The LSU baseball team begins a two-game series against Notre Dame tonight in South Bend, Indiana. Tigers senior left-hander John Valek gets the start. Valek was the Tigers Sunday starter for most of the season, but lost that role, because of poor production. The southpaw says he’s looking forward to another opportunity on the mound….
cut 19 (16) “….pitch again”
The trip to Notre Dame also marks a return to Paul Mainieris’ old stomping grounds. The current coach at LSU spent 12 seasons at Notre Dame and led the Fighting Irish to the College World Series in 2002.

In other baseball action tonight, McNeese State is at Baylor and Louisiana Tech hosts Northwestern State. The Demons had their eight-game winning streak snapped on Sunday.

Four former Louisiana Tech players have signed with NFL teams. Defensive back Adairius Barnes is on the Lions roster, Kentrell Brice inks a deal with Green Bay, defensive lineman Vontarrius Dora has a chance to make the Broncos and wide receiver Paul Turner will spend the offseason with the Eagles.

Austin Thomas is back as LSU’s director of player personnel. Thomas had that role at LSU for three years, but left in February for a similar job at USC. He’s returned to Baton Rouge and added the title of assistant athletic director.

Northwestern State basketball star Jalen West has received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. West tore his ACL in the Demons’ season opener in November and he didn’t play his freshman season because of an NCAA Clearinghouse issue. West is an outstanding scorer and he led the nation in the 2014-15 season with nearly eight assists a game.

Northwestern State introduced Jordan Dupuy as its new women’s basketball coach today. Dupuy arrives in Natchitoches after serving as the associate head coach at Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles recently won at least 25 games in back-to-back seasons.

The Saints have signed three of their draftees to four-year contracts, including first round pick Sheldon Rankins. The defensive tackle is expected to receive a signing bonus that pays him around 7.5 million dollars a year.

In other NFL news, former LSU wide receiver Kadron Boone has signed with the Giants. Boone was out of football last season and by signing with the Giants, he’s reunited with his former LSU teammate Odell Beckham Junior.

Four former Louisiana Tech players have signed with NFL teams. Defensive back Adairius Barnes is on the Lions roster, Kentrell Brice inks a deal with Green Bay, defensive lineman Vontarrius Dora has a chance to make the Broncos and wide receiver Paul Turner will spend the offseason with the Eagles.

Austin Thomas is back as LSU’s director of player personnel. Thomas had that role at LSU for three years, but left in February for a similar job at USC. He’s returned to Baton Rouge and added the title of assistant athletic director.

The LSU baseball team begin a two-game series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish tonight. After tomorrow’s game, LSU will begin a three-game series against Tennessee on Friday. Coach Paul Mainieri believes his players will enjoy this five-game road trip…
cut 18 (12) “…these kids”
Senior left-hander John Valek will pitch tonight. Also tonight…McNeese is at Baylor, while Northwestern State hosts Louisiana Tech.

Northwestern State basketball star Jalen West has received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. West tore his ACL in the Demons’ season opener in November and he didn’t play his freshman season because of an NCAA Clearinghouse issue. West is an outstanding scorer and he led the nation in the 2014-15 season with nearly eight assists a game.

LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson is expected to play tonight against Notre Dame, despite a badly swollen upper lip and braces on his top teeth after getting hit with a baseball last weekend. Coach Paul Mainieri says Robertson is one tough cookie and a big reason why they’ve won 31 games this year…:
Cut 17 (20) right now”

LSU outfielder Brennan Breaux was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week by the league office. The Scott, Louisiana native batted 4-6 with one double, four RBI and a .714 on-base percentage in the three game series sweep last weekend over Arkansas. The Tigers moved to No. 21 in the Collegiate Baseball poll, and No. 11 in the Baseball America Top 25.

Back to college baseball, Louisiana Tech begins a five-game week with a midweek home-and-home series against Northwestern State, beginning today in Natchitoches. The two will play in Ruston tomorrow.

Following the Bulldogs’ second complete game shutout of the season, Casey Sutton was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Baseball Pitcher of the Week.

Also today, McNeese State travels to face Baylor. UNO is at Tulane.

In the Fox Sports “newest early” Top 25 college football poll, LSU is ranked No. 4, only trailing only Alabama, Florida State and Clemson. The Tigers opening opponent, The Wisconsin Badgers, are not ranked in the poll. The two teams will meet Saturday, Sept. 3, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

The New Orleans Saints announced Monday they’ve agreed to terms with three of their 2016 draft picks. First Round Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, second round wide receiver Michael Thomas and 7th round pick Daniel Lasco all signed four year deals.

New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis was named Monday as a finalist for the NBA Cares Community Assist Award.

The Saints have signed first round pick, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. The Georgia native had 18 sacks during his career at Louisville. New Orleans also agreed to contract terms with second round draft pick, wide receiver Michael Thomas and seventh round pick, running back Daniel Lasco. All three draftees received four-year contracts. New Orleans also announced the release of former Mississippi State running back Vick Ballard.

