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Recruiting Roundup; D’haquille Williams Commits!

6 days

by Kris Brauner at 4:39 pm on Monday, May 13th, 2013

The Class of 2011 is widely considered to be one of the most talent rich that the state of Louisiana has ever produced. That group included blue chip talent such as La'el Collins, Anthony Johnson, Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr., Jermauria Rasco, Jeremy Hill and Kenny Hilliard. However, the best football player in that class may very well have been East St. John wide receiver D'haquille Williams. Now starring at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Williams committed to LSU on Friday.

Williams spent his first two years of high school at an unaccredited school, so none of his classes counted towards NCAA eligibility. Therefore, he had zero chance of qualifying after his final two years at East St. John, and he was always bound for junior college. That's why he flew under the radar in terms of the national recruiting picture. Most of the recruiting sites didn't even bother ranking Williams.

Despite seemingly having his academics on the right path, Williams still presents a bit of a risk. He's also had his fair share of character and discipline related issues that forced him to bounce around Junior Colleges before finally settling down. But to his credit, he appears to have really matured over the last year, and that helped make LSU's decision to offer him very easy.

Despite him going unnoticed nationally a few years back, those who cover the state recognize his immense talent:

Can't oversell how big this D'haquille Williams commit is for #LSU. Best high school football player I've seen. Huge talent.
— Shea Dixon (@Sheadixon) May 11, 2013

If D'haquille Williams would have been academically qualified out of high school in 2011, I would have ranked him No.1 overall in the state.
— Mike Scarborough (@ScarboroughMike) May 11, 2013

If Cordarelle Patterson is a one-and-done, back half of 1st round NFL pick, D'haquille Williams is one-and-done and top half of 1st round.
— Mike Scarborough (@ScarboroughMike) May 11, 2013

As further validation of his talent, 247 Sports ranks Williams with a 100 score for his player rating. Only three others in the entire Class of 2014 have a 100 score (Leonard Fournette, Deshawn Hand and Lorenzo Carter). A year ago, just eight players ranked 100. So we're talking about elite, Top-10 overall type of talent with D'haquille Williams. After finally settling in at Mississippi Gulf Coast, Williams instantly found success, hauling in 67 passes for 1,295 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Right now, the plan for Williams is to finish things up at Junior College in December and to enroll at LSU in January of 2014. That will give him a head start on the 2014 season, and he's the type of talent that can really help LSU as they break in a new quarterback. If Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham remain in the program for their senior seasons, then LSU could be looking at one of the top receiving corps in the entire nation especially when factoring in continued development of guys like Travin Dural and Quantavious Leslie, not to mention the rest of the blue chip true freshmen LSU expects to sign in this class.

As a player, Williams is the big, dominant outside receiver that LSU has been looking for. He's in the 6'3" or 6'4" range and weighs around 210 pounds. He's got excellent speed, hands and leaping ability. He's also very good after the catch and can run routes that most guys his size cannot. He's the whole package. He could certainly use some more polish with his routes and understanding of the game, but that's not unusual. The odds are high that Williams is a "one and done" guy at the college level.

The commitment of Williams was not the only big news on the recruiting front over the past week. Parkway Bossier quarterback Brandon Harris has seen his stock soar during the spring evaluation period. He has recently landed offers from Texas A&M, Ohio State and Alabama along with a number of others. Last Wednesday, Cam Cameron went to see Harris throw in person and immediately offered him on the spot. Cameron was reportedly blown away by what he saw from Harris and in the fast improvement in some mechanical issues that had previously prevented LSU from offering. Harris now jumps to the top of LSU's board for quarterbacks.

The next two months should be interesting on the quarterback front. In addition to Harris, LSU is also hotly pursuing South Carolina's Mason Rudolph and Ohio's Deshone Kizer. LSU is in good shape with both Rudolph and Kizer, and both guys would like to make a decision soon. Harris wants to make several visits this summer before deciding at the end of July. Would LSU accept a commitment from Rudolph or Kizer and then still hope to land Harris? Or do they ask Rudolph and/or Kizer to delay their decision in hopes that LSU lands Harris? Would LSU take two quarterbacks in this class? Are the prospects OK with being in a two-quarterback class? Lots of questions...

I think Rudolph is the safest choice of the three. He's athletic but would be considered more of a pocket passer while Kizer and Harris can provide a true threat as runners. Rudolph has the highest floor as a prospect while Harris has the highest ceiling. So it depends on what you'd like to see LSU do. A year after signing two excellent quarterback prospects, this could be a year that LSU can go with more of a boom/bust guy like Harris.

Kentucky blue-chip quarterback Drew Barker committed to Kentucky over South Carolina and Tennessee over the weekend. With South Carolina missing on their top quarterback prospect, will they now turn their attention to Rudolph? It's certainly something to consider. If LSU decided to take Rudolph, they'd possibly push Harris away to another school, only to lose Rudolph to the home state school later in the process. These decisions can be tough.

Mobile, AL defensive end Justin Thornton made his decision on Sunday, committing to Auburn. After a great visit to Baton Rouge a couple of months back, LSU led for Thornton. However, his teammate committed to Auburn and combined with a recent visit to the Plains, it was enough to sway Thornton and push him to a decision. I love Thornton as a prospect, but his reported academic issues have me not sweating this one too much. He very well may end up eligible. But had he picked LSU, his presence on LSU's commitment list could have deterred some others from considering LSU. Then if he didn't make his grades, LSU would have been left with nothing. At the very least, now LSU can move on.

The Tigers are still the big leader for Oklahoma defensive end Deondre Clark, and his commitment (probably sometime this summer) will fill the void of "elite out of state pass rusher" just fine.

We'd love to see some of the big fish in-state start committing to LSU. I really believe it could set off a domino effect of guys wanting to play together and be a part of a special class, especially among the New Orleans area players. But that first domino has to fall, and it looks more and more likely that these players want to wait until after their high school season before going public with a decision. LSU hosts the "Bayou Picnic" recruiting event at the end of May and then hosts two summer camps, one in June and one in July. Those will be the next big weekends to circle on the calendar.

