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.
cut 17 (13) “….certainly helps”
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…
voicer 1 (32) “….reporting”

The LSU baseball team hosts Southeastern Louisiana tonight. The Tigers are looking to avoid their third home midweek loss of the year. They were defeated earlier this season at the Box in games against Tulane and McNeese. Southeastern is led by Jameson Fisher, who leads the nation with a .462 batting average.

In other action tonight…UL Lafayette hosts McNeese State. The Cajuns beat Nicholls State four to three last night. Brian Mills hit a big two-run double in the seventh to help give UL Lafayette its 25th win on the year.

Also tonight, 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.

Looking at the latest NCAA RPIs, LSU is 13th, the Cajuns are 15th and Northwestern State is 34th.

LSU guard Antonio Blakeney has decided to return for his sophomore season. Blakeney told Coach Johnny Jones earlier this month he would put his name into the NBA draft, but not hire an agent. But the Florida native says he can further improve his skill set in different areas if he stays at LSU for at least one more season.

Tiger Rag-dot-com is reporting that former LSU assistant Robert Kirby is in the mix to fill a vacant coaching position on Jones’ staff. Jones is looking for somone to replace David Patrick. Kirby was at LSU during Jones’ first season and left LSU for Memphis in 2013.

LSU says men’s basketball guard Antonio Blakeney says he will not put his name in for the upcoming NBA draft — instead returning to play for the Tigers in his sophomore season. Blakeney is a member of the 2016 SEC All-Freshman team. and he was also named the SEC Freshman of the Week twice during last season. He says he feels it’s in his best interest to return and continue to improve his game so he can be an even more effective player.

In college baseball, the 20th ranked Ragin Cajuns edged Nicholls 4-3 Tuesday night in Lafayette. The win is the 7th straight at home for the Cajuns who improve to 25-12 on the year. Nicholls is 16-22 for the season. UL-Lafayette hosts McNeese State tonight. The Colonels next fly to Lincoln for a three-game series against Nebraska beginning Friday. Also last night, Southern University fell to Loyola.

Tonight No. 5 LSU will take on Southeastern Louisiana in Alex Box Stadium. UNO is at Jackson State and ULM travels to face Mississippi State.

The new Louisiana Tech women’s basketball coach, Brooke Stoehr, says she’s ready to help the program move forward. Stoehr was introduced as the new head coach for the Lady Techsters on Tuesday. She takes over for Tyler Summitt, who abruptly resigned earlier this month after admitting that he had an inappropriate relationship.

The LHSAA is set to hold a special meeting on June 8th called for principals to vote on a compromise plan to put into place the expanded championship split for boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball that was approved in January. The hybrid plan would give the LHSAA nine championships in those sports instead of the 12 approved at the start of the year.

Northwestern State is mourning the death of John McConathy. He’s the father of current Demons Coach Mike McConathy and he’s considered one of Northwestern’s greatest basketball players. John McConathy was an all-american at the Natchitoches school and the fifth pick in the 1951 NBA draft. He was 86 years old.

LSU’s Antonio Blakeney has announced he will return for his sophomore season. Blakeney had considered submitting his name for the NBA draft, but the shooting guard from Florida has decided to stay at LSU. Blakeney averaged nearly 13 points and three rebounds a game during his freshman campaign.

Louisiana Tech introduced Brooke Stoehr as its new women’s basketball coach. Stoehr, who is a former Lady Techster player and assistant coach, returns to Ruston after a successful run as the co-head coach at Northwestern State. Stoehr led the Lady Demons to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014-15.

Northwestern State is mourning the death of John McConathy. He’s the father of current Demons Coach Mike McConathy and he’s considered one of Northwestern’s greatest basketball players. John McConathy was an all-american at the Natchitoches school and the fifth pick in the 1951 NBA draft. He was 86 years old.

In college baseball action tonight…24th ranked UL Lafayette hosts Nicholls state. Earlier this season, the Cajuns beat the Colonels five to four in Thibodaux. Northwestern State is at Lousiana Tech. The Bulldogs are 20-12 on the year, while the Demons are 18-17.

LSU’s next game is Wednesday night when they host Southeastern Louisiana. The Tigers have lost three midweek games already this season. Coach Paul Mainieri knows the Tigers can’t afford to many more midweek defeats, if they want to host a regional…
cut 19 (16) “…get it done”
First pitch tomorrow night at Alex Box Stadium is at 6:30.

LSU baseball has won four in a row and they are ranked fifth by Baseball America. The Tigers are coming off a sweep over Missouri. They had 40 hits in the three victories and Coach Paul Mainieri says they faced two of the better starting pitchers in the conference…
cut 18 (12) “…get down”
LSU’s next game is tomorrow night when they host Southeastern Louisiana.

In action tonight…24th ranked UL Lafayette hosts Nicholls state. Earlier this season, the Cajuns beat the Colonels five to four in Thibodaux. Northwestern State is at Lousiana Tech. The Bulldogs are 20-12 on the year, while the Demons are 18-17.

Elsewhere….Grambling hosts Wiley and Southern Miss is at Tulane.

Louisiana Tech introduces Brooke Stoehr as the new head coach of the Lady Techsters women’s basketball program. She replaces Tyler Summit, who resigned after two seasons as a result of an inappropriate relationship. Stoehr is a former assistant coach at Tech and she helped the Lady Techsters win four regular season conference titles as a player.

Northwestern State is mourning the death of John McConathy. He’s the father of current Demons Coach Mike McConathy and he’s considered one of Northwestern’s greatest basketball players. John McConathy was an all-american at the Natchitoches school and the fifth pick in the 1951 NBA draft. He was 86 years old.

Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson will not have just one, but two horses who will run in the Kentucky Derby on May 7th. MO Tom and Tom’s Ready will part of the field of 20 horses who will run for the Roses at Churchill Downs.

After a slow start in conference play, LSU finds itself just one game back of Texas A&M for first place in the SEC West. The Bayou Bengals are 9-6 in the SEC and Coach Paul Manieri is pleased at this time…:
Cut 17 (16) “9-6″
Baseball America has the Tigers at NO. 5, while USA Today Coaches ranks LSU seventh. The Bayou Bengals host Southland-leading Southeastern tomorrow night.

In the D-1 Baseball poll, UL-Lafayette is ranked 24. The 24-12 Ragin Cajuns host Nicholls State today. Loyola is at Southern. Louisiana Tech hosts Northwestern State. Grambling hosts Wiley. Tulane hosts Southern Miss.

McNeese’s Collin Kober has been named the Southland Pitcher of the Week.

A reserve New Orleans Police officer who dined with Will Smith the night the former Saints player was shot to death has been pulled from the force, according to a report from WWL-TV. Billy Ceravolo has been retired but served with the department in its reserve ranks. According to the TV station, NOPD officials said they took the action to protect the integrity of the investigation.

Coming off the abrupt resignation of Tyler Summitt who admitted to having an inappropriate relationship, Louisiana Tech announces the hiring of Brooke Stoehr to be its next women’s basketball coach.

Tom and Gayle Benson own two entries in the Kentucky Derby Saturday — Mo Tom and Tom’s ready. Mr. Benson says he is excited to share with New Orleans and Louisiana the experience of having two local horses in the most prestigious race in the country.

Former NFL players already diagnosed with brain injuries linked to repeated concussions, could begin receiving benefits in the coming months after a federal appeals court Monday upheld a $1 billion dollar plan by the league to settle thousands of lawsuits.