LSU has announced that Austin Thomas has returned to the football staff as an assistant athletic director and director of player personnel. Thomas was hired by USC in February after spending the last three years as LSU’s Director of Player Personnel. Coach Les Miles says they are excited to have Thomas back on the staff.

And Northwestern State head men’s basketball coach Mike McConathy is excited to have Jalen West for another season. The NCAA has granted West a sixth year of eligibility after tearing his ACL in the season opener.

LSU shortstop Kramer Robertson left with the team today for its series at Notre Dame, despite a badly swollen upper lip and braces on his top teeth after getting hit with a baseball during the series against Arkansas. Coach Paul Mainieri admires the toughness of his starting shortstop…
cut 18 (17) “….the team”
The Tigers begin a two-game series against the Fighting Irish tomorrow night.

In other college baseball action tomorrow, McNeese state is Baylor for the start of a two-game series, while Louisiana Tech visits Northwestern State.

And Northwestern State will introduce a new women’s basketball coach tomorrow. His name is Jordan Dupuy and he’s served as the associate head coach at Southern Miss. Dupuy is also a Baton Rouge native.

The LSU Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Arkansas Razorbacks by beating the Hogs 7-1 on Mother’s Day. Catcher Jordan Romero put the game out of reach with a three-run homer in the 5th inning. Romero’s team-leading eighth home run came on a 3-0 pitch….
cut 17 (18) “….off of it”
In the Baseball America poll, the Tigers are ranked 11th. Tulane is ranked 18th after sweeping South Florida.

Louisiana Tech swept a conference opponent for the first time since 2012. The Bulldogs blanked Middle Tennessee five to nothing yesterday as Casey Sutton tossed his second complete game shutout of the season. Tech is now 15-9 in the league, three games back of Southern Miss for first place. Those two teams meet in Hattiesburg this weekend.

UL Lafayette beat Appalachian State four to one yesterday and the Cajuns are three games back of South Alabama for first place in the Sun Belt. The Cajuns scored three runs in the eighth and Dylan Moore got his fifth win of the year as he pitched two scoreless innings of relief.

ULM is 9-15 in the league after knocking off Troy four to three yesterday. Warhawks starter Keegan Curtis earned his first win of the year after allowing just one earned run in six complete innings.

Southeastern Louisiana defeated Lamar two to one.

After couple of wild victories on Friday and Saturday night, LSU had a normal win on Sundayas they defeated Arkansas 7-1. After giving up nine runs on Saturday, the Tigers had a much better pitching performance on Sunday. Freshman Caleb Gilbert made his first start and pitched five scoreless innings. Coach Paul Mainieri was proud of Gilbert’s performance…:
Cut 16 (15) “the stretch”
Saturday’s game was interrupted for several minutes by a baby possum who wandered onto the field. That seemed to be the moment where things turned around for the Tigers and the phrase Rally Possum was donned by many LSU fans during Sunday’s contest.

The No. 19 UL-Lafayette baseball team defeated Appalachian State 4-1 on Sunday as the Cajuns claim their 7th straight series and 10th of the season. UL-Lafayette improved to 31-17 overall and 16-8 in the Sun Belt.

Back to college baseball, ULM picked up a close 4-3 win Sunday at Troy to claim the series. Anthony Herrera caught a game-ending pop fly.

McNeese State, who initially had a comfortable lead, saw their game slip away against Stephen F Austin Sunday 12-6 on the road. It’s the 7th loss in a row for the Cowboys.

For the first time since 2012, Louisiana Tech completed a series sweep over a conference opponent following a 5-0 shutout against Middle Tennessee Sunday in Ruston. The bulldogs are 31-14 overall.

In a key Southland series, Southeastern completed the sweep against Lamar after a 2-1 victory Sunday. The Lions are on a 7 game winning streak.

Tulane shutout South Florida 4-0. northwestern State was beat by Arkansas State 4-1. Nicholls state fell to Houston Baptist 7-3.

In the Kentucky Derby over the weekend, Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson’s horses, Mo Tom and Tom’s Ready, finished 8th and 12th at Churchill Downs.

17th ranked LSU defeated Arkansas five to four last night. The game was tied at two in the sixth, when LSU took advantage of some control problems by Arkansas pitchers to take a 5-4 lead. Hunter Newman preserved the win for his third save. Alex Lange improved to 6-3 by throwing 7.1 innings and giving up three runs.

The 25th ranked Ragin Cajuns blanked Appalachian State seven-zip. Gunner Leger, Evan Guillory and Will Bacon combined to strikeout a season-high 14 batters. Guillory posted 7 Ks in three innings.

Troy topped ULM five to three. Louisiana Tech rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to double up Middle Tennessee eight to four. Ralph Gladu homered and drove in three runs. 16th ranked Tulane trounced South Florida 9-4. Jake Willsey blasted two home runs.

In the SWAC….Arkansas Pine-Bluff over Grambling in 10 innings, 4-3 and Texas Southern edged Southern 8-6.