Some out of state guys could be the next to fall for LSU. Currently, LSU leads for Illinois linebacker Clifton Garrett, and New Jersey wide receiver Saeed Blacknall and both may decide this summer.

D'haqhille Williams Story

Brandon Harris Highlights

LSU football recruiting: Tigers favored to sign No. 1 overall class

6 days

by \"LSU Tigers\" Football - Yahoo! News Search Results at 2:09 pm on Monday, May 13th, 2013

Loading... D'Haquille Williams, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC: Williams is absolutely ridiculous. A 6'3, 213-pound receiver who will remind many of Cordarrelle Patterson, Williams will be a consensus five-star recruit.

Tigers Battle Rain and Aggies to Secure Division Crown

6 days

by PodKATT at 12:16 pm on Monday, May 13th, 2013

Rain is the enemy of a good weekend. It can take your best laid plans and throw them into complete chaos. In SEC Baseball, rain leads to a rule book filled with contingency plans, curfews, and inning limits. Being able to deal with these issues is crucial to have success in a league where the most important games happen in the South between March and May. LSU was able to deal with this and more to hold on for a series win in Aggieland that secured it's 17th SEC Western Division Championship, the 4th (and 2nd straight) under Coach Paul Mainieri.

Thursday started off with a nearly 2 hour rain delay and would be stopped off and on until the game's finish well after midnight. It was another situation where, to avoid risking wasting a rain shortened start, Mainieri tossed Cody Glenn against one of A&M's better starters to save Aaron Nola and Ryan Eades for sunnier days. Glenn yet again more than held his own in a tough situation and scattered 3 hits over 6 complete before hitting a wall in the A&M 7th. Even then, a lot of blame for the disastrous 7th inning is shared with the usually stellar LSU Defense. 2 errors on the left side of the defense doomed the inning before Nick Rumbelow could come in for hit-less mop up duty. The mistakes only scored 2 A&M runs, but that was enough on a night where most of the lineup appeared to leave their bats on the bus. Raph Rhymes and Christian Ibarra paired back to back hits for LSU's only run on the night and JaCoby Jones had the only other hit. A&M's Daniel Mengden had 5Ks on the night, but mostly LSU just hit easy balls in play or weak pop outs and watched the innings pass by. Mainieri's experiment of batting Mark Laird 9th and shifting everyone up d id little but bring the Rhymes-Bregman-Katz combo to the plate faster.

Friday was going to be the premier pitching matchup of the weekend with Nola going against A&M's Parker Ray. However, when A&M's Saturday starter Rafael Pineda came up with a sore shoulder, and with 1 game already in the bag, the Aggies tossed Matt Kent, a freshman with a 4.05 ERA, to the wolves. The Tigers got 7 runs off of 12 runs through the first six innings while Nola scattered 2 hits with 4 Ks before the 6th inning. As the skies began to darken, LSU weakened a bit as Nola gave up 4 hits in the 6th, which combined with another error on the left side to chip the lead to 7-2. Then the strangeness of spring weather, SEC baseball, and TV considerations began to work. The tarp was pulled due to the "threat of rain" though reporters on site noted that nearly 45 minutes passed before any sort of precipitation or lightning occurred. The game would have to be finished in the morning, but due to SEC rules, when two games are played on the final day of a weekend, even if one is a continuation of a previous game, the subsequent game must only be 7 innings. The teams came back at 9:30am to play 3, hopefully finishing before a mandatory stop time for the TV broadcast of the 3rd game. A&M, feeling they had a shot with Nola no longer on the mound, tossed out their closer Corey Ray, while LSU went with reliever Joey Bourgeois, hoping to save the rest of the bullpen for the rubber match that afternoon. It did not go well for Bourgeois as he would give up 4 hits and 2 runs before being relieved by Rumbelow and then Chris Cotton in another dazzling 9th inning for his 11th save. The Tiger's offense had clearly gotten up at the right time, even though it didn't manage any runs off of their 5 hits in the continuation (including a great bunt by Mark Laird that he managed to outrun for a single)

The shortened Saturday finale started with a few worries. It was only 7 innings, but what if Eades got into trouble early? Cotton had a total of 7 pitches in his 1 inning of work that morning, but could we risk using him again with the series on the line? It would prove to be a tough one as A&M's Parker Ray (who was supposed to face Nola) was able to keep the stars of LSU's lineup in check. It took help from the low key guys on the lineup, particularly Sean McMullen, Andrew Stevenson, and Mark Laird. Laird in particular was a big help, going 3 for 4 with a RBI on his best day in what feels like quite some time. LSU would need an "extra" inning to put away the Aggies as Eades had what would normally be a great outing, giving up 8 hits but only 1 run through 6 and 1/3. Cotton was asked to win the game and he did, getting his 3rd victory of the year and not appearing to be phased at all by the extra work.

Thanks to an inexplicable loss by Arkansas at home against the lowly Vols, LSU was able to claim the SEC West title and it's accompanying #2 seed in the SEC Tournament a week ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, Vandy was also able to secure the outright SEC regular season championship, but there is still the pride of whupping Ole Miss into pieces to keep the Tigers motivated next week.

It's hard to say how much of an effect the adverse conditions and schedule had on LSU this weekend. On one hand, all three starting pitchers had great performances along with another great weekend for closer Cotton. On the other, LSU's offense continues to be schizophrenic. Either we're beating the snot out of somebody with 15+ hits and double digit runs, or we're barely getting on base and stranding those that do for nearly no production at all. I worry (because as a fan of a 45-7 team, one that may very well end with the greatest regular season record in LSU history, all I can do is worry) about LSU having an off day in the post season and running right into the jaws of someone's Ace. The defense had a bad weekend (for them, LSU is still one of the top 5 defenses IN THE NATION), but that'll happen when things get weird and the dirt gets wet. The pitching staff barely had a hiccup. It's the offense that worries me, because when the days are bad, they are REALLY bad.

