A big college baseball rivalry in Louisiana hits the diamond tonight, as LSU travels to face Tulane. The Green Wave dominated the Tigers nearly a month a go in Baton Rouge. Tulane announced the meeting tonight at Turchin Stadium will be seen in front of a sold-out crowd. Baseball American ranks LSU as No. 5, while Tulane sits at number 20.

NO. 23 UL-Lafayette is at Southern Miss today. UNO plays Southern in Baton Rouge. ULM is at Stephen F Austin. Grambling hosts Alcorn State. Northwestern State welcomes MVSU.

Ahead of the 2016 NFL draft which begins on Thursday, the Saints have released safety Vinnie Sunseri and defensive end Tavaris Barnes.

The New Orleans Zephyr’s announced their field in Metairie could land an SEC baseball tournament. League officials are set to visit the site Saturday.

Nicholls State announced Monday that Richie Riley, an assistant at Clemson, will be the new men’s basketball coach. He’ll be introduced later this morning.

The full House sacks a bill aimed at putting an end to the public-private school playoff split in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. The lower chamber voted 51-34 against the legislation. Stonewall Representative Larry Bagley says the legislature shouldn’t get involved in the LHSAA’s matters…:
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But supporters said the split is discriminatory which is why lawmakers have a right to step in. This effort is likely over for the current session.

Hunters in Sportsman’s Paradise could be soon allowed to wear florescent pink on their safety gear as an alternative to the mandated hunter orange. The measure heads to Governor John Bel Edwards desk for his signature. The bill’s author says she brought the bill in hopes that the girly color would encourage more women to explore the outdoors by hunting.

The LSU baseball team avoided a sweep to Mississippi State by beating the Bulldogs 11 to 8. Jake Fraley was one of the Tigers’ hitting stars, as he collected three hits, including an RBI triple. Fraley says it was a big win for the Tigers…
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Tomorrow’s game against Tulane, begins a four-game road trip for the Tigers, who are ranked 11th in the latest D1 poll. The Green Wave, who swept UCF over the weekend, is ranked 22nd.

Elsewhere in college baseball, Louisiana Tech took two of three from Old Dominion. The Bulldogs host McNeese State tomorrow. The Cowboys are coming off a seven to six win over Southeastern Louisiana. But the Lions are still in first place in the Southland with a 15-3 league record. S-L-U is not in action again until Friday when they host Houston Baptist.

The Saints made a couple of roster moves today. They’ve released safety Vinnie Sunseri and defensive end Tavaris Barnes. Sunseri spent all of 2015 on injured reserve after he was drafted out of Alabama in 2014. Barnes appeared in a dozen games last year and registered just five tackles. With the release of Sunseri. That means only one player is still left from the 2014 draft class and that’s wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

Louisiana Tech football recruit, David Beasley, has been charged with first-degree battery and aggravated robbery following a weekend shooting in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Bulldog athletic officials have not commented on the incident.

Nicholls State will hold a press conference tomorrow to introduce their new men’s basketball coach. His name is Richie Riley, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Clemson. Riley also coached at UAB, Eastern Kentucky and Coastal Carolina.

The LSU Tigers got a much needed win yesterday as they defeated Mississippi State 11 to 8 to avoid a sweep by the Bulldogs at Alex Box Stadium. Coach Paul Mainieri got some good work out of his bullpen, including Russell Reynolds, who earned his first win of the season after throwing 2.2 innings…..
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LSU is in a three-way tie for second place in the SEC West. The Tigers are at 20th ranked Tulane on Tuesday. The Green Wave swept UCF in Orlando this weekend.

In the Sun Belt, UL Lafayette is now 12-6 in the league after taking two of three from Texas State. ULM is now 6-12 after getting swept by Arkansas State.

Southeastern Louisiana is still in first place in the Southland, despite losing to McNeese seven to six yesterday.

A bill dealing with the LHSAA playoff split will be heard on the House floor today. LHSAA member principals voted to expand the postseason split in January, but a special meeting will take place in June to vote on a metro-rural division plan, which would also combine 4A with 5A and B with C. But River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot says he’s still moving forward with his bill, even though it appears the LHSAA is taking a positive step to rectify the situation…
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Talbot says he doesn’t believe schools should be divided based on whether they are a public or a private school.

In basketball, Nicholls State has called for a press conference tomorrow at 11:30 to announce Richie Riley as the new men’s basketball coach. Riley has been assistant at Clemson the last two seasons.

No. 5 LSU avoided a sweep against Mississippi State by beating the Bulldogs 11-8 on Sunday. The Tigers scored all of their runs in the three middle innings, after falling behind 3-0. Coach Paul Mainieri is happy they pulled off the victory…:
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Also Sunday, Louisiana Tech blanked Old Dominion 12-0 in 7 innings. UL-Lafayette edged Texas State 1-0. McNeese State edged Southeastern 7-6. UL-Monroe fell to Arkansas State 5-4. Northwestern State beat Central Arkansas 7-5 in 10 innings. Nicholls State fell to Nebraska 4-2.

