No. 8 LSU picked up a hard fought 3-2 win over UL-Lafayette last night in the annual Wally Pontiff Jr Classic in Metairie in front of a record crowd of 9,963. Tiger Senior shortstop Kramer Robertson collected two RBI and played stellar defense to earn the victory. LSU improved 23-11. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 18-14-1.

Nicholls State dropped a 9-3 decision to Tulane last night in New Orleans. The Green Wave slugged four homers in the win, and improve to 15-18. UNO fell to South Alabama 9-6. Grambling was trounced by Lamar 11-2.

Last night’s ULM/Louisiana Tech baseball game in Monroe was postponed due to weather, and a make-up date not announced. The game was stopped in the fifth when the Bulldogs were up 4-1. McNeese’s game against Alcorn State last night was also canceled due to weather and won’t be made up.

The New Orleans Pelicans dropped to 0-3 on its season-closing road trip, which concludes today at Portland, when last night they fell to the Lakers 108-96.

LSU’s new men’s basketball coach Will Wade got some good news Tuesday as power forward Mayan Kiir (My-in Keer) committed to the Tigers. The signing period begins today and sources say the four-star prospect will officially become a Tiger this morning.

Meanwhile LSU sophomore guard Antonio Blakeney announced on Twitter Tuesday that he will enter the 2017 NBA draft. The top scorer says he appreciates the opportunity LSU gave him and that leaving is “bittersweet.”

Veteran NFL running back Adriane Peterson visited with the Saints on Tuesday, and left the meeting without a contract. According to sources, the two sides will continue talks about a potential deal, but it will likely be on hold until after the draft.

Tom Benson, who made millions of dollars in the auto sales business before buying the New Orleans Saints, is adding to his dealership empire. It was announced Tuesday that Benson is buying Cadillac of New Orleans.

Grammy, Emmy award-winning entertainer and New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. will sing the national anthem at the Kentucky Derby next month.

The LSU baseball team renews its rivalry tonight with the Ragin Cajuns as the two teams square off at the Wally Pontiff Junior Classic in Metairie. LSU will start freshman right-hander Matthew Beck, but Coach Paul Mainieri plans to use a lot of pitchers. Freshman right-hander Jeff Burk will start for UL Lafayette. He’s been very good, 2-3 with a 2.23 ERA. The Cajuns are 18-13-and-1 and they’ve struggled at the plate. As a team they are hitting just .272. First pitch is at seven o’ clock.

Another big rivalry game takes place in Ouachita Parish as ULM hosts Louisiana Tech. It will be the 179th meeting between the two teams. The Bulldogs beat the Warhawks 12-3 earlier this season.

Also tonight, Nicholls is at Tulane. The Green Wave defeated the Colonels three to two in 10 innings earlier this season in Thibodaux. Alcorn at McNeese has been cancelled because of rain.

The Pelicans are at the Lakers tonight. L-A has won four in a row.

Former Rams and Saints linebacker James Laurinaitis has announced his retirement. The 30-year-old played in five games with New Orleans last season after spending his first seven years in the NFL in St. Louis.

Former LSU track star Cyril Grayson has signed with the Seattle Seahawks, even though he hasn’t played in a football game since 2011. Grayson is a four-time NCAA track champion and participated in LSU pro day last week. He impressed Seattle enough that the Seahawks decided to sign him to a standard rookie deal.

Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson announced today he’s buying Cadillac of New Orleans in Metairie. Benson also owns Best Chevrolet in Kenner and Mercedes-Benz of New Orleans in Metairie.

Louisiana Tech football coach Skip Holtz is getting a pay raise. Holtz has agreed to a five-year, three-point-five million dollar contract extension. He’s led the Bulldogs to three straight bowl victories.