SEC Standings

Team(SEC Seed)
SEC Pct. Overall Pct. Home Away Neutral Streak Eastern Vanderbilt (1)
24 - 2 .923 45 - 6 .882 28-3 17-3 0-0 W12 South Carolina (4)
16 - 10 .615 37 - 14 .725 27-6 10-6 0-2 W4 Florida (8)
13 - 14 .481 28 - 25 .528 20-16 8-8 0-1 L1 Kentucky (11)
10 - 17 .370 28 - 22 .560 18-11 7-10 3-1 L3 Missouri (12)
8 - 19 .296 16 - 30 .348 11-12 5-17 0-1 L1 Tennessee
7 - 18 .280 20 - 28 .417 11-12 7-14 2-2 L2 Georgia
5 - 19 .208 18 - 31 .367 10-18 7-13 1-0 L3 Western LSU (2)
21 - 6 .778 45 - 7 .875 31-3 13-4 1-0 W2 Arkansas (3)
17 - 9 .654 34 - 17 .667 24-9 9-4 0-4 W2 Ole Miss (5)
14 - 13 .519 35 - 17 .673 22-9 13-6 0-2 L1 Mississippi St. (6)
14 - 13 .519 37 - 15 .712 27-6 8-9 2-0 W1 Alabama (7)
13 - 13 .500 31 - 22 .585 22-9 9-11 0-2 W1 Texas A&M (9)
11 - 15 .423 27 - 24 .529 21-10 4-12 1-2 L2 Auburn (10)
11 - 16 .407 31 - 20 .608 20-10 9-10 2-0 W1

HIGHLIGHTS GAME 1

GAME 2

GAME 3

Les Miles’ son throws a no-hitter in high school baseball game

7 days

by Yardbarker: LSU Tigers at 3:20 am on Monday, May 13th, 2013

LSU Tigers coach Les Miles applauded his son Manny's second no-hitter of his high school season.

Les Miles son throws high school no-hitter

7 days

by Yardbarker: LSU Tigers at 1:03 am on Monday, May 13th, 2013

(Photo Courtesy: USA Today) Admittedly, Crystal Ball Run isn’t normally a source of late-breaking high school baseball news, but then again there’s nothing normal about Louisiana high school pitcher Manny Miles. For one, the sophomore from University High School in Baton Rouge is an emerging star, and on Friday night threw his second no-hitter of the 2013 season in a 12-1 victory over Cavalry Baptist High School. However the real story wasn’t Manny Miles, so much as the presence of his father in the stands, a man known to the college football world simply as “The Mad Hatter.” That man is of course LSU head football coach Les Miles, who was in attendance to see his son’s performance on Friday night. And if Miles’ reaction on Twitter is any indication, well, he seems to be one proud papa. Fun to be Manny's Dad!! LM — Les Miles (@LSUCoachMiles) May 10, 2013 Cubs have great team chemistry... Each play for the other .. This is no accident ... Incredible hap...

Les Miles son throws high school no-hitter

7 days

by Yardbarker: LSU Tigers at 12:06 am on Monday, May 13th, 2013

Son of LSU’s Miles throws no-hitter in prep tourney

7 days

by Yardbarker: LSU Tigers at 12:14 pm on Sunday, May 12th, 2013

The son of LSU coach Les Miles, Manny Miles, said his dad had only seen three of his games before Friday's Louisiana Class 2A semifinal game -- and this time, the University High right-hander put on a show. He threw a no-hitter through five innings -- his second no-no of the season, with the other coming in March -- as the No. 4 seed Cubs beat top-seeded Calvary Baptist 12-1 to advance to the championship game against Evangel. The third-seeded Eagles would beat University High 2-0 on Saturday. On Friday, Miles (11-0) would face the minimum of three batters in four of his five innings. His five base runners would come on three walks, an error and a fielder's choice and he struck out three. I love having my family behind me, Miles told "The Advocate" (Baton Rouge). Theyre my biggest supporters. Theyve been there for me when Ive had bad years and when Ive had good years. Theyre always there. Les Miles, who with over 107,000 Twitter followers is the most-followed coach in the nation accordin

Son of LSU’s Miles throws no-hitter in prep tourney

7 days

by Yardbarker: LSU Tigers at 12:14 pm on Sunday, May 12th, 2013

The son of LSU coach Les Miles, Manny Miles said his dad had only seen three of his games before Friday's Louisiana Class 2A semifinal game -- and this time, the University High right-hander put on a show. He threw a no-hitter through five innings -- his second no-no of the season, with the last coming in March -- as the No. 4 seed Cubs beat top-seeded Calvary Baptist 12-1 to advance to the championship game against Evangel. The third-seeded Eagles would beat University High 2-0 on Saturday. On Friday, Miles (11-0) would face the minimum of there batters in four of his five innings. His five base runners would come on three walks, an error and a fielder's choice and he struck out three. I love having my family behind me, Miles told "The Advocate" (Baton Rouge). Theyre my biggest supporters. Theyve been there for me when Ive had bad years and when Ive had good years. Theyre always there. Les Miles, who with over 107,000 Twitter followers is the most-followed coach in the nation according

Tiger Report Card

8 days

by \"LSU Tigers\" Football - Yahoo! News Search Results at 1:36 am on Sunday, May 12th, 2013

Coming into the 2012 season, the LSU Tigers found themselves atop virtually every preseason poll. With the welcomed departure of Jordan Jefferson and a horde of returning starters, Tiger fans were optimistic.

LSU @ Texas A&M – GAME 3

8 days

by PodKATT at 3:53 pm on Saturday, May 11th, 2013

Noon - ESPN
LSU – Jr. RHP Ryan Eades (8-1, 2.36 ERA, 76.1 IP, 22 BB, 68 SO)
TAMU – Jr. RHP Parker Ray (0-1, 1.85 ERA, 39.0 IP, 8 BB, 24 SO)

GAME 2 Result

Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- LSU............... 030 301 000 - 7 17 1 Texas A&M..... 000 002 110 - 4 10 0 -------------------------------------------

Box Score

SEC Scoreboard via D1Baseball.com

#1 Vanderbilt Kentucky Live Stats 2:00 PM #1 Vanderbilt Kentucky Live Stats 7:00 PM CSS (makeup of 5/10 game) #4 LSU 7 Texas A&M 4 Live Stats FINAL Resumption of 5/10 game #4 LSU Texas A&M Live Stats 1:00 PM ESPN Georgia #12 South Carolina Live Stats 1:00 PM CSS #13 Mississippi State #20 Mississippi Live Stats 4:00 PM Resumption of 5/10 game (0-0, b1) #13 Mississippi State #20 Mississippi Live Stats 7:30 PM Tennessee #14 Arkansas Live Stats 7:00 PM Auburn Florida Live Stats 7:00 PM Missouri Alabama Live Stats 2:00 PM Fox Sports

