Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston will battle to replace Drew Brees as the Saints starting quarterback, but New Orleans has also added former Notre Dame signal caller Ian Book to the competition. The Saints selected Book in the fourth round. Coach Sean Payton likes that Book went 30-and-5 as a starter at Notre Dame…

Cut 18 (18) “he was there”

The Ragin Cajuns baseball team lost two out of three against Texas State in a weekend series.  Despite the tough weekend, the Cajuns are just one game back from Texas Arlington for first place in the Sun Belt west.

The 16^th ranked Louisiana Tech baseball team won a school record 1oth straight road game after they beat Middle Tennessee 6-1 yesterday.  Steele Netterville hit his 7^th homerun of the year.

The LSU baseball team dropped its series with number one ranked Arkansas, but finished out the weekend with a 5 to 4 win over the Razorbacks.  LSU will host Southern tonight and the final SEC three series are against teams not ranked in the Top 25. But coach Paul Mainieri doesn’t see an easy road ahead…

Cut 17 (24) “about it”

Former LSU golfer Sam Burns won his first PGA Tour title yesterday as he claimed victory at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida by three shots.

Also, the Tulane baseball team split its weekend series against Houston 2 games to 2.  Their next series will be against East Carolina.

The 16th ranked La Tech baseball team won its school-record 10th straight road game yesterday beating Middle Tennessee six to one. Steele Netterville hit his seventh home run in a three-run first inning.

LSU dropped its series with number one ranked Arkansas, but finished out the weekend with a 5 to 4 win over the Razorbacks. Ma’Khail Hilliard made his first SEC start and threw five solid innings for his fourth win. Coach Paul Mainieri says the senior from Central threw the ball great…
Cut 16 (13) “…for a kid.”
LSU hosts Southern tonight.

The Cajuns dropped two of three to Texas State and they are one game back of Texas Arlington for first place in the Sun Belt West. ULM took two of three from Appalachian State, but remain in last place in the West.

The Saints added six draft picks to their roster. After taking Houston defensive end Payton Turner in the first round, New Orleans selected Ohio State linebacker Pete Werner in the second round, in the third round Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo, Notre Dame Q-B Ian Book in the fourth round, Kentucky offensive tackle Landon Young in the sixth round, and in the seventh round South Alabama wide receiver Kawaan Baker. Coach Sean Payton feels good about the players they drafted…
cut 19 (19) “….inside linebacker”

Former LSU golfer Sam Burns won his first PGA Tour title yesterday as the 24-year-old from Shreveport won the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida by three shots.

The Saints continue to focus on defense in the NFL draft as they selected two more players on that side of the ball. In the 2nd round. New Orleans picked Ohio State linebacker Pete Werner, who was a first-team All-Big ten performer in 2020. He led the Buckeyes in tackles and forced two fumbles.

In the third round, the Black and Gold traded up to take Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo (Uh-dee-bo) with the 76th overall pick. He didn’t play in 2020 but in 2018 and 2019, the Texas native had eight interceptions in 21 starts.

The Saints still have four more draft picks available.

Only one LSU Tiger was selected last night as wide receiver Terrace Marshall Junior was picked by the Panthers in the 2nd round and he’ll rejoin former LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady, who is the offensive coordinator in Carolina.

The fourth round of the draft will begin today at 11 AM.

____________________________________________________

LSU mustered just three hits last night and were blanked by top ranked Arkansas seven to nothing. 63-hundred fans were in attendance for the first weekend of no restrictions on stadium capacity. Because of stormy weather on Sunday, the two teams will play a doubleheader today starting at 2 PM.

16th ranked Louisiana Tech jumped out to a 5-to-nothing lead and held on to beat Middle Tennessee nine to seven. The Bulldogs had 16 hits, three of them from lead off man Taylor Young.

In the Sun Belt, Texas State topped the Cajuns nine to three, Appalachian State ended ULM’s five-game winning streak with a six to four win over the Warhawks.

Tulane extended its winning streak to eleven games by blanking Houston three to nothing.

McNeese outscored UNO eight to six, Nicholls nipped Incarnate Word two to one and Northwestern State and Central Arkansas split a doubleheader. Grambling defeated Prairie View five to two.

The Pelicans have a chance at a win tonight as New Orleans is at Minnesota.