In NBA playoff local focus news, former Louisiana Tech star Paul Millsap scored a career high 45 points for the Hawks, but Atlanta ended up losing to Boston.

The New Orleans Pelicans cancelled today’s planned news conference with General Manager Dell Demps. There was no explanation about what prompted the change. Demps is expected to return, but the Pelicans fan base is not happy about it.

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly fired former New Orleans coach Byron Scott. While with the Hornets in 2008, Scott was named Coach of the Year.

ESPN is reporting that Clemson assistant basketball coach Richie Riley is expected to be named the new head coach at Nicholls State.

A bill that would force the LHSAA to end its public-private school playoff split will be heard on the House floor today. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot says, under his bill, schools wouldn’t get public funds if they belong to an athletic organization with split playoffs. He says the LHSAA’s current playoff split is discriminatory…:
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But opponents don’t think the legislature should be involved in this controversy.

A big Southeastern Conference baseball series begins tonight at Alex Box Stadium as LSU hosts Mississippi State. The Tigers and Bulldogs are chasing Texas A&M for first place in the SEC West. LSU is one game back, while State is two games back of the Aggies. Coach Paul Mainieri says it makes sense that a lot is on the line this weekend at the Box…
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Good pitching match-up for tonight’s game. Jared Poche goes for LSU, while State counters with Dakota Hudson, one of the top draft prospects in this summer’s Major League Baseball draft. First pitch is at 7 PM.

The 20th ranked Ragin Cajuns begin a Sun Belt series tonight against Texas State at the Tigue. UL Lafayette is in second place in the Sun Belt as they’ve won 13 of its last 16. The Bobcats are in fourth place in the conference and have lost five straight.

Elsewhere…ULM is at Arkansas State. The Warhawks have lost four of their last six, but took a series from Georgia State last weekend.

Louisiana Tech begins a weekend series against Old Dominion tonight. The Bulldogs are tied for fourth in Conference USA as they are 8-7 in league play. The Monarchs are 7-8.

And there’s a big Southland series in Hammond as Southeastern Louisiana hosts McNeese State. The Lions lead the league with a 13-2 conference record, while the Cowboys are 12-6. There’s an outstanding pitching match-up in game one as Kyle Cedotal starts for SLU. McNeese counters with Kaleb Fontenot. Both have an ERA below 2.

Before tonight’s game against Mississippi State, LSU will retire the jersey of former baseball great Eddy Furniss. The all-american first baseman is the 10th LSU athlete or coach to have his jersey retired. Once the game begins, LSU’s pitchers will look to slow down a Mississippi State offense that has the third highest team batting average in the SEC and Coach Paul Mainieri says the key is to limit traffic on the basepaths.
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In the SEC West standings, both LSU and Mississippi State trail Texas A&M for first place. The Tigers are one game back, while the Bulldogs are two back.

Elsewhere…UL Lafayette hosts Texas State. The Ragin Cajuns are in second place in the Sun Belt, while the Bobcats are in fourth place. And in the Southland….McNeese is at Southeastern. The Lions are 13-2 in the league and the Cowboys are 12-6 and playing their best baseball of the season.

It’s been reported that wide receiver Robert Meachem will work out for his former team today at the Saints training facility. Meachem didn’t play in the NFL last season and only caught 23 passes in New Orleans during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

As an Orleans Parish grand jury considers the evidence to charge Cardell Hayes in the fatal shooting of former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith, Hayes’ lawyer wants his client to appear before the panel to answer their questions.

Louisiana Tech men’s basketball has signed a power forward. Omar Sherman is six-foot-eight, 250 pounds and played last season at Paris Junior College, where he averaged nearly 15 points and shot 56-percent from the field. Sherman started his college career at Miami and transferred out after one season.

After a late night at Alex Box Stadium, the LSU baseball team had a practice this afternoon as they get ready for a big SEC series against Mississippi State. The Tigers won their fifth straight last night as they defeated Southeastern Louisiana 11-4. The two teams had to wait out a two-hour, 24-minute rain delay.

Mississippi State also had a late night last night as they played a 14-inning affair against ULM. The Bulldogs won one to nothing in Biloxi.

ULM returns to Sun Belt play on Friday as they begin a three-game series in Jonesboro against Arkansas State. The Warhawks are six and nine in league play, while A-S-U is 5-and-13.

The 20th ranked Ragin Cajuns will host Texas State for three games at the Tigue. UL Lafayette has won 13 of its last 16 and they are in second place in the Sun Belt with a 10-5 record. Gunner Leger pitches tomorrow and first pitch is at 6 PM.