D'haquille Williams to LSU: Tigers Reportedly Land 5-Star JUCO WR Prospect

8 days

by \"LSU Tigers\" Football - Yahoo! News Search Results at 4:55 am on Saturday, May 11th, 2013

The No. 1 junior college wide receiver in the nation came off the board on Friday night, as Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's 5-star WR D'haquille Williams committed to the LSU Tigers and head coach Les Miles. According to 247Sports' composite rankings , Williams holds a perfect score of 1.0000, is the No. 1 JUCO player in the nation and holds the top spot at both his position and in ...

Recruiting pitches: SEC

9 days

by \"LSU Tigers\" Football - Yahoo! News Search Results at 7:33 pm on Friday, May 10th, 2013

Inspired by Florida's "#ComePlayWRFortheJoker" campaign, our recruiting writers looked at other ways schools can sell themselves on the trail. Here's a look at recruiting pitches for the SEC: Alabama Crimson Tide What they are selling: What's not to sell? Alabama is coming off back-to-back national championships, and the Crimson Tide had nine players taken in April's NFL draft, including three ...

LSU @ Texas A&M – GAME 2

9 days

by PodKATT at 6:03 pm on Friday, May 10th, 2013

Game 1 Results

Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- LSU............... 000 001 000 - 1 5 2 Texas A&M..... 000 000 20X - 2 6 0 -------------------------------------------

Box Score

6:30pm - Cox Sports Television/Comcast Sports Southeast/ESPN3.com
LSU – So. RHP Aaron Nola (9-0, 1.92 ERA, 89.0 IP, 13 BB, 93 SO)
TAMU – Jr. RHP Parker Ray (0-1, 1.85 ERA, 39.0 IP, 8 BB, 24 SO) Fr LHP Matt Kent (2-2, 4.05 ERA)

It's just been reported that Saturday's starter for the Aggies, Rafael Pineda, will be held out due to a sore shoulder. A&M with go with Fresman Kent tonight and save Parker Ray for Saturday.

SEC Slate via D1Baseball.com
#1 Vanderbilt Kentucky Live Stats 6:30 PM #4 LSU Texas A&M Live Stats 7:30 PM CSS Georgia #12 South Carolina Live Stats 7:00 PM SportSouth #13 Mississippi State #20 Mississippi Live Stats 7:30 PM Tennessee #14 Arkansas Live Stats 7:30 PM Auburn Florida Live Stats 7:00 PM Missouri Alabama Live Stats 7:30 PM

LSU @ Texas A&M – GAME 2

9 days

by PodKATT at 6:03 pm on Friday, May 10th, 2013

LSU @ Texas A&M – GAME 1

10 days

by PodKATT at 1:01 am on Friday, May 10th, 2013

This game is under a lightning delay that keeps getting pushed back. Looking at a 9pm start or later.

ESPNU
LSU – So. LHP Cody Glenn (5-1, 2.93 ERA, 61.1 IP, 13 BB, 29 SO)
TAMU – So. RHP Daniel Mengden (5-3, 2.10 ERA, 81.1 IP, 18 BB, 71 SO)

LINEUPS

A&M

Reynolds SS
Allemand 2B
Lankford 1B
Stein C
Melton 3B
Taylor DH
Wood RF
Moroney LF
Bratsen CF

Mengden P (5-3, 2.10 ERA)

LSU

McMullen DH
Rhymes LF (!!!!!)
Bregman SS
Katz 1B
Ibarra 3B
Ross C
Jones 2B
Laird RF
Stevenson CF

Glenn P (5-1, 2.93 ERA)

Long past time for my usual Rain Delay entertainment

WEEKEND GAMETHREAD: LSU @ Texas A&M

10 days

by PodKATT at 10:49 pm on Thursday, May 9th, 2013

The Tigers head to Aggieland with a chance to secure the division championship.

In Focus: Let the Good Times Roll - Kevin Berry Cherishes His LSU Career

Bertman to Represent LSU as SEC Legend

JaCoby Jones is finding his stride - Tiger Rag.com

Pitching Matchups
Game 1 - Thursday - 8pm - ESPNU
LSU – So. LHP Cody Glenn (5-1, 2.93 ERA, 61.1 IP, 13 BB, 29 SO)
TAMU – So. RHP Daniel Mengden (5-3, 2.10 ERA, 81.1 IP, 18 BB, 71 SO)

Game 2 - Friday - 6:30pm - Cox Sports Television/Comcast Sports Southeast
LSU – So. RHP Aaron Nola (9-0, 1.92 ERA, 89.0 IP, 13 BB, 93 SO)
TAMU – Jr. RHP Parker Ray (0-1, 1.85 ERA, 39.0 IP, 8 BB, 24 SO)

Game 3 - Saturday - Noon - ESPN
LSU – Jr. RHP Ryan Eades (8-1, 2.36 ERA, 76.1 IP, 22 BB, 68 SO)
TAMU – Jr. RHP Rafael Pineda (5-4, 2.87 ERA, 53.1 IP, 14 BB, 28 SO)

College Baseball on TV
5/9 Brigham Young vs. San Francisco 8:00 PM BYUtv
5/9 Texas A&M vs. Louisiana State 9:00 PM ESPNU
5/10 Ohio State vs. Oregon 7:05 PM Big Ten Network
5/10 Texas A&M vs. Louisiana State 7:35 PM CSS
5/10 Brigham Young vs. San Francisco 8:00 PM BYUtv
5/10 Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma 8:00 PM ESPNU
5/11 Texas A&M vs. Louisiana State 1:00 PM ESPN
5/11 South Carolina vs. Georgia 1:00 PM CSS
5/11 Alabama vs. Missouri 2:05 PM FSN
5/11 Brigham Young vs. San Francisco 3:00 PM BYUtv
5/11 Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt 7:00 PM CSS
5/11 Southern California vs. Washington State 10:00 PM Pac-12 Network
5/11 Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma TBA Cowboy Sports Network
5/12 Mississippi vs. Mississippi State 2:00 PM CSS
5/12 California vs. Arizona State 3:00 PM Pac-12 Network
5/12 UCLA vs. Arizona 6:00 PM Pac-12 Network

