .500 in conference play.

With the college baseball season done, we are now 69 days away from the start of the college football season. When preseason camp starts in August, LSU’s Myles Brennan will battle with Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels and redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier to be the starting quarterback. Brennan has big goals for his final season at LSU…
Cut 17 (17) “ …I can”
Brennan admits it has been a big transition from the Ed Orgeron coaching staff to new head coach Brian Kelly.

In major league baseball, the Yankees rallied from a three-run deficit to beat the Houston Astros six to three in ten innings yesterday. Former LSU Tiger D-J LeMahieu hit two run homer in the eighth inning to tie the game and Aaron Judge hit a walk-off bomb in the tenth to win it.