Big game for the LSU baseball team tonight as they begin a series at Auburn. The Tigers are 3-and-13 on the road this season, which is hurting their chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament. Zach Hess will start on the mound tonight. He’s six and four with a 4.24 ERA. The sophomore right-hander says the key for him is throwing first pitch strikes…
cut 18 (17) “….this weekend”
Tanner Burns starts for Auburn tonight. He’s 4-4 with a 3.36 ERA.

In other action…Louisiana Tech hosts Old Dominion as the Bulldogs are on the bubble to make an NCAA Regional. Same with the Cajuns, who host ULM. Grambling faces Alabama State in the SWAC Tournament tonight. And in the Southland, Northwestern State is at UNO.

Former SEC and Conference USA Commissioner Mike Slive has passed away at the age of 77. He was the founding commissioner of Conference USA and then led the SEC for 13 years. During that time the Southeastern Conference expanded to 14 schools, started the SEC Network and Slive played a big role in creating the college footbal playoff.

In college football recruiting news…Rummel Quarterback Chandler Fields has committed to the Ragin Cajuns. He’s listed as a three-star quarterback by 24-7 sports, the 37th best player ranked in the state for the Class of 2019.

In college basketball…Louisiana Tech has signed guard Kalob Ledoux, who will transfer in from McNeese State. The six-foot-three combo guard from Port Barre led the Cowboys in scoring the last two seasons. He’ll have to sit out the 2018-19 season, because of NCAA Transfer rules.

LSU needs a good showing at Auburn over the next three days to help secure a spot in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The latest projection from Baseball America has the Tigers as a three-seed in a regional hosted by Stetson. Zack Hess will start on the mound tonight for the Tigers. Hess says the team understands the urgency to play well at Auburn….
cut 17 (18) “…right now”

Baseball America has Louisiana Tech among the first four teams out of their bracket. The Bulldogs begin a series tonight in Ruston against Old Dominion, who has the worst record in Conference USA.

The Ragin Cajuns are also on the bubble and they begin a three-game series against in-state rival ULM. The Warhawks are trying to get the Sun Belt Tournament.

Former SEC and Conference USA Commissioner Mike Slive has passed away at the age of 77. He ran the Southeastern Conference from 2002 to 2015 and during that time revenues jumped from 96-million dollars to 456-million dollars. Slive helped establish the SEC Network and the college football play and the league expanded to 14 schools during his tenure.

The Pelicans Anthony Davis is a finalist for MVP and Defensive Player of the year awards. LeBron James and James Harden are the other finalists for MVP, while Davis’ competition for Defensive Player of the Year is Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert. The awards will be given out June 25th.

In NFL news, the Saints have reportedly released special teams contributor and reserve linebacker Michael Mauti.

The Manning Passing Academy announced its first ever football clinic and camp for women and girls this summer. It will take place the weekend of June of 25th and 26th on the Nicholls campus. The Manning family says they want to provide women and girls with the same opportunity to learn the game as they’ve done for boys for the last 23 years.

LSU baseball wraps up the regular season with a three game series that starts tonight against 24th ranked Auburn. The Tigers are 14-13 in the SEC and it’s believed LSU has to finish with at least a .500 record in league play in order to receive an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. But LSU is 3-and-13 away from home this season. Coach Paul Mainieri says his team needs to change its losing ways on the road…
Cut 16 (15) “job done”
Auburn is 13-and-14 in the SEC. First pitch is at 6 PM.

Former SEC and Conference USA Commissioner Mike Slive has passed away at the age of 77. He was the founding commissioner of Conference USA and then led the SEC for 13 years. During that time the Southeastern Conference expanded to 14 schools, started the SEC Network and Slive played a big role in creating the college footbal playoff.

After winning a series versus the best the team in Conference USA, Louisiana Tech hosts the worst team in the league for a three game series starting tonight. Old Dominion is just 7-19 in league play, 15-and-34 overall. Tech is 18-9 in league play, which is good for third place.

The Ragin Cajuns head into the final series of the season tonight against ULM with a half game lead over Little Rock for first place in the Sun Belt West. UL Lafayette has won 22 straight games against the Warhawks. Coach Tony Robichaux says what has happened in the past will not have a factor on the next three games…
cut 30 (09) “…doing any research”
ULM is trying to secure a berth in the Sun Belt Tournament. They trail UT-Arlington by one game for the final spot.

At the SWAC Tournament in New Orleans, Grambling advanced to the winners bracket with a 14-5 win over Mississippi Valley.

Former Alabama Q-B and current ESPN College football analyst Greg McElroy said on an Alabama radio station that he hopes Ohio State graduate transfer quarterback Joe Burrow decides to play at LSU. McElroy added he would love to see LSU with a quarterback in his lifetime. LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger has tweeted out a graphic that said LSU is the only school in the SEC to have seven quarterbacks drafted in the last 20 years, Josh Booty, Rohan Davey, Matt Mauck, JaMarcus Russell, Matt Flynn, Zach Mettenberger and Danny Etling.