Southeastern Louisiana trailed 5-1 last night but erased the deficit with 8 runs in the 5th inning and went on to beat Lamar 14-6. The Lions are now 19-3 in the Southland. Right fielder Ryan Byers tripled and homered and drove in five runs on the night.

Northwestern State beat Arkansas State in non-conference action. Adam Oller was the winning pitcher as he did not allow a hit for 6.1 innings.

Elsewhere…Stephen F Austin defeated McNeese 8-2, Abilene Christian was a six to one winner over UNO and Houston Baptist knocked off Nicholls eight to three.

In Class Five-A Baseball playoff action last night. These are all results from game one of their best three series. Top-seeded Barbe blanked 24th seeded St. Amant three to nothing. 3rd seeded Airline doubled up 11th seeded Byrd 8-4, 4th seeded Catholic High defeated Jesuit in 10 innings 5-4 and 15th seeded Acadiana knocked off 26th seeded Ruston 8-5.

LSU Starting Pitcher Alex Lange gets the start tonight as the Fighting Tigers host Arkansas. Lange says he’s excited about the Friday night start, his first in regular season play….
cut 18 (08) “….the opportunity”
Jared Poche, who has been the Tigers Friday night starter for most of the season, will pitch tomorrow night. LSU enters tonight’s game with an 11-10 record in SEC Play, while Arkansas is just 7-and-14.

In other college baseball action….UL Lafayette is home to take on Appalachian State. The Cajuns are in second place in the league, while the Mountaineers are in last place. Southeastern is at Lamar. The Lions have a two-game lead over the Cardinals for first place.

Also, Louisiana Tech hosts Middle Tennessee.

Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson has two horses in tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby. Mo Tom is the four horse and Tom’s Better will start from the 12th gate. Mo Tom is 20-1 to win after finishing second in the Louisiana Derby. Tom’s Better odds are at 30-1.

Former LSU star Ben Simmons will not participate in next week’s NBA draft combine in Chicago. It’s not unusual for the potential top pick to skip this combine.

The 13th ranked LSU Baseball team begins a three-game series tonight against the Razorbacks. The Tigers are in fourth place in the SEC West with an 11-10 record, while Arkansas is just 7-and-14. But Coach Paul Mainieri is expecting three tough games with the Razorbacks….
cut 17 (15) “…albeways been”
Alex Lange will start on the mound for the Tigers tonight. Jared Poche has been the regular Friday night starter, but he’ll pitch tomorrow night’s game two instead.

In other college baseball action….UL Lafayette is home to take on Appalachian State. The Cajuns are in second place in the league, while the Mountaineers are in last place. Southeastern is at Lamar. The Lions have a two-game lead over the Cardinals for first place.

Saints and Pelicans Owner Tom Benson and his wife Gayle are in Lexington to watch tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby as they have two horses in the Run for the Roses. Mo Tom is the four hourse and Tom’s Better will start from the 12th gate. Mo Tom is 20-1 to win after finishing second in the Louisiana Derby. Tom’s Better odds are at 30-1.

The Saints have scheduled rookie minicamp for May 13th to the 15th. The five drafted players and 19 undrafted free agents will participate. Organized team activities will begin in late May and there’s a mandatory minicamp set for June 14th to the 16th.

Former LSU star Ben Simmons will not participate in next week’s draft combine in Chicago. Simmons is expected to go number one or number two in next month’s draft and it’s unusual for the potential top pick to skip this combine.

LSU Baseball Coach Paul Mainieri will start Alex Lange on the mound tonight against Arkansas, instead of Jared Poche, who has been the Tigers Friday night starter for most of the season. Mainieri likes how Lange has been throwing the ball lately…:
Cut 16 (17) “dominating stuff”
LSU enters tonight’s game with an 11-10 record in SEC Play, while Arkansas is just 7-and-14.

Louisiana Lafayette is facing the team with the worst overall record in the league as Appalachian State visits the Tigue. The Ragin Cajuns will be celebrating “Ron Guidry Weekend,” to honor the baseball legend. UL-Lafayette is in second place in the Sun Belt standings with nine games remaining.

Back to college baseball, Louisiana Tech hosts Middle Tennessee in a three game Conference USA series. The home series will also honor several Ruston community leaders, and Mayor Ronnie Walker will through out the first pitch today. Tech is currently ranked fourth in C-USA.

Southeastern Louisiana opens a key Southland Conference series against Lamar on the road. The Lions lead the conference by one game over Sam Houston State, and two games over the Cardinals.

ULM travels to face Troy starting today. Northwestern State is at Arkansas State. Nicholls State is at Houston Baptist. Tulane is at South Florida. Grambling hosts Arkansas Pine Bluff. McNeese State is at Stephen F Austin.

LSU coach Les Miles announced Thursday that the Tigers will host satellite camps in New Orleans and Shreveport.

LSU men’s basketball star Ben Simmons won’t be taking part in the upcoming NBA Draft combine. This reportedly continues to be a trend of players expected to go high in the June draft opting to skip the combine.