College Baseball on ESPN3

5/10 7:00 PM EDT #1 North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech ESPN3
5/10 7:30 PM EDT #3 LSU vs. Texas A&M ESPN3
5/10 8:00 PM EDT #19 Oklahoma State vs. #15 Oklahoma
(Blacked out on ESPN3 - View Map)
5/11 12:00 PM EDT Notre Dame vs. St. John's ESPN3 5/11 12:00 PM EDT #7 Florida State vs. #9 North Carolina State ESPN3 5/11 1:00 PM EDT Georgia vs. #12 South Carolina ESPN3 5/11 1:00 PM EDT #3 LSU vs. Texas A&M (Blacked out on ESPN3 - View Map) ESPN

ESPN3 5/11 2:00 PM EDT Missouri vs. Alabama ESPN3 5/11 3:00 PM EDT Notre Dame vs. St. John's ESPN3 5/11 6:00 PM EDT #1 North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech ESPN3 5/11 7:00 PM EDT #2 Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky ESPN3

5/12 1:00 PM EDT #1 North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech ESPN3 5/12 2:00 PM EDT #13 Mississippi State vs. #20 Mississippi ESPN3 5/12 2:00 PM EDT Tennessee vs. #14 Arkansas ESPN3 5/12 3:00 PM EDT #7 Florida State vs. #9 North Carolina State ESPN3

LSU @ Texas A&M – Pitching Matchups and TV Times

10 days

by PodKATT at 9:26 pm on Thursday, May 9th, 2013

In Focus: Let the Good Times Roll - Kevin Berry Cherishes His LSU Career

Bertman to Represent LSU as SEC Legend

JaCoby Jones is finding his stride - Tiger Rag.com

Pitching Matchups
Game 1 - Thursday - 8pm - ESPNU
LSU – So. LHP Cody Glenn (5-1, 2.93 ERA, 61.1 IP, 13 BB, 29 SO)
TAMU – So. RHP Daniel Mengden (5-3, 2.10 ERA, 81.1 IP, 18 BB, 71 SO)

Game 2 - Friday - 6:30pm - Cox Sports Television/Comcast Sports Southeast
LSU – So. RHP Aaron Nola (9-0, 1.92 ERA, 89.0 IP, 13 BB, 93 SO)
TAMU – Jr. RHP Parker Ray (0-1, 1.85 ERA, 39.0 IP, 8 BB, 24 SO)

Game 3 - Saturday - Noon - ESPN
LSU – Jr. RHP Ryan Eades (8-1, 2.36 ERA, 76.1 IP, 22 BB, 68 SO)
TAMU – Jr. RHP Rafael Pineda (5-4, 2.87 ERA, 53.1 IP, 14 BB, 28 SO)

College Baseball on TV
5/9 Brigham Young vs. San Francisco 8:00 PM BYUtv
5/9 Texas A&M vs. Louisiana State 9:00 PM ESPNU
5/10 Ohio State vs. Oregon 7:05 PM Big Ten Network
5/10 Texas A&M vs. Louisiana State 7:35 PM CSS
5/10 Brigham Young vs. San Francisco 8:00 PM BYUtv
5/10 Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma 8:00 PM ESPNU
5/11 Texas A&M vs. Louisiana State 1:00 PM ESPN
5/11 South Carolina vs. Georgia 1:00 PM CSS
5/11 Alabama vs. Missouri 2:05 PM FSN
5/11 Brigham Young vs. San Francisco 3:00 PM BYUtv
5/11 Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt 7:00 PM CSS
5/11 Southern California vs. Washington State 10:00 PM Pac-12 Network
5/11 Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma TBA Cowboy Sports Network
5/12 Mississippi vs. Mississippi State 2:00 PM CSS
5/12 California vs. Arizona State 3:00 PM Pac-12 Network
5/12 UCLA vs. Arizona 6:00 PM Pac-12 Network

College Baseball on ESPN3

5/10 7:00 PM EDT #1 North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech ESPN3
5/10 7:30 PM EDT #3 LSU vs. Texas A&M ESPN3
5/10 8:00 PM EDT #19 Oklahoma State vs. #15 Oklahoma
(Blacked out on ESPN3 - View Map)
5/11 12:00 PM EDT Notre Dame vs. St. John's ESPN3 5/11 12:00 PM EDT #7 Florida State vs. #9 North Carolina State ESPN3 5/11 1:00 PM EDT Georgia vs. #12 South Carolina ESPN3 5/11 1:00 PM EDT #3 LSU vs. Texas A&M (Blacked out on ESPN3 - View Map) ESPN

ESPN3 5/11 2:00 PM EDT Missouri vs. Alabama ESPN3 5/11 3:00 PM EDT Notre Dame vs. St. John's ESPN3 5/11 6:00 PM EDT #1 North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech ESPN3 5/11 7:00 PM EDT #2 Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky ESPN3

5/12 1:00 PM EDT #1 North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech ESPN3 5/12 2:00 PM EDT #13 Mississippi State vs. #20 Mississippi ESPN3 5/12 2:00 PM EDT Tennessee vs. #14 Arkansas ESPN3 5/12 3:00 PM EDT #7 Florida State vs. #9 North Carolina State ESPN3

LSU Football: Top 5 Players on Les Miles' 2014 Recruiting Wish List

10 days

by \"LSU Tigers\" Football - Yahoo! News Search Results at 7:25 pm on Thursday, May 9th, 2013

Les Miles and the LSU Tigers coaching staff have done an exceptional job in recruiting since Miles arrived in Baton Rouge back in 2005. Every year it seems like the Tigers are able to pull in one of the nation's top classes, which has certainly paid great dividends out on the football field. However, next year's 2014 class could very well be the best of them all in terms of the talent that could ...