After taking two of three from Arkansas, LSU is once again back in the top ten in three major college baseball polls heading into tonight’s matchup against UL Lafayette. The Tigers are 22-11 overall, 7-5 in the SEC. Coach Paul Mainieri admits the team has its faults, but he believes in his guys…:
Cut 17 (21) “wants to”
LSU has been getting great starting pitching from Eric Walker. The freshman from Texas was named SEC Pitcher of the Week Monday. He threw a complete game shutout in the Tigers 2-0 win over the Hogs Sunday. LSU plays UL-Lafayette in Metairie tonight.

Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz has agreed in principle to a five year, $3.5 million dollar contract extension, according to athletic officials. The past year, Holtz was named Conference USA Coach of the Year after guiding the Bulldogs to a 9-5 overall record, and a C-USA division title. The new long-term contract is pending approval from the UL-System Board of Supervisors.

New LSU head basketball coach Will Wade got some rough news this week. One of his targets for the spring signing period which begins tomorrow has decided to go to the University of Houston instead of joining the Tigers. Former Lafayette High standout Corey Davis was believed to have been one of the first players Wade offered after taking the LSU job.

In the NBA, the Pelicans travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers at 9:30. New Orleans has posted the league’s worst net rating over the past four games, ranking 21st..and have the NBA’s 10th worst record.

The Chicago Bears have waived former New Orleans Saints star Tracy Porter. The Port Allen native is best known for his interception that helped New Orleans seal its 31-28 win over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl.

Former Saints pass-rusher Junior Galette was arrested in Mississippi amid allegations of disorderly conduct in an argument with cops after a fight at a concert, according to reports. Two years ago Galette was booked in Kenner on domestic battery charges.

The Saints preseason schedule was released today. New Orleans first two exhibition games will take place  on the road. Week 1 the Black and Gold will visit the Browns and then week two, the Saints visit the Los Angeles Chargers. New Orleans two home games are against Houston and Baltimore.

It was also announced today the Saints and Dolphins will play October 1st at London’s Wembley Stadium. Kick-off will be 8:30 AM central time.

LSU freshman right-hander Eric Walker was named SEC Pitcher of the Week today. Walker threw a complete game shuout in the Tigers 2-0 win over Arkansas yesterday. He’s now 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA.

Louisiana Tech’s Nate Harris was named Conference USA pitcher of the week. Harris earned the save in a win over Rice on Friday and then tossed a complete game shout in a win over the Owls on Sunday. Harris leads the league in both saves and complete games.

Spring football is over for Louisiana Tech. A feel good moment for the Bulldogs was the return of Jaqwis Dancy. He was on the field for the spring game after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in October and had a 24-yard reception. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz says it was great to see Jaqwis back in pads…
cut 19 (20) “…couple plays”

Head coach Mark Hudspeth has named Jordan Davis his starting quarterback as the Ragin Cajuns have completed spring football. Davis was 11-of-14 for 174 yards and a touchdown in the Red-White Spring Game.

After taking two of three from Arkansas in Fayetteville, LSU has moved up four spots to number nine in the D-1 baseball poll. The Tigers blanked Arkansas two to nothing yesterday as freshman right-hander Eric Walker tossed a complete game shutout. Walker has now thrown 16 scoreless innings.

The Ragin Cajuns completed their series with Coastal Carolina with a seven-seven tie. So UL Lafayette is a half-game back of UT Arlington for first place in the western division of the Sun Belt. ULM is in last place after losing to South Alabama eight to three yesterday.

In the Southland…McNeese State is 13-2 in the league and in second place after they beat Abilene Christian eight to five yesterday. Southeastern is in fourth place with an 8-7 league record. The Lions defeated Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi eight to five yesterday.

Louisaina Tech took two of three from Rice as the Bulldogs blanked the Owls six to nothing. Nate Harris tossed a complete game shutout.

