Good outing for former LSU star Paul Skenes versus the two-time defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers last night. Skenes allowed two runs in six innings and struck out seven, but the Pirates bullpen was awful, and L-A won 12 to 3. The night before, Skenes did a really cool thing by spending two hours at a Pittsburgh Little League field playing catch and signing autographs and providing the thrill of a lifetime for the kids.

WRAL News in Raleigh is reporting that North Carolina State is investigating whether LSU violated the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act in its hiring of men’s basketball coach Will Wade. N-C State believes LSU may have worked to help Wade avoid a larger buyout fee. Wade paid a four-million dollar buyout. His contract called for him to pay a five-million dollar buyout if he left before April 1st. Wade was announced as LSU’s coach on March 26th.

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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a special black-bellied whistling duck season that will run from October third to the 11th. Hunters can target black-bellied whistling ducks during the regular duck hunting season that runs from November into January, but LDWF Waterfowl Program Manager Jason Olszak says surveys indicate there is also an opportunity to harvest black bellied whistling ducks in early October…

Cut 14 (08) “…earlier in the year”

Hunters see Black-bellied whistling ducks during the September teal season and their numbers decline in the fall because they migrate to Mexico and Central America by early to mid-fall.

Loyola University in New Orleans is moving from N-A-I-A to Division Two and will compete in the Gulf South Conference starting in the Fall of 2027. The  move to Division Two will attract better athletes. Men’s basketball won an NAIA championship in 2022 and baseball was in the NAIA World Series last spring.

We’re a week away from mandatory veteran mandatory minicamp, and defensive end Cameron Jordan is still a free agent. The Saints allowed the 36-year-old to hit the open market for the first time in his fifteen-year career this offseason. Jordan led the team with ten-and-a-half sacks last season, and his pass rush partner Chase Young told NFL Network he’s a difference maker on and off the field.

Cut 16 (13) “…in the building.”

Young is expected to join seventh-year edge rusher Carl Granderson as the week one starters.

UL Lafayette welcomed another round of recruiting commitments after hosting visits this weekend. Three-star University Lab defensive lineman Maison Smith and St. Thomas Moore Safety Landen Ortte decided to stay in-state. The Cajuns added Texas-native Caleb White at corner. UL’s 2027 class now features 7 commits and ranks second in the Sun Belt.

Vandebilt Catholic swept the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A awards. Sophomore Corey Bourgeois was baseball’s Most Outstanding Player, hitting. 547 with 43 RBIs, 13 doubles, three triples and four home runs. He was also 6-and-3 as a pitcher with a 2.60 ERA and 45 strikeouts. The Most Outstanding Player in softball was senior Lauren Baudoin. The Nicholls State signee was 20-and-1 in the circle with 172 strikeouts and a 1.28 ERA in 125 innings. She also hit .402 with six home runs and led the Terriers to their third straight state title.

Ex-LSU star Joe Burrow restructured his contract to clear up ten-million-dollars in cap space for the Bengals. The move is partially due to the trade Cincinnati made for Giants All-Pro D-tackle Dexter Lawrence before the draft.

Former Louisiana Tech star L’Jarius Sneed is returning to Kansas City on a one-year five-million-dollar deal. The corner was drafted in the fourth round by the Chiefs in 2020 and played a pivotal role in their two Super Bowls. He was traded to the Titans in 2024 and inked a four-year deal that was cut short due to injuries.

LSU doubled the size of its 2027 recruiting class in the last few days. The Tigers added five-star edge rusher KJ Green and four-star wideout Cade Cooper

LSU also earned a commitment from three-star running back Brennan Lacey over the weekend. Lacey is a 6-foot-1, 187-pound speedster out of Frisco, Texas who has been shooting up recruiting boards. Andre Champagne of 247Sports says the only reason he’s only a three-star is that he started his high school career as a wide receiver.

Cut 17 (17)  “…in the offense.”

Northwestern State left-handed pitcher Brody Trosclair announced he’d be transferring to Tennessee. The Southland Conference Freshman of the Year also made visits to LSU and Arkansas.

LSU kept three-star Northwest High School cornerback Markez Davis in the state. Northwest football coach Chris Edwards says when Davis was in the sixth grade, his junior high coach told him he would change the Northwest program one day. Edwards has been the Raiders’ head coach for 13 years and is an Opelousas native. He says he can’t remember another Power Four commit from the school.

Cut 20 (15) “…for the program.”

Coastal Carolina head baseball coach Kevin Schnall has been hired as the new head coach for South Carolina. Schnall has a 93-and-36 record with the Chanticleers and led them to the championship series of the College World Series against LSU in his first season last year. He led the Chants to a regional appearance this year and has been a candidate for the South Carolina job since Paul Mainieri left midseason.

One of the state’s top high school football players has given his verbal pledge to the LSU Tigers. Markez Davis from Northwest High School in St. Landry Parish has committed to the Tigers. He’s ranked by 247 sports as the 15^th best player in the state and is listed as an athlete, but is expected to play cornerback at LSU.