The Saints stayed put at 28 in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft and selected Houston defensive end Payton Turner, who played in 40 games for the Cougars, racking up 115 tackles and 10 sacks. Coach Sean Payton says Turner is a player they’ve had their eye on.
Cut 12 (12) “…was good”

Ja’Marr Chase will be a rich man soon after the Bengals used the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft to take the former LSU wide receiver, who is reuniting with Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. Chase says he was not sure which team would draft him, but he says Burrow gave him a hint…
cut 15 (10) “…ready bro”
Rounds two and three of the draft are tonight.

LSU hosts number one ranked Arkansas in baseball tonight. The Tigers are 6-and-12 in the SEC and in jeopardy of not making the SEC Tournament if they can not win a couple of series before the regular season ends. Right fielder Dylan Crews says they understand what’s at stake…
Cut 18 (16)”..for sure.”

16th ranked Louisiana Tech is at Middle Tennessee this weekend for a four-game series. Coach Lane Burroughs hopes cleanup hitter Steele Netterville is back in the line-up. He’s fourth on the team in RBIs with 30 but hasn’t played a full game in nearly a month because of an oblique strain. The coach says Netterville makes a difference in their line-up…
Cut 20 (20) “…work.”

The Saints did not trade up last night and with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, the New Orleans Saints selected Houston defensive end Payton Turner. Turner started 40 games for the Cougars, recording 115 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks.

Former LSU stars Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow are teammates again as the Bengals used the fifth overall pick to select Chase who opted out of the 2020 season but was named the best wide receiver in the country during LSU’s 2019 national championship season.

LSU baseball begins a three-game series tonight against number one ranked Arkansas and there could be over ten thousand fans on hand now that capacity restrictions have been lifted. Center fielder Giovanni DiGiacomo is looking forward to packed Box.
Cut 17 (13) “forward to it”

After splitting a four-game series at home against Marshall last weekend, Louisiana Tech is on the road this weekend for another four-game set at Middle Tennessee. Bulldogs Coach Lane Burroughs says his guys play well on the road pointing to their seven and one record in away games in conference play…
Cut 19 (20) “the world”

ULM takes a five-game winning streak to Appalachian State. The Cajuns host Texas State. U-L Lafayette has lost seven of its last nine. Tulane has won ten in a row and they host Houston.

In football news, Southern will reportedly name assistant Jason Rollins as the Jaguars interim head coach. Rollins was the safeties coach and special teams coordinator under former head coach Dawson Odums.

Despite rumors that the Saints were looking to trade up into the top ten, New Orleans stayed at number 28 and drafted Houston defensive end Payton Turner late in the first round of last night’s NFL draft. Turner is six-foot-five, 270 pounds, and played four seasons for the Cougars, starting 40 games and recording 115 tackles, 25 tackles for a loss, and ten sacks.

Former LSU stars Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow are teammates again as the Bengals used the fifth overall pick to select Chase who was named the best wide receiver in the country during LSU’s 2019 national championship season.

Former Jennings standout Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence will remain teammates. The former Clemson stars were both drafted by Jacksonsville. Former Amite star and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith went to the Philadelphia Eagles who traded up to get the tenth pick.

In college baseball, the Fighting Tigers host number one ranked Arkansas tonight as the LSU campus returns to 100-percent capacity for sporting events.

After splitting a four-game series at home against Marshall last weekend, Louisiana Tech is on the road this weekend for another four-game set at Middle Tennessee. Bulldogs Coach Lane Burroughs says his guys play well on the road pointing to their seven and one record in away games in conference play…
Cut 19 (18) “…incomplete picture”
ULM takes a five-game winning streak to Appalachian State. The Cajuns host Texas State. U-L Lafayette has lost seven of its last nine. Tulane has won ten in a row and they host Houston.

Grambling hosts Prairie View and McNeese hosts UNO.

Tonight is the NFL draft and the rumors are swirling. The Saints have a history of moving up in the first round and they currently hold the 28th pick. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports the Saints are looking to make a trade that would land them a pick in the top ten. Yahoo Sports says the Saints are high on Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley.

Former LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is expected to be a top ten pick. He could go to the Bengals with the fifth pick or Dolphins who select sixth. NFL draft analyst Mike Detillier says another former LSU wide out Terrence Marshall might also be drafted tonight…
cut 17 (12) “….Ravens”
Former LSU linebacker Jabril Cox is expected to be selected tomorrow and Detillier says many teams are interested in safety Jacoby Stevens.

The Saints have exercised the fifth-year option on defensive end Marcus Davenport, which means he will not be a free agent after this season. Davenport was the team’s first round pick in 2018 out of Texas-San Antonio and in four seasons he’s recorded 12.5 sacks.