Louisiana Tech wrapped up spring football over the weekend and will now look ahead to its season opener on September 2nd against Northwestern State. Bulldogs Head Coach Skip Holtz says developing consistency will be key when the team begins fall camp in August…
cut 20 (19) “…on defense”
Spring football is also in the books for the Cajuns, who will begin the 2017 season by hosting Southeastern Louisiana. Coach Mark Hudspeth says he liked the development of his defensive backs during spring…
cut 17 (16) “…got better”

It’s been a crazy LSU baseball season, but one thing you can count on is a good outing from freshman pitcher Eric Walker. The right-hander had his best start of his Tiger career as he tossed a complete game shutout in a 2-0 nothing win over Arkansas. It’s LSU’s 6th consecutive SEC series win over the Hogs, and the Tigers are now 7-5 in the SEC.

UL-Lafayette had a wild game Sunday as the rubber match of the series against Coastal Carolina ended in a 7-7 tie. The Ragin Cajuns are 7-4-1 in the Sun Belt. ULM fell to South Alabama, 8-3. Louisiana Tech shutout Rice 6-0

Southeastern got the final 6 runs of the game to prevail over Texas A&M Corpus Christi to stop the Islanders from sweeping the series. Nicholls State fell to Sam Houston 11-2. Stephen F Austin rallied in the 9th to get past Northwestern State 3-2 as the Lumberjacks take the series. McNeese State gets by Abilene Christian 8-5. Tulane was trounced by Cincinnati 11-1.

UL-Lafayette head coach Mark Hudspeth has named Jordan Davis his starting quarterback as the Ragin Cajuns have completed spring football. Davis was 11-of-14 for 174 yards and a touchdown in the Red-White Spring Game. Hudspeth says Davis looked sharp in the spring and has a great grasp of the offense…:
Cut 16 (07) “in him”
The Cajuns will begin the 2017 season by hosting Southeastern Louisiana.

Louisiana Tech also wrapped up spring practice over the weekend. Quarterback J’Mar (Jay-Mar) Smith threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown. Bulldogs head coach Skip Holtz says Smith has the makings of a really dangerous quarterback for opponents…:
Cut 18 (15) “with his feet“
The Bulldogs will open the season on September 2nd at home against Northwestern State.

Rough night for LSU baseball on Friday as they fell to Arkansas nine to three. The Tigers had zero extra base hits and starting pitcher Alex Lange couldn’t get past the fifth inning. Lange only gave up two earned runs, but had to throw a lot of pitches, as Arkansas loaded the bases in the first three innings. While the Razorbacks left 13 runners on base, they hit three home runs. LSU is now 5-5 in the SEC and three games back of the Hogs, who are in first place in the SEC West. Game two of the series is at 6 PM.

The Ragin Cajuns won a pitcher’s duel as UL Lafayette blanked Coastal Carolina 1-0. Gunner Leger pitched seven innings for his sixth win. Dylan Moore earned his seventh save. Kennon Fontenot supplied the offense with a solo home run in the 2nd inning.

Meanwhile, South Alabama clobbered ULM 14-2, Tulane trounced Cincinnati 16-8.

McNeese improved to 11-2 in the Southland with a seven to four win over Abilene Christian. Austin Nelson and Shane Selman homered for the Cowboys. Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi edged Southeastern Louisiana three to two, Stephen F Austin defeated Northwestern State seven to two, Sam Houston over Nicholls eight to three and UNO blanked Lamar two to nothing. Shane Semple struck out nine in eight innings to get the win.

Marshall Boggs three-run home run in the seventh inning snapped a three-three tie and Louisiana Tech went on to beat Rice six to four. And Grambling beat Arkansas Pine Bluff four to three.

Louisiana Tech junior guard Jacobi Boykins has declared for the NBA draft. The shooting guard averaged nearly 15 points a game last season and set a school record with 89 made three-pointers.

Denver had a huge third quarter and defeated the Pelicans 122 to 106. Anthony Davis had 25 points.

Alex Lange will start on the mound tonight for LSU as they visit Arkansas. The Tigers have failed to score runs for their ace in his last two starts. LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson says they know they only have to score a few runs the nights that Lange pitches…
cut 19 (08) “…for success”
LSU is 2-and-6 in games away from Alex Box Stadium this season.

