The LSU Tigers are in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, but they have a long trip ahead of them. The Bayou Bengals will compete in the Eugene, Oregon Regional. The Oregon Ducks are the 14th national seed and will host Central Connecticut on Friday. LSU will take on Gonzaga on Friday night at 9 PM. There are many who believe the Zags were good enough to host a Regional this season after going 33 and 17 and winning the West Coast Conference title.

Louisiana Tech is hosting a regional for the first time in school history and the Bulldogs will host Rider University from Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The Broncos are a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They won the MAAC Championship and they are in the NCAA Baseball Tournament for the first time in 11 years.

The other two teams in the Ruston Regional are North Carolina State and Alabama. The Crimson Tide are a bit of a surprise to make a Regional after going 12 and 17 in the SEC. The Wolfpack are 30-and-17 on the year.

The Ruston Regional is paired with the Fayetteville Regional so Tech could face Arkansas if they reach the Super Regionals.

After winning the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament on Saturday night, McNeese is heading to the Fort, Worth Texas Regional. The Cowboys will face TCU on Friday night. The Horned Frogs are a six national seed. The other two teams in the Regional are Dallas Baptist and Oregon State.

Southern is also in the NCAA Tournament, despite a 20-28 record. The Jaguars won the SWAC Tournament and they’ll face Texas on Friday. The Longhorns are a number two national seed as they will host the Austin Regional. Fairfield and Arizona State are the other two teams in that Regional.

Louisiana Tech did not win the Conference USA Baseball Tournament, but the Bulldogs will still host a regional at J-C Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston. The Bulldogs fell to Old Dominion seven to five in ten innings in the league title game. Parker Bates hit a solo home run to tie the game in the ninth inning. Bates had three hits and drove in three runs. But Monarchs left fielder Kyle Battle blasted a two-run homer in the tenth inning to win the game.

Then last night, the NCAA announced Louisiana Tech is one of 16 Regional sites. It’s the first time in school history that Tech will host a Regional. Out of the 16 regional sites, seven are SEC schools.

The big question is whether LSU will get into the NCAA Tournament. They are on the bubble and might be the last school to receive an at-large bid. There’s the possibility that Paul Mainieri’s retirement announcement will sway the selection committee to put the Tigers in.

The Regional brackets will be unveiled at 11 AM this morning on ESPN Two.
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McNeese and Southern are receiving automatic bids into the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Cowboys won the Southland Conference Tournamen title game on Saturday with a two to one win over Sam Houston. Clayton Rasbeary hit a two run homer and three pitchers kept the Bearkats to one run, Will Dion, Bryson Hudgens and Cameron Foster. The Pokes have won eight straight Southland Conference championship games.

Southern is also in after winning the SWAC Tournament championship over a week ago.

In major league baseball, former LSU pitcher Kevin Gausman is now 6-and-0 on the season after helping the Giants beat the Dodgers for a third consecutive game. Gausman threw six shutout innings and struck out seven in a five to four victory.
Former Pelican Anthony Davis suffered a groin injury as the Chris Paul and the Suns defeated the Lakers yesterday 100 to 92 to even the series at two games a piece.

In college basketball, former five-star recruit and Arizona Wildcat Jordan Brown is transferring to U-L Lafayette. He’s six foot eleven and averaged nine points and five rebounds last seaosn. His Dad, Dion Brown, played for the Cajuns in the early 1980s.

After 15 seasons leading the LSU baseball program, Paul Mainieri is retiring from coaching at the age of 63 and with three years left on his contract. Mainieri says despite two surgeries on his neck he’s been dealing with constant pain since 2018 and he believes it’s affected the way he’s coached…
cut 30 (22) “…able to do”
Mainieri still may have a few more games to coach. The Tigers could still make the NCAA Tournament. They will find out Monday. One name that’s surfaced as a possible replacement to Mainieri is Florida Coach Kevin O’ Sullivan.

Four Louisiana college baseball teams will be in action today. Three of them can lock up spots in the NCAA Tournament. The Ragin Cajuns will face Georgia Southern at 4 PM today in the Sun Belt Tournament semi-finals. If U-L Lafayette wins, they’ll play either South Alabama or U-T-A for the tournament championship and an automatic bid into a regional.

Tulane will play South Florida today and the Green Wave will need to beat U-S-F twice to get to the Conference USA Tournament championship game.

McNeese is one win away from winning a second straight Southland Conference Tournament championship as the Cowboys will play the winner of today’s game between Abilene Christian and Sam Houston.

And in Ruston, Louisiana Tech is a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, but if they want to host a regional. The Bulldogs need to beat Southern Miss twice today to advance to tomorrow’s Conference USA Championship game.

The LSU softball team’s season is over as they were swept by Florida State in their super regional series, falling to the Seminoles four to three in nine innings.