Northwest head coach Chris Edwards says Davis has mostly played receiver for the Raiders, but he can see why LSU sees him as a cornerback…

Cut 19 (18) “….off from there”

Davis will be the first player from Northwest High School to sign with a Power Four school. Houston, Texas Tech and West Virginia are also after the three-star recruit.

LSU football received a commitment from four-star wide receiver Cade Cooper. He’s six-foot-three, 192 pounds and is ranked as the tenth best prospect in the state of Pennsylvania. 247 sports LSU recruiting analyst Andre Champagne (Shom-pine) says Cooper possess unique traits…

Cut 18 (19) “…able to flourish”

LSU’s 2027 class now has eight commitments and is ranked 44^th in the country by 247 sports.

In college baseball portal news…two pitchers from Marshall are transferring to the Ragin Cajuns. Blaine Albright, who had an ERA close to eight and Charlie Krebs, who had 3 saves and an ERA just over six are headed to Lafayette so they can be coached again by Cajuns pitching coach Tyler Sandefur.

The commitments keep on rolling in for Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers. Four-star wide receiver Cade Cooper and three-star cornerback Markez Davis announced their commitments today. Davis is a 6-3, 180-pound DB out of Northwest High School in Opelousas. Cooper is the tenth-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania and will add length to the receiver room with his 6-foot-3, 192-pound frame.

The commitments come after LSU received verbal pledges from five-star edge rusher KJ Green and three-star running back Brennan Lacey yesterday. The four new additions double the size of LSU’s 2027 class, which now ranks 22^nd in rivals’ industry rankings.

The field for the Men’s College World Series is officially set after Alabama took down St. John’s 7-2 and Oklahoma beat Kansas 13-2 this afternoon. They’ll join Georgia and Texas in an all-SEC half of the College World Series bracket while West Virginia, Troy, UNC, and Ole Miss make up the other.

It’s been 30 years to the day since Warren Morris’s legendary two-run walk-off homer clinched LSU’s 1996 College World Series final win over Miami. The Tigers trailed 7-3 in the game before tying it at 7-all in the eighth. The Hurricanes took back the lead in the top of the ninth and were three outs away from a national title. Down again, with wind blowing in and Miami All-American closer Robbie Morrison on the mound, things were looking bleak for the Tigers, but Morris says he never wavered.

Cut 8 (12) “…of destiny.”

The home run capped off an 8-and-0 postseason run to LSU’s third College World Series title.

Louisiana Tech closer Thomas Allen was named a second-team freshman All-American by the NCBWA. The Benton-native posted a 5-and-3 record with 5 saves in 19 appearances this season. He struck out 49 batters and walked 15 in 48-and-a-third with a 3.54 ERA.

Today is the 30th anniversary of one of the most iconic moments in LSU baseball and College World Series history. In the 1996 College World Series championship against Miami, the Tigers were down 8-7, with two outs and a runner on third, when second baseman Warren Morris stepped up to the plate. Morris roped a two-run walk-off homer over the right field wall to win the Tigers’ third national championship.

Cut 6 (12) “…seen him.”

The walk-off homer is still the only one in the history of the College World Series championship game. Morris had not hit a homer all year. He was batting ninth after a wrist surgery he had just two weeks before the start of the tournament, but he told coach Skip Bertman something was different that day.

Cut 7 (12) “…all year.”

Six teams punched their tickets to the Men’s College World Series over the weekend. West Virginia, Troy, UNC and Ole Miss will make up one half of the bracket while Texas and Georgia await results from two suspended matchups between Alabama and St. John’s and Oklahoma and Kansas.

LSU women’s basketball players Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley earned gold with Team USA at the FIBA 3-on-3 World Cup. Williams hit a game-winning 2-pointer against Australia to take the 21-20 win in the finals. She was also named the MVP of the tournament.

A Lubbock County Court judge granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a temporary injunction against the NCAA, allowing him to play this season. Sorsby faced penalties from the NCAA after placing numerous bets on college football games, some of which on his own team. The injunction states he will be suspended the first two games of the season. Sorsby was a top portal target for Lane Kiffin and the Tigers before LSU signed Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt.

Last week, LSU lost five-star edge rusher Jaiden Bryant as the South Carolina native decommitted from the Tigers and gave a verbal pledge to Miami. But on Sunday, LSU got a commitment from another five-star edge rusher as KJ Green from Stone Mountain, Georgia, chose the Tigers over Georgia, Alabama and Oregon. Green had 18 sacks, 40 tackles for a loss, and four forced fumbles at Stephenson High School last season.

LSU also landed a commitment from a three-star running back out of Texas by the name of Brennan Lacy. Notre Dame, Miami, and Texas Tech were also interested in the six-foot-one speedster, who can run the 100-meter dash in less than 11 seconds.

For the first time since 2023, Mondo Duplantis of Lafayette did not win a pole vaulting event in Stockholm, Sweden. The 26-year-old was defeated by Australia’s Kurtis Marschall, ending a streak of 40 straight victories.

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Ole Miss is headed back to the College World Series as the Rebels swept their super regional series at Auburn. Will Furniss, the son of former LSU star Eddy Furniss, hit a key two-run home run..