Back to Burrow, he’s expected to visit North Carolina this week and make a decision soon on whether to continue to his college career at LSU, Cincinnati or North Carolina.

In other college football news…Alabama and Texas have agreed to a home-and-home series in 2022 and 2023. The Tigers are scheduled to visit Austin next year and Texas would return the trip to Baton Rouge in 2020.

LSU baseball finished off its home schedule last night with a nine to five win over Northwestern State. Senior Austin Bain had three hits and also earned his fourth save. Matthew Beck pitched three shutout innings for his second win of the year. Meanwhile, freshman pitcher Nick Storz is done for the season with shoulder problems.

ULM outscored McNeese State 10 to seven. Despite the loss, Joe Provenzano became the school’s all-time hits leader as he has 248 for his career.

Southeastern Louisiana outscored South Alabama 12 to 9. In the process, the Lions broke the school’s record for most stolen bases in a season with 127.

The Ragin Cajuns edged Tulane seven to six. Todd Lott hit two solo home runs and UNO upset Southern Miss 14-9.

Final home game of the year tonight for the LSU baseball team, who hosts Northwestern State at Alex Box Stadium. Freshman Daniel Cabrera comes into the contest swinging a hot bat. The Baton Rouge product is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week after going 10-of-13 from the plate in four games with two doubles, one triple, two homers and 10 RBI. The Demons David Fry comes into the game hitting .346 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs and he’s 22 for 51 in his last 12 games.

Ohio State graduate transfer quarterback Joey Burrow visited LSU this past weekend and there’s a report he could visit North Carolina this weekend. Burrow also visited Cincinnati. The Bearcats current head coach is Luke Fickell, a former defensive coordinator at Ohio State.

There are reports that Pittsburgh Steelers minority owner David Tepper will purchase the Carolina Panthers for two-point-two billion dollars. That is a record of course when it comes to the purchase of an NFL team. The Previous record was one-point-four billion dollars when the Buffalo Bills were sold in 2014.

Lone Sailor, which is owned by Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson, will race in this Saturday’s Preakness Stakes. So far only seven other horses, including Kentucky Derby winner Justify, are set to run in Maryland. Lone Sailor ran eighth in the Kentucky Derby. But trainer tom Amoss believes a smaller field and a drier track will help Lone Sailor.

After taking two of three from Alabama, LSU’s RPI didn’t improve much. It’s up to 50 and the Tigers remained unranked in most of the college baseball polls. LSU hosts Northwestern State tomorrow night.

Louisiana Tech sophomore centerfielder Parker Bates has been named Conference USA Co-Hitter of the Week. For the week, Bates drove in seven runs, including four 4 RBIs yesterday as the Bulldogs beat Southern Miss to take the series.

Saints Coach Sean Payton says as of right now there are no plans to sign a veteran running back to take the place of Mark Ingram, who is suspended for the first four games for violating the league’s P-E-D policy. Payton says they have guys on their roster that can fill the void of Ingram’s absence, including sixth-round pick and former Louisiana Tech running back Boston Scott….
Cut 17 (14) “runner first”
A ruling today from the US Supreme Court makes sports betting possible nationwide, but legal sports betting in Louisiana is a long way from happening. Legislation was defeated in the current regular session that would have given Louisiana voters a chance to vote on whether they want to legalize sports betting in this state. The bill was killed because there are many legislators who oppose an expansion to gambling. But Metairie Senator Danny Martiny authored the measure and said the decision to keep sports gaming out of Louisiana is a missed chance for additional revenue for the state….
cut 8 (10) “….rely one”
UL Lafayette and LSU with once again meet in an NCAA Softball Regional. The Tigers are the host school and they’ll play Fordham at 5:30 on Friday. The Cajuns and Houston are the other two teams in the regional.

Before Sunday’s game against Alabama, LSU baseball Coach Paul Mainieri called it a must win after losing the night before. The Tigers are on the bubble when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament and a series loss to Alabama, who has the worst , would not have been good for their tournament resume. Nick Bush pitched six strong innings and Daniel Cabrera drove in four runs. The Tigers are now 14-13 in the SEC heading into the final series at Auburn. The coach says a series victory against Auburn should be enough to receive an at-large bid…
cut 20 (17) “…hasn’t ”

Louisiana Tech took two of three from 9th ranked Southern Miss. The Bulldogs are in third place in the Conference USA standings.