Cookin’ ATVS Style: Something Simple

10 days

by Billy Gomila at 7:00 pm on Thursday, May 9th, 2013

I've talked about River Road recipes before, and it's a great cookbook because there really is just a great variety, plus its fairly small and condensed, whereas some of my others are basically coffee-table books (my wife loves those). Another reason is that there's a great section in the back called "How Men Cook," with a lot of short, basic recipes, many of which can feed a crowd.

And it occurs to me, that most of what I do here is usually really involved (my wife, who is impatient, does not like this aspect of them), so maybe it's time to come post a few that are quick and easy. Because we've all had that long day at work. You get home, the last thing you really want to do is cook anyway, so you try and throw something together as fast as you can. So here's two very quick marinades that you can throw on really quick, allow to sit for 30-45 minutes, and throw on the grill or in the oven.
Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Ingredients
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup lemon juice
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste
Instructions
1. I'm a big fan of flattening chicken breasts with a mallet if you have the time, especially when marinating them. Frozen ones almost always have odd widths to them, and having them one even width helps them marinate, and cook, evenly. So do that and then season with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Rub it into the breasts (snicker) well.

2. Place the breasts in a Ziploc bag, rub the rosemary leaves off the sprigs into the bag, and then coat with the lemon juice. Seal well and make sure the breasts are well-coated. Refrigerate for at least a half-hour or so (longer is better, obviously, but we're in a hurry here).

3. Grill as you typically would chicken.

Amber-lime Steak Ingredients
Steak (I used a pound-and-a-half London broil, because it was cheap -- do as you will)
1 12-oz bottle of amber-colored beer (I used Dos Equis Amber, because A) I'm interesting and B) it was Cinco de Mayo)
1 lime
Salt (preferably kosher), pepper & garlic powder to taste

Instructions
1. Same deal as the beef -- rub your meat (phrasing, boom) well with the salt, pepper and garlic powder.

2. Place in a Ziploc bag. Halve the lime, juice it into the bag, then slice up the halves and throw them in. Cover with the beer, seal well and allow to sit for a good 45 minutes or so.

3. Grill to your desired temperature. This marinade works really well for fajitas.

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Former LSU, Saints football player arrested in battery, resisting an officer

10 days

by \"LSU Tigers\" Football - Yahoo! News Search Results at 6:19 pm on Thursday, May 9th, 2013

Former LSU and Saints player Randall Gay was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly caused a disturbance at a Baton Rouge bar.

Better Know an Opponent: Texas A&M

10 days

by Poseur at 3:30 pm on Thursday, May 9th, 2013

Things haven't gone precisely as planned for the Aggies in their debut baseball season, which I'm sure most A&M fans would gladly trade for their football success. You won't catch too many Aggies complaining about the trade, but they did think they would do a better job this year. However, they can still rally and make the NCAA tournament, which makes them a very dangerous opponent this weekend. The Ags desperately need wins.
Texas A&M Aggies

Record: 26-22 (10-13), 9^th in the SEC
RS/RA: 210/194
RPI: 57
ISR: 63

That is the profile of a bubble team, and likely one that is on the outside looking in. the Aggies need to get that SEC record closer to .500 and that RPI needs to get into the 40's or so to be a viable candidate for an at-large bid. The committee hates taking more than 8 SEC teams, so they need to improve their profile to be more attractive than Kentucky, the 8^th place team.

Ancient Logo:

via content.sportslogos.net

How awesome is that? That thing looks like a cattle brand. Hell, it probably was. I like the current A&M logo, but I'm partial to clean, uncluttered designs. The block ATM is a classic.

Notable Alumni:

Norman Borlaug (winner of Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold Medal, and the Nobel Prize, which is like the EGOT of academia)

Bruce McCarl (2007 Nobel Peace Prize)

Jay Robbins (fighter ace with 22 aerial victories in WWII)

Maj. Gen. Robert B. Williams (lead raid on Schwienfurt)

Rip Torn (Defending Your Life, Freddy Got Fingered)

Neal Boortz (talk yell radio)

Lyle Lovett (singer)

Kimberly Tomes (1976 Miss USA, Miss Universe finalist)

Lowry Mays (co-founder of Clear Channel)

Wen Ho Lee (indicted on 59 counts of stealing US nuclear secrets for China)

Rick Perry (governor of Texas)

Stephen Hawking (physicist)

Davey Johnson (1997 AL Manager of the Year, fired that offseason by Peter Angelos... no, I'm not a bitter Orioles fan, why do you ask?)

Robert Neyland (has a stadium in Tennessee named after him)

George H.W. Bush (the President Bush everyone likes)

Pretentious Music Video:

Texas, of course, has more than its fair share of great musicians. Now, if I were the type of guy to just enrage our rivals, I'd make our pretentious music video some band from Austin. Close enough, right? On top of a famous indie scene in Austin, Texas has given birth to two famed subgenres of country: red dirt and outlaw. Houston is home to a fabulous hip hop scene as well. What I'm saying is, there's a lot of great music in Texas, though A&M is known more from the country twang than the pretentious indie rock. But have no fear, there is some A&M approved country music for the scarf wearing crowd. You don't get much more Texas than the legendary T-Bone Burnett, who is pretty much worshipped by anyone who has even a passing interesting in country music. He's best known as a producer, and while he tends to work with high profile acts these days, or lending his famous name to movie soundtracks, he did get together with another Texas legend a few years back: Steve Earle. Earle is more rock n roll than just about anyone else on the planet, and he's been churning out great music for a few decades now that usually exposes just how lame both modern country and rock truly are. Anyway, get him together with T Bone Burnett, and good things are gonna happen. So in the spirit of Texas, here's Steve Earle ripping fake Texan George W Bush (he's from Connecticut, people) a new one: Steve Earle- Little Emperor

Starters:

RHP Daniel Mengden (5-3, 2.10 ERA, 81.1 IP, 71/18 K/BB)
RHP Parker Ray (0-1, 1.85 ERA, 39.0 IP, 24/8 K/BB)
RHP Rafael Pineda (5-4, 2.87 ERA, 53.1 IP, 28/14 K/BB)

Parker Ray has pitched his way into the rotation, and this will be only his third start of the season. This is a top heavy staff, as there is only one pitcher in the pen who has thrown 10 innings and has an ERA under 3.00 (Jason Jester: 2.55 in 35.1 IP). The key for LSU is to get to the starters early, and then expose the soft underbelly of the bullpen. Mengden's ratios are pretty darn great, so I expect he'll be a hard guy to rough up, but Ray and Pineda's underlying numbers are not as scary as their ERA's. Also, for the first time in what seems like forever, LSU will go up against three righties in one weekend. The book on LSU has always been throw the lefty at them, but the Aggies just don't have that option. This is a solid staff, but not a great one.