Saints guard Tim Lelito has announced on Instagram that he’s signed his restricted free agent tender, which keeps him in Black and Gold for another season. Lelito will receive a salary of one-point-six million dollars.

LSU announces Robert Kirby has returned to coach Johnny Jones’ coaching staff. Kirby has been named an associate head basketball coach. He’ll replace David Patrick, who took a job as an assistant at TCU. Kirby was also at LSU during the 2012-13 season, which was Jones’ first season.

It was a long night at the ballpark as LSU and Southeastern Louisiana played past midnight and it was the Tigers who came away with an 11-4 victory over the Lions at Alex Box Stadium. The game was interrupted by a two-thour, 24-minute rain delay in the third inning. Greg Deichmann hit a three-run homer as the Tigers won their fifth straight.

ULM and Mississippi State battled for 14 innings in Biloxi and the Bulldogs won 1-0. State begins a three-game series at LSU tomorrow.

Louisiana Tech defeated Grambling seven to two. Braden Bristo struck out eight hitters as he picked up the win on the mound. Jordan Washam hit a three-run homer, his third of the season.

Saints guard Tim Lelito has announced on Instagram that he’s signed his restricted free agent tender, which keeps him in Black and Gold for another season. Lelito will receive a salary of one-point-six million dollars.

LSU announces Robert Kirby has returned to coach Johnny Jones’ coaching staff. Kirby has been named an associate head basketball coach. He’ll replace David Patrick, who took a job as an assistant at TCU. Kirby was also at LSU during the 2012-13 season, which was Jones’ first season.

The LSU football team’s Academic Progress Rate has fallen to a 10-year low, but it’s high enough to avoid any penalties, like a loss of practice time or scholarships.

But a majority of Southern’s sports teams will not be able to participate in postseason play next year because of academics. Only men’s basketball and men’s tennis avoided a postseason ban. Interim athletic director Roman Banks says the news is not a surprise as they knew some of their programs were in jeopardy. He says broad-based strategies are in place to rectify the situation.

There was a 2 hour and 24 minute rain delay, and the No. 5 LSU Tigers pulled out the late win against Southeastern last night/this morning by a score of 11-4 at The Box. LSU improves to 26-11 on the year, while SLU falls to 26-12. LSU has won five straight now as they head into an SEC series against Mississippi State tomorrow on Skip Bertman Field. Southeastern heads to Lake Charles to take on in-state rival McNeese State in a three game Southland series.

ULM dropped a heart breaker last night to the No. 7 Mississippi State Bulldogs as a nearly five hour battle resulted in a 1-0 loss for the Warhawks in 14 innings. In all, the two teams pitching staffs combined to use 17 players on the mound. ULM continues the road swing with a series against Arkansas State this weekend.

Back to college baseball, UL-Lafayette and McNeese State tried to wait out the weather, but after nearly 2 hours of downpours which included lightning, the call was made to head home.

Louisiana Tech pitchers struck out 15 batters in a 7-3 victory over Grambling State. The Bulldogs host Old Dominion in a three game Conference USA series this weekend. The Tigers play Texas Southern.

The NCAA has placed Southern University back on probation as the school receives sanctions meaning no postseason for 11 sports in 2016-2017. The programs, all but men’s basketball and tennis, are affected due to academic-related reasons. They also face reductions in practice time during the season and out of season.

LSU’s academic rate score fell to a 10-year low and worst in the SEC, but the Tigers are still way above the penalty benchmark, according to the NCAA.

The LSU football team’s Academic Progress Rate is the worst in the SEC, but the Tigers will not be penalized for its score of 941, which is the lowest they’ve had in 10 years. The A-P-R is determined through a formula that looks at the number of student athletes who stay in school and are academically eligible.

Southern’s A-P-R scores were horrible and nine sports are not eligible for postseason play in 2016-17, including football and baseball.

LSU’s Doug Norman will get the start on the mound tonight when the Tigers host Southeastern Louisiana at Alex Box Stadium. The Bayou Bengals pitchers will look to contain Jameson Fisher, who is the nation’s leading hitter with a .462 batting average. First pitch is at 6:30.

Also tonight, 20th ranked UL Lafayette hosts McNeese State. The Cowboys have won eight of their last nine. ULM is at 7th ranked Mississippi State. It’s the first time these two schools have met on the baseball diamond since 2009 and the Warhawks won that game seven to one.

June eighth is the day the LHSAA will ask member principals to vote on a revised split playoff format that would divide classes One-A through Three-A between rural and metro divisions. It also brings Classes 4A and 5A back together again. The proposal reduces the number of football championships from nine to eight.

The band director of LSU’s Tiger Band, Roy King, is no longer employed at the university. Halen Doughty has more…
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