LSU’s Paul Mainieri announces he’s retiring from coaching after leading the Tigers baseball program for the last 15 years. Mainieri led the Tigers to the College World Series five times, winning it all in 2009 and finishing as a runner-up in 2017. But his critics say Mainieri didn’t win enough national titles like Skip Bertman, who won five titles. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins…
cut 4 (08) “…great job”
This year’s LSU baseball team is waiting to find out if they made the NCAA Tournament. The Field of 64 will be unveiled on Monday at 11 AM. The Tigers are on the bubble after going 13-and-17 in SEC play. Higgins says Mainieri’s announcement might give the selection committee another reason to put the Tigers in a regional…
cut 5 (10) “…deserve that”

Louisiana Tech faces Western Kentucky in an elimination game in the Conference USA Tournament tonight at 6:30 in Ruston. The Bulldogs fell to Southern Miss four to one, while the Hilltoppers needed extra innings to beat UTSA and avoid elimination. This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

After going 2-0 in pool play, The Ragin Cajuns will face Georgia Southern at 4 PM tomorrow in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama. It will be the first meeting of the season between these teams as well.

At the Southland Tournament…McNeese and Southeastern face off tonight in the semi-finals. If the Cowboys win, they head to the championship round. A Lions victory forces another game between McNeese and SELU. Abilene Christian and Sam Houston is the other sem-final matchup.

And LSU softball faces Florida State tonight. The Seminoles lead the best of three super regional series one game to nothing after winning last night one to nothing.

The Ragin Cajuns advanced to the semi-finals of the Sun Belt Tournament with a seven to two win over Appalachian State in Montgomery, Alabama. Three U-L Lafayette pitchers held the Mountaineers to three hits and Ben Fitzgerald hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to give the Cajuns a five-run victory. U-L Lafayette’s next game is Saturday, most likely against Georgia Southern who plays ULM today in the Warhawks final game of the season.

McNeese moved to 2-0 in the Southland Conference Tournament with a three to two win over Southeastern Louisiana. Nate Fisbeck’s three-run homer in the third was the difference.

The Lions will play UNO today at noon in an elimination game. The Privateers hit three grand slams to eliminate Northwestern State 14 to 1. Darren Willis hit two of those grand slams.

LSU softball must win tonight in order to keep its season alive. They fell to Florida State one to nothing in game one of their super regional series last night.

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LSU football will start the 2021 football season with three night games. The season opener in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl against UCLA will kick off at 7:30 central time. The following weekend will be the home opener against McNeese, which will kick off at 7 PM and then Central Michigan will be in Tiger Stadium for a 6:30 kickoff.

Six of UL-Lafayette’s football games have been selected for national broadcasts starting with the season opener against Texas on September fourth. Kick-off in Austin will be at 3:30. Three home games will be nationally televised as well September 16th against Ohio, Appalachian State on October 12th and Georgia State on November fourth.

Back to college baseball, Louisiana Tech could only muster six hits in a four to one loss to Southern Miss in the Conference USA Tournament. The Golden Eagles scored in single runs in the third, fourth, seventh and eighth innings. Tech will be in action again tonight against Western Kentucky in an elimination game.

The LSU baseball team is back in Baton Rouge after they were ousted quickly from the SEC Tournament. The tigers are on the bubble in terms of getting into the NCAA tournament as they finished with a 13-17 mark in SEC play. Here’s coach Paul Mainieri on if his team deserves a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Cut 16 (14) “in the country”

Despite LSU’s conference record, the team is ranked 24^th in the RPI.  The NCAA Tournament field will be unveiled on Monday.

The 18^th ranked Louisiana Tech baseball team lost a late three-run lead but still managed to grab a win against UTSA seven to six in 12 innings.  The Roadrunners rallied late to tie the game but a Hunter Wells home run in the 12th inning won it for Tech, ending the longest game in Conference USA Tournament history, four hours and 59 minutes.

In Hammond at the Southland Tournament, Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese will play in a winner’s bracket game tonight.  The Cowboys took down UNO 12 to nothing as Will Dion held the Privateers to one hit in seven innings and the Lions beat Northwestern two to one thanks to Evan Keller’s homer in the eight.

Also, the Ragin Cajuns rolled over Texas State 12 to 6 after U-L Lafayette scored five runs in the first inning.  If they beat Appalachian State on Friday they advance into the Sun Belt semifinals.

LSU softball begins its super regional series tonight against Florida State. It’s the third time these two schools have met in the Super Regionals in recent history. LSU beat Florida State in the Supers in 2017, but the Seminoles won in 2018. Both of those series were played in Tallahassee. First pitch tonight is at 6 P-M.

18th ranked Louisiana Tech could not hold on to a three-run lead, but still ended up with a victory as the Bulldogs beat UTSA seven to six in 12 innings. The Roadrunners scored one run in the eighth and two runs in the ninth to tie game. But a Hunter Wells home run in the 12th inning won it for Tech, ending the longest game in Conference USA Tournament history, four-hours and 59 minutes.

The Ragin Cajuns trounced Texas State 12 to 6. U-L Lafayette scored five runs in the first. If they beat Appalachian State on Friday they advance into the Sun Belt semifinals.