Sluggers:

SS Mikey Reynolds 371/432/431
1B Cole Lankford 351/390/481
2B Blake Allemand 268/394/331

As a team, the Aggies slug 366. To put that in perspective, LSU gets on base at a 395 clip and slugs 442 as a team. When I say the Aggies have almost no pop, I mean it. What they can do is run. The Aggies steal at 69/92 rate, which is both a lot of steals and at a good success rate. They will sacrifice a lot, and be the most buntastic team they possibly can. You know how I feel about that, and it shows in the 4.38 runs they score per game. They try and keep the score low and win the game by manufacturing the winning run late. All I can say is, good luck with that.

Tiger Bait?

They really should be. LSU has gotten through the toughest part of its schedule with a 4-2 record, which isn't as impressive when you realize we lost our first series of the year. But after a sweep of Florida, it's time for LSU to put the foot to the floor and start getting into full postseason form. The Aggies are the kind of team that can give you fits, but you are always one big inning away from blowing their doors off. I just don't think the Aggies can put up the amount of runs needed to compete with the LSU offense. However, their best chance to win will be tonight's game on national TV. LSU will hold Nola for his usual Friday start so Cody Glenn gets to go up against the Aggies ace. We are conceding the first pitching matchup in order to have a massive edge in the next two games. If Glenn can scrape out a win, this weekend could get ugly for the Aggies.

Around The SEC: Baseball Weekend Preview – 5/9/13

10 days

by Kris Brauner at 2:05 pm on Thursday, May 9th, 2013

SEC Standings

Team SEC Pct. Overall Pct. Home Away Neutral Streak Eastern Vanderbilt 21 - 2 .913 41 - 6 .872 27-3 14-3 0-0 W8 South Carolina 13 - 10 .565 33 - 14 .702 23-6 10-6 0-2 L2 Florida 12 - 12 .500 27 - 23 .540 19-14 8-8 0-1 W2 Kentucky 10 - 14 .417 28 - 19 .596 18-8 7-10 3-1 W2 Missouri 7 - 17 .292 15 - 28 .349 11-12 4-15 0-1 L4 Tennessee 6 - 16 .273 18 - 26 .409 10-12 6-12 2-2 L2 Georgia 5 - 16 .238 17 - 28 .378 10-18 6-10 1-0 W1 Western LSU 19 - 5 .792 43 - 6 .878 31-3 11-3 1-0 W4 Arkansas 15 - 8 .652 32 - 16 .667 22-8 9-4 0-4 L1 Mississippi St. 13 - 11 .542 36 - 13 .735 27-6 7-7 2-0 W3 Ole Miss 12 - 12 .500 33 - 16 .673 20-8 13-6 0-2 L2 Alabama 11 - 12 .478 28 - 21 .571 19-8 9-11 0-2 W1 Texas A&M 10 - 13 .435 26 - 22 .542 20-8 4-12 1-2 W4 Auburn 9 - 15 .375 28 - 19 .596 19-10 7-9 2-0
W3

Tennessee (18-26, 6-16) @ Arkansas (32-16, 15-8)
The Hogs are playing well right now. Since losing the series to LSU, Arkansas has won seven of nine conference games, and they're right on the bubble in terms of hosting a regional. College Baseball Daily's latest projections have Fayeteville as a host location and with Tennessee and Auburn the only SEC teams remaining on the schedule, the Hogs could go to Hoover as one of the hottest teams in the league...and the country.

In classic Arkansas style, the Hogs took a road series at Kentucky and scored just ten runs all weekend. But that's how this team rolls...with one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. Over their last seven games, Arkansas is averaging just 3.14 runs per game. That's not good. But they've won six of those seven games. They lean heavily on their pitchers to be nearly flawless, but they seem to figure out a way to win each night.

Tennessee was only able to get in one game last weekend against Georgia due to weather, and they lost 8-7. The Vols appear to have hit the skids on the season, simply playing out the string. They have lost eight of the last nine, including a pair of mid-week contests to Middle Tennessee State.

Arkansas has only swept one series this year which was, oddly enough, at South Carolina. The timing, momentum, etc all seem right for another one here. If I'm right, that will keep the pressure on LSU a bit in the SEC West standings.
Prediction: Arkansas Sweeps

Mississippi State (36-13, 13-11) @ Ole Miss (33-16, 12-12)
State earned a much needed sweep of Alabama last weekend, and after a slow start in league play, their conference record is starting to catch up to their RPI and to the quality of team they are. State's RPI is all the way up to #9, and they're a host site in every projection I can find. Short of going on a crazy run, I can't see them entering the national seed discussion, so their focus is on remaining a host site at this point.

Ole Miss, on the other hand, is limping into this weekend after losing their second straight series...the latest to Auburn. Things seemed to be looking up for the Rebs after consecutive sweeps of Alabama and Tennessee a few weeks back, but going 2-4 against Kentucky and Auburn has brought them back to reality. For now, the Rebs are still squarely in the post-season with a solid RPI of #20. But with a tough series against State and a road trip to Baton Rouge in their near future, they need to be careful.

This series features two of the league's top hitters in State's Hunter Renfroe (.394 / .488 / .781, 15 HR, 49 RBI) and Ole Miss's Stuart Turner (.397 / .454 / .580, 5 HR, 46 RBI). Along with LSU's Mason Katz and Alex Bregman, Renfroe is among the favorites to win the SEC Player Of The Year.
Prediction: Mississippi State Wins 2 of 3

Missouri (15-28, 7-17) @ Alabama 28-21, 11-12)
After a hot start, most figured Alabama would eventually fade and come back to Earth. And that's exactly what happened. After starting SEC play with a 7-2 record, they've gone 4-10 since. Despite still being in good shape for making the NCAA Tournament, this weekend is an important one for the Tide. Next week, Bama travels to Vanderbilt, so they really need to win the series this weekend. Losing this weekend could put them in position where they only end up with 12 conference wins and a mediocre overall record.