Cut 27 (17) “…going out so”

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has approved changes to the four chronic wasting disease management zones. The size of the zones has been reduced. Also baiting and feeding will be allowed from September 1^st to March 31^st 2027, but LDWF’s Jonathan Bordelon says the export of deer carcasses outside of a CWD Management Zone is still prohibited…

Cut 15 (13) “…in new areas”

LSU baseball might have found its replacement for Steven Milam as the Tigers have received a commitment from former Texas State shortstop Dawson Park. Park hit 3-oh-1 (301) with 13 home runs and 52 R-B-I’s for the Bobcats, but left the team in early May after an altercation with teammates.

Park is the second addition to the LSU roster through the transfer portal. The Tigers also got a commitment from former Gonzaga right-hander Landon Hood, who was the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year.

In the Super Regionals the Ole Miss Rebels defeated Auburn six to four to take game one. U-S-C upended North Carolina nine to five, Troy trounced Little Rock 12 to 2 and West Virginia won by the same score over Cal Poly. Today’s action begins at 10 AM as Mississippi State visits Georgia.

The Knicks defeated the Spurs 105 to 104 to go up two games to nothing in the NBA Finals.

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The SEC-ACC matchups in college basketball have been announced. The Lady Tigers will visit North Carolina, while Coach Will Wade’s team will host Wake Forest in the first week of December. The Tigers will also travel to Spokane, Washington to play Gonzaga.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey dismissed the idea that the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten are discussing a merger and creating a super league. In an interview with ESPN’s Paul Finebuam, Sankey said such an idea is not consistent with the truth.

The NCAA Division One cabinet held off on voting on an age-based eligibility model. Under the proposal under consideration, college athletes would have five years to complete eligibility, and the clock would start when they enroll in college for the first time or the beginning of the academic year following their 19^th birthday. Such a proposal could prevent athletes 23 and older from playing college athletics. A vote is expected in a couple of weeks.

Jay Johnson is starting to make moves in the transfer portal. The Tigers landed commitments from Texas State shortstop Dawson Park and Gonzaga right-hander Landon Hood. Hood won W-C-C freshman of the year, striking out 78 batters in 54-and-a-third and picking up 5 saves. The 6-3, 200-pounder features a two-pitch combination with an upper-90s fastball and upper-70s changeup. Park was a defensive ace for the Bobcats and led the team with 52 RBIs and 13 homers before parting ways with the team due to an on-field dispute in early May. He hit .301 this season and posted a .957 fielding percentage.

Park is exactly the type of versatile defender ESPN Baton Rouge Radio’s Hunt Palmer says the Tigers will keep looking to add.

Cut 17 (16)  “…in the portal.”

LSU baseball added one infielder and lost another. Freshman Ethan Clauss was rated the No. 37 high school shortstop in his class by Perfect Game, but he entered the portal after playing in just 11 games this season.

The LSU women’s basketball team will visit UNC December 2 in the SEC-ACC challenge. Both teams are coming off sweet 16 appearances. It will be the second straight road trip in the challenge for the Lady Tigers, who took down Duke at Cameron Indoor last year. LSU is undefeated in the three seasons of the challenge.

Will Wade and the LSU men will host Wake Forest on December 1. The Demon Deacons were 18-and-17 last year.

The NCAA Super Regionals are already underway as Cal Poly opens the weekend against West Virginia. UNC hosts USC at 2:00, Little Rock and Troy face off at 4:00, and Ole Miss visits Auburn at 7:00.

Game 2 of the NBA Finals also tips off tonight at 7:30. The Spurs will look to bounce back against the Knicks after losing their first finals opener in franchise history.

LSU Baseball has received its first transfer portal commitment of the offseason. According to Kendall Rogers of D-1 baseball, the Tigers have received a commitment from Gonzaga right-hander Landon Hood. He’s 6-3, 200 pounds and struck out 78 hitters in 54 innings, featuring a fastball that touches 97 miles per hour. Hood was the W-C-C Freshman of the Year.

LSU will look to add several transfer portal arms. The Tigers have interest in  Northwestern State lefty Brody Trosclair. ESPN Baton Rouge Radio’s Hunt Palmer appeared on Tiger Rag Radio this week to give a scouting report

Cut 18 (18) “…middle of this season”

Trosclair who is from Thibodaux is also reportedly visiting with Tennessee.

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LSU men’s basketball will reportedly play Gonzaga in a non-conference game on November 14^th. The game will be played at Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington. Also, the SEC-ACC challenge game will be LSU hosting Wake Forest.

The Super Regionals in College baseball begin today…The four games today are Cal Poly at West Virginia, USC versus North Carolina, Troy at Little Rock and Auburn hosts Ole Miss.

Texas is the national champion again in college softball. The Longhorns defeated Texas Tech four to one last night for their second consecutive title.

Southern football has added another quarterback to its roster. According to the Advocate its Christian Johnson, a transfer from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. He’s played in back-to-back junior college national championship games. Last year he threw for 21-hundred yards and 22 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 60-percent of his passes.