The Cajuns and Louisiana Tech are also on the road this weekend. UL Lafayette visits Coastal Carolina, who is the defending national champs. The Bulldogs are at Rice in a battle of last place teams in Conference USA.

ULM hosts South Alabama. The Warhawks are 4-and-5 in league play.

In the Southland…Nicholls has a big series at Sam Houston. The Bearkats are undefeated in conference play and lead the Southland in hitting, pitching and fielding.

The Pelicans begin their final road trip of the season tonight in Denver. New Orleans has been eliminated from playoff contention. Before the team left the Big Easy, Head Coach Alvin Gentry was asked about his job status…
cut 30 (20) “…can do”
The Pelicans are 33-and-45 this year.

Louisiana Tech junior guard Jacobi Boykins has declared for the NBA draft. The shooting guard averaged nearly 15 points a game last season and set a school record with 89 made three-pointers.

New LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade announced today that former Tiger great Tasmin Mitchell has been added to his staff. Mitchell will serve as Director of Student-Athlete Development.

The LSU baseball team begins a series tonight up in Arkansas. The Razorbacks are tied for first in the SEC West with a 7-2 league record. The Hogs are 24-6 overall. They’ve hit 40 home runs on the season, which leads the SEC. They’ve scored 214 runs, which is tied for third in the league. LSU starting pitcher Jared Poche says they’ll need to execute their pitches to have success…
cut 17 (12) “….should be okay”
Arkansas also has some excellent pitchers. They lead the league as they’ve struck out 317 hitters.

The Ragin Cajuns also have a big series this weekend as they visit the defending national champs, Coastal Carolina. Gunner Leger starts on the hill tonight for UL Lafayette. He’s 5-1 with a 1.27 ERA.

There are several spring football games tomorrow. The Red-White spring game in Lafayette begins at noon. The La Tech spring game is at noon as well. The McNeese Blue-and-Gold spring game begins at 1:00 in Lake Charles.

New LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade has announced that former Tiger great Tasmin Mitchell has joined his staff. Mitchell will serve as the director of student-athlete development. Mithcell was on the Tigers 2006 Final Four team. Also Nelson Hernandez has been named Director of Basketball Operations and Greg Goldin is the team’s new strength and conditioning coach.

The LSU baseball team begins a huge series tonight in Fayetteville against the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hogs are tied for first in the SEC West with a 7-2 record, while the Tigers are 5-4 and have lost their last two conference series. But LSU senior starting pitcher Jared Poche says knows they can play better…:
Cut 16 (11) “see what happens”
Alex Lange will start on the mound for LSU tonight. He’s 3-3 with a 3.73 ERA. The Tigers have failed to score runs for him in his last two starts. Senior shortstop Kramer Robertson says they know they only have to score a few runs on the nights that Lange pitches…:
Cut 19 (08) “for success”
First pitch is 6:30.

Elsewhere on the diamond this weekend, In the Sun Belt, UL-Lafayette will face the defending national champion No. 26 Coastal Carolina in a three game set on the road. The Ragin Cajuns and Chanticleers are the two division leaders in the SBC. ULM hosts South Alabama. Both the Warhawks and the Jaguars dropped two of three in SBC play on the road last weekend.

Conference USA rivals Louisiana Tech and Rice are sure to play some fierce baseball to each turn their season around during a three game series in Houston that begins today. Nate Harris of the Diamond Dogs’ was named a midseason All-American by both D1Baseball and Perfect Game Thursday.

McNeese State travels to face Abilene Christian for a Southland weekend series. Southeastern continues Southland play at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Nicholls State looks to improve its Southland Conference record in a three-game series against Sam Houston State.

The Saints are scheduled to meet with veteran running back Adrian Peterson next week according to the NFL Network. The 11 year pro has rushed for nearly 12-thousand yards, but only played in three games last season, because of a knee injury.