The Saints had a chance to evaluate all of their draft picks this past weekend during a three-day rookie mini-camp. Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen is excited about first-round pick Marcus Davenport…
Cut 18 (17) “to develop”

The US Supreme Court has ruled that sports betting can happen in every state, not just in Louisiana. But that doesn’t mean sports betting parlors will begin popping up in Louisiana. Legislation that would have asked voters in the fall whether they want to legalize sports betting in Louisiana was defeated in the current regular session.

And the for the eighth time since 2000, the UL Lafayette softball team will compete versus LSU in the Baton Rouge Regional. Houston and Fordham are the other two teams.

Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry said today they want DeMarcus Cousins to return for the 2018-19 season. Cousins is an unrestricted free agent this summer and is rehabbing from a torn achilles tendon. Gentry says its important to keep a core in place. General Manager Dell Demps echoed those statements and also said they want Rajon Rondo to return as his one-year contract is up.

Saints Safety Marcus Willliams told ESPN’s Mike Triplett that he doesn’t really talk about the final play of the season. Williams misplayed a pass to Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs, who ended up running down the sidelines for the winning score to eliminate New Orleans from the playoffs. Williams, who had a fantastic rookie campaign, says he’s excited about next season as he believes they can be a great team with a great secondary.

Meanwhile, running back Mark Ingram who is in the final year of his contract, will reportedly skip O-T-A’s, but he’ll be with the team at minicamp.

Tiger-Rag-dot-com reports former Ohio State quarterback Joe Burrow will visit LSU this sweekend. Sports Illustrated also reported that Burrow will visit Cincinnati. Burrow announced on Tuesday that he’ll transfer from Ohio State and since he graduates this spring, he can play next season and has two years of eligibility remaining. It’s unclear if Burrow will visit any other schools besides LSU and Cincinnati.

LSU baseball defeated McNeese 13-3 last night in a game that ended in the 7th inning because of a 10-run rule. Daniel Cabrera hit a three-run homer to lead the offense. Nick Stroz pitched two shutout innings of relief in his second appearance of the season. The Tigers host Alabama this weekend.

Elsewhere, Grambling committed six errors and Louisiana Tech trounced the Tigers 12-1. Reliever Ben Stiglets pitched four innings out of the bullpen for his first win. Tech is at ninth ranked Southern Miss this weekend.

Nicholls doubled up Southern eight to four. Dillon Belle belted a grand slam.

An arbitrator has denied Saints running back Mark Ingram’s appeal of a four game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The NFL network announced the Saints do not plan on signing a free-agent running back. Which means they’ll ask Jonathan Williams, Trey Edmunds and Boston Scott to help out Alvin Kamara carry the load in the backfield.

Former LSU Tiger Danny Etling has signed a four-year contract with the New England Patriots. Many were surprised the Patriots picked Etling in the seventh round. Even though he signed the contract, he still has to make the team. The Falcons also signed their sixth round pick, former LSU wide receiver Russell Gage.

In the high school baseball playoffs…Class B, Zwolle and Oak Hill have advanced to Friday’s championship game. In Class C, Simpson and Harrisonburg are in Friday’s title game.

In Division Five, Grace Christian and Claiborne Christian will battle for the Division Five title on Friday.

Class 3A seminfals are today….top seeded Sterlington will take on Berwick. Iota faces Brusly as the top four seeds are still alive.

The Pelicans season ended last night with a 113-to-104 loss to Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals. Anthony Davis was asked after the game if this was a successful season…
cut 7 (09) “…really had”
We’ll see if the Pelicans re-sign the injured DeMarcus Cousins.

According to Mark Ingram’s lawyer, the Saints running back vigorously challenged his four-game suspension, but lost his case in front of an arbitrator. Ingram will have to miss the first four games, because he violated the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Saints analyst Mike Detillier says the suspension couldn’t come at a worse time for Ingram, who’s entering a contract year and showing signs of playing hardball.
Cut 15 (09) “suspension”
There’s a report saying the Saints will not re-sign Ingram after this season.

LSU has received a verbal commitment from four-star Michigan offensive lineman Anthony Bradford. Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State and Oregon also offered the 2019 recruit. He’s six-foot-five, 320 pounds and is ranked as the 28th best offensive tackle in the country.

Quarterback Joe Burrow, who is transferring from Ohio State, will reportedly visit LSU this weekend according to multiple media reports. LSU and Cincinnati have been the only schools granted the opportunity to talk with the signal caller, who will be able to play this season and has two years of eligibility left.

Just eight games left in the regular season for the LSU baseball team, who hosts McNeese tonight. The Tigers will start Caleb Gilbert on the mound and big right-hander Nick Storz is expected to see some action. He’s been limited to just one inning this season, because of shoulder problems. McNeese is led by senior Joe Provenzano, who has nine multiple hit games in his last 12 contests.

In other action, Louisiana Tech hosts Grambling State tonight, while Southern visits Nicholls State.