Not much to say about Missouri. They were swept by a very average Texas A&M team last weekend, and they scored just seven runs in those three games. They're dead last in the league in hitting, 12th in pitching, and 13th in fielding. But for now, they're head of Georgia and Tennessee in the standings, so there's that.
Prediction: Alabama Wins 2 of 3

Auburn (28-19, 9-15) @ Florida (27-23, 12-12)
Florida had really pulled themselves together after a rough start to the season. They were playing very good baseball, which included a sweep of South Carolina. But last weekend, the ran into a LSU team that was angry after losing a series the previous weekend and were swept. So they'll be looking to have a rebound of their own this weekend against an Auburn team that could be running into a buzz saw.

Auburn is coming off an unexpected series win against Ole Miss and suddenly, they MIGHT have something to play for. They have a solid overall record and a RPI of #41. Their strength of schedule is also up there at #37. With Florida and Arkansas on the schedule, it won't be easy, at all. But they may...MAY be able to play their way into the NCAA Tournament discussion if they can somehow manage to win four or five of the next six and then have a nice showing in Hoover. It's highly unlikely, but they may have something to play for now, which is a stark contrast to just a week ago.

In the end, I believe they're going to hit that buzz saw though.
Prediction: Florida Sweeps

Vanderbilt (41-6, 21-2) @ Kentucky (28-19, 10-14)
At this point, Vanderbilt is playing against the SEC history books. 21 conference wins is usually enough to win the league and earn a national seed. LSU won the SEC outright with 20 wins in 2009 and 19 last year. In 2008, LSU was 18-12 and earned a national seed. Vandy is accomplishing unprecedented things. But, the league title is not totally wrapped up because LSU is having a really fine season, too. The Tigers are 2.5 games behind Vandy with six to play. It's unlikely they can catch the Dores, but it provides Vandy with a reason to stay motivated.

Remember when Kentucky was ranked in the Top-10 and when LSU's sweep of them was a big deal? Counting the LSU series, they're 4-11 in conference play over the last five weekends, and their star is fading quickly. They still have a good RPI of #28, and they have the luxury of finishing the season against Missouri. But suffering a sweep this weekend would put Kentucky at 10-17 in SEC play, and that's not a good thing.
Prediction: Vanderbilt Sweeps (I'm an idiot not to predict this)

Georgia (17-28, 5-16) @ South Carolina (33-14, 13-10)
South Carolina is a really good team and after a confidence building series win in Baton Rouge, I thought they'd return home and win the series against Vanderbilt. In a two game series cut short by rain, the Cocks lost both. Oops. But Carolina is still an awfully good team, and they'll get the chance to take out their frustrations on the league's worst team this weekend, at home. Ranked #8 and with a RPI of #11, it's not out of the question that the Cocks receive a national seed with a strong finish. Barring a collapse, they should at least host a Regional.

They'll travel to Mississippi State for the final regular season series, so taking care of business this weekend is a must.

I don't see any way Georgia surprises and wins this series, but they could posisbly steal one game. They're overmatched and in a tough spot this weekend.
Prediction: South Carolina Sweeps

Five Things, May 8th

11 days

by Billy Gomila at 12:49 am on Thursday, May 9th, 2013

Apologies for the sparse posting lately -- real life's been pretty hectic as of late. But don't worry, we're not about to abandon y'all in the offseason desert. Here are a couple odd items for the week.

1. It's that time of the year again - USA Today does their annual update of the athletic department revenue database. Not-so-shockingly, Texas has the top spot, while LSU sits at seventh. The fact that LSU is one of a handful of schools on this list that receive no state budget dollars or university/student fees is one I remain incredibly proud of. Still, Year2 has a great piece warning against drawing too many conclusions from the data here.

2. I refuse to recognize any fried chicken claiming to represent college football not named Raising Cane's or Popeye's. Do they even have Zaxby's in Louisiana?

3. Interesting fodder on recruiting in past years -- the ill-fated 2010 quarterback recruiting class. If you've ever wondered "what if" when it comes to Zach Lee, tell yourself the odds were against him anyway: of the 31 four- or five-star rivals QB recruits from his class, a staggering 22 didn't work out for the team that signed them. They're either playing somewhere else now in the FBS, down in FCS or languishing behind the depth chart at their original destination. It's a good reminder that sometimes recruits are only ranked in relation to the rest of their class, and that sometimes (just like with the NFL Draft -- see Quarterbacks, 2013) it can just be a down year at a position. Look at Rivals' top 20 receiver recruits from 2007. The only real star on the list is Dez Bryant. Sure, there are a few guys there that went on to be starters, and guys like Terrance Toliver and Arrelious Benn certainly had moments at their respective schools. But overall? Blah. Another example: the 2009 defensive tackle crop. Top guy Sheldon Richardson met his hype, but otherwise? Yikes.

4. Great stuff from one of Football Study Hall's new writers, Nickel Rover, on how Tyrann Mathieu might fit into an NFL defense. Not surprisingly, Rover doesn't buy the "overrated" narrative that so many have tried to push in the last year or so.

5. Over at Good Bull Hunting, our Aggy friends are passing some offseason time with a discussion after my inner 80s child's heart: best 80s TV theme music. I think we all know the correct answer here...

LSU Football: Hate It or Not, the SEC Reigns Supreme

11 days

by \"LSU Tigers\" Football - Yahoo! News Search Results at 7:26 am on Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

I'm admittedly as diehard a Big Ten fan as you will find—no doubt about it. But when it comes to the landscape of college football in today's world, the SEC wins national championships, and that's all that matters when it comes to the conference pecking order. Les Miles' LSU Tigers have been right in the thick of the SEC's dominance over the past decade. The Tigers are an eye-popping 107-25 over ...