After losing a two-point contest last night in Denver, the Pelicans are in Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder.

The LHSAA State Softball Tournament got underway today and for the first time in over a year high school athletes are treated to full stands with no capacity restrictions. Matt Doyle has more.
Voicer 3 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle.”

The NFL draft begins tonight and while a pair of talented LSU receivers in Jamarr Chase and Terrace Marshall Jr both have a chance to be drafted in the first round.  While Chase and Marshall have the talent to make immediate impacts in the league, draft analyst Mike Detillier says the most intriguing LSU player in the draft might be Safety Jacoby Stevens.

Cut 18 (13) “at LSU”

The Saints have eight selections heading into the seven-round NFL draft. There was no NFL draft combine and getting medical information has been a challenge. General Manager Mickey Loomis wishes they had the chance to speak with some of the prospects face to face

Cut 19 (18) “incomplete picture”

The Softball State Championships in Sulphur begin today and fans will be happy to know there won’t be any capacity restrictions due to newly relaxed COVID public health orders. Visit Lake Charles sales director Eric Zartler says weather permitting they’re hoping for over 18,000 people to attend the 48 team tournament between today’s start of the semi-finals and Saturday’s championship finals.

Cut 11 (08) “state”

In other NFC South news, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed receiver Antonio Brown, which means the Bucs will return all 22 starters from last year’s super bowl team.  Also, after trading for quarterback Sam Darnold, the Panthers have traded Teddy Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round pick.

The New Orleans Pelicans fell to the Denver Nuggets on the road last night 114-112.  Forward Zion Williamson had 21 points for the Pelicans and Brandon Ingram added 27.  Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic had 32 points in the victory.

The first round of the NFL draft is tonight and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase seems to be a lock to go in the top ten, with some projections having Cincinnati picking him with the fifth pick. Draft analyst Mike Detillier says the Bengals may not choose Chase.
Cut 16 (17) “…with Tua.”
Chase could be the highest drafted wide receiver that played at LSU.

LSU announces they will be full capacity for outdoor sporting events and that starts this weekend with the Fighting Tigers baseball team hosting Arkansas. No capacity restrictions as well for the LHSAA state softball championships that begin today in Sulphur. Visit Lake Charles sales director Eric Zartler…
cut 12 (07) “….full crowd”

The Saints have eight picks at their disposal during the seven-round NFL draft. New Orleans has lost several starters this offseason as the Black and Gold had to get under the salary cap. But General Manager Mickey Loomis does not see a lot of big holes on his roster…
cut 20 (20) “….for us”
Many mock drafts have the Saints selecting a cornerback with the 28th overall pick.

In other NFL news, the Panthers have traded former Saints Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the Broncos for a sixth-round pick. Tampa Bay has re-signed wide receiver, Antonio Brown.

The Pelicans came up short in Denver last night as the Nuggets defeated New Orleans 114 to 112. Zion Williamson had 21 points and his potential game-tying block in the final seconds was blocked by Nikola Jokic, who had 32 points.

As a result of the governor’s latest public health order, LSU announces it will allow full capacity at outdoor sporting events on campus this weekend. The Tigers baseball team will host the top-ranked Razorbacks on Friday, while the Tigers softball team hosts eighth-ranked Arkansas starting on Saturday.

McNeese also announces it will allow full capacity at outdoor events, and the LHSAA State Softball Championships in Sulphur will also not have any capacity restrictions. Semi-final action begins tomorrow.

Tonight the Pelicans will visit the Denver Nuggets. The contest features two of the best scorers in the NBA, Zion Williamson for the Pels and Nikola Jokic for the Nuggets, who scored 37 points against New Orleans the last time these two teams met.

The contract details on new LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey have been released. It’s an eight-year deal that will pay her two-point-five million dollars in the beginning and she will eventually make three-point-three million a year.

The NFL draft begins tomorrow. The Saints have eight picks. General Manager Mickey Loomis says if a prospect opted out last season that will not be a factor on whether they’ll select him. But Loomis admits there’s a lot of players who do not have a lot of collegiate experience…
cut 28 (24) “..best judgement”
Loomis says they also miss not having the opportunity at one-on-one meetings with most of the players who are in the draft.

NFL Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is reportedly interested in the head coaching job at Southern. The Baton Rouge school is said to be interested in hiring the Super Bowl champion running back.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reports that Louisiana Tech’s Skip Holtz remains in the running for the head coaching vacancy at Kansas.