In Hammond at the Southland Tournament, Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese will play in a winner’s bracket game tonight. The Cowboys clobbered UNO 12 to nothing as Will Dion held the Privateers to one hit in seven innings and Clayton Rasbeary hit two home runs. Evan Keller’s home run in the eight helped the Lions get past Northwestern two to one.

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All LSU baseball can do is sit and wait to find out if they get in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were ousted from the SEC Tournament after one game when they lost to Georgia on Tuesday night. LSU has a 13 and 17 record in the SEC and Coach Paul Mainieri thinks a lot about all of the close games they lost….
cut 18 (14) “….or better”
The NCAA Tournament field will be unveiled on Monday.

LSU softball begins its super regional series tonight against Florida State. It’s the third time these two schools have met in the Super Regionls in recent history. LSU beat Florida State in the Supers in 2017, but the Seminoles won in 2018. Both of those series were played in Tallahassee. First pitch tonight is at 6 P-M.

And for the second straight year, the LSU-Alabama football game will not be shown by CBS on primetime.

The LSU baseball team is one and done in Hoover, Alabama for the SEC tournament.  The Tigers suffered a 4-1 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the single elimination round.  All of the scoring occurred in the first inning as LSU put up one in the top of the first before Georgia responded with four runs.  LSU will now have to hope that their performance this season was good enough for an NCAA tournament birth.

The Ragin Cajuns baseball team is ready for the Sun Belt tournament.  The tournament’s format is different, as the 12 conference teams are in four pools or divisions, with three teams each.  The team with the best record in that pool after two games will advance to the semi-finals. Coach Matt Deggs on the round-robin format.

Cut 17 (20) “might not matter”

The Conference USA Baseball Tournament starts today at J-C Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston.  Louisiana Tech is scheduled to face UTSA today. Bulldogs coach  Burroughs says hosting the tournament will help them this week, it will also benefit the program down the road as players from around the league will get to see their new park

Cut 20 (19) “long way”

Tulane has advanced into the winner’s bracket of the American Athletic Conference Championship after beating Houston four to one. The Green Wave’s next game is Thursday against Wichita State.

The New Orleans Pelicans pick tenth in the NBA draft unless they do well in the lottery. They have a four-percent chance of landing the top pick and a 20-percent chance of getting a top-four pick.

The LSU baseball team’s stay at the SEC Tournament is over after just one game as the Tigers fell to Georgia four to one in an elimination game. The Bulldogs scored all of their runs in the first inning, while LSU scored just one run despite having the bases loaded in the first and eighth innings. The Tigers will now see if their 34-21 record is good enough to get in the NCAA Tournament.

ULM lost its opening game of the Sun Belt Tournament falling to Georgia State nine to six and because of that defeat, they’ve been eliminated from semifinal contention.

Tulane has advanced into the winner’s bracket of the American Athletic Conference Championship after beating Houston four to one. The Green Wave’s next game is Thursday against Wichita State.

The Pelicans lost coin flips against the Kings and Bulls, so they’ll pick tenth in the NBA draft unless they do well in the lottery. They have a four-percent chance of landing the top pick and a 20-percent chance of getting a top-four pick.

U-L Lafayette faces Texas State tonight and then Appalachian State on Friday. The game against App State is the key one since the Mountaineers won last night. Coach Matt Deggs says if they win Friday, they’ll advance to the semis since they are the one seed…
cut 18 (14) “…higher seed”
La Tech is the two seed in the Conference USA Tournament which gets underway today in Ruston. The Bulldogs will take on seventh-seeded UTSA at 4 PM. Bulldogs Coach Lane Burroughs says winning today is a must…
cut 19 (18) “…pitch much”

Saints Coach Sean Payton says 87-percent of the players on their roster are participating in organized team activities. There was talk of players skipping these training sessions after having a virtual 2020 offseason. Coach Sean Payton says they are not doing any work on the field, instead the focus is on strength and conditioning.
Cut 17 (15) “camp starts”

Speaking of O-T-As, Joe Burrow was in uniform and throwing footballs as the Bengals were doing work on the field today. There’s video of the Heisman Trophy winner once again throwing passes to first-round pick JaMarr Chase. Burrow is recovering from a significant knee injury that ended his rookie season last December. He’s expected to be ready for the 2021 regular season opener.

The LSU baseball team is playing Georgia in an elimination game of the SEC tournament, the winner advances into the double-elimination portion of the bracket. LSU has won a conference-high 12 tournament titles and the Tigers have won six of the past 12 SEC Tournament crowns. Paul Mainieri owns a 38-10 record in SEC Tournament games.
Cut 20 (16) “of the same”
Earlier today at the SEC Tournament, Florida beat Kentucky four to one.

Conferences are handing out postseason awards. Cajuns Catcher Drake Osborn has been named Newcomer of the year. The transfer from Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi is hitting .333 with 22 RBIS and a pair of home runs.

Louisiana Tech second baseman Taylor Young has been named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. He’s the only infielder in the conference with a perfect one-thousand fielding percentage.