Dion named in nation's Top 150 pitchers by D1Baseball

Release from McNeese athletics website:

LAKE CHARLES – McNeese sophomore pitcher Will Dion has been tabbed by D1Baseball as one of the top 150 pitchers in the nation based off its analytics.

Dion, a first team Freshman All-American by Baseball America in 2019, is ranked as the 97th-best pitcher in the country and No. 4 in pitchability with a 95.2 score.

The analysis is based off the 2019 spring season stats and does not consider how a pitcher fields his position or holds baserunners. Nor does it consider a pitcher's athleticism, arm action, delivery, projection or any other in-person scouted qualities. It is simply a list to identify pitchers who have statistically performed in areas that are proven to correlate into professional baseball. Pitchers are graded from 0-100.

Louisville's Reid Detmers is rated No. 1 with an overall score of 94.0. Dion posted an overall mark of 82.3. Breaking it down and in addition to his 95.2 pitchability score, he registered an 86.5 in zone control and 64.2 in durability.

The Sulphur native posted a 5-0 record with a 1.98 ERA and six saves in 2019 while earned All-SLC honorable mention honors.

Pelini named LSU football's next defensive coordinator

From LSUSports.net:

BATON ROUGE – Bo Pelini, who helped LSU to the 2007 BCS National Championship, is returning to the Tiger coaching staff as defensive coordinator, head coach Ed Orgeron announced on Monday.

Pelini returns to LSU after serving as the head coach at Youngstown State for the past five seasons where he guided the Penguins to a 33-28 overall mark and an appearance in the FCS National Championship Game in 2016. Pelini has a head coaching record of 100-55, which includes seven years as head coach at Nebraska.

Pelini's hire is pending approval from the LSU Board of Supervisors.

"We are privileged to have one of the top defensive coordinators in all of football in Bo Pelini join our staff," Orgeron said. "Bo has had some of the best defenses in football during his career and we are looking forward to him bringing his tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise back to LSU to continue to win championships."

In his three years as defensive coordinator with the Tigers from 2005-07, LSU went a combined 34-6, claimed the 2007 national title and beat Notre Dame to win the Sugar Bowl during the 2006 season.  LSU also appeared in the SEC Championship Game twice, winning the league title in 2007.

In his first stint as defensive coordinator with the Tigers, LSU's defense ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense all three years. LSU finished No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference in total defense in both 2006 and 2007 and ranked No. 2 in the league in 2005.

"The opportunity to return to LSU is truly unique," Pelini said. "Culturally, with my prior experience at LSU, I know it is a great fit for me. The chance to work with Coach Orgeron, the ability to take charge of the Tigers defense, is something that I'm extremely excited about. All of that in a place that both my family and I immensely enjoyed when we were there before is very exciting for us.  We are very honored and looking forward to this next chapter."
With Pelini as defensive coordinator, LSU led the SEC in scoring defense twice in 2006 and 2007. LSU allowed only 12.6 points per game in 2006, which ranked No. 4 nationally, while the 14.2 points per game the Tigers gave up in 2005 rated No. 2 in the league and No. 3 in the nation.

Under Pelini, LSU averaged 38 sacks a season over that three-year span and the Tiger defense was credited with a combined 71 turnovers, which included 36 in 2007, a figure that led the SEC and ranked No. 3 nationally.

In Pelini's three years with the Tigers, LSU had defensive players earn seven first team All-America honors and had eight defenders selected in the NFL Draft, which included first round picks in Glenn Dorsey and LaRon Landry.  Dorsey also became the most decorated defensive player in LSU history claiming four national awards – Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski and Lott.

One of the most respected and innovative defensive minds in the game, Pelini spent seven years at head coach at Nebraska from 2008-2014 where he led the Cornhuskers to a mark of 66-27. Pelini's Nebraska teams won at least nine games all seven years he was in Lincoln, which included three 10-win seasons from 2009-11.

Pelini guided Nebraska to appearances in the Big 12 Championship Game in 2009 and 2010 and then followed that with a Big Ten Legends Division Crown in 2012 and the school's lone appearance in the Big Ten title game. Nebraska appeared in a bowl game in all seven of Pelini's seasons with the school.

Louisiana Take Two From Prairie View A&M, Improves to 6-1

From UL athletics:

LAFAYETTE — Louisiana (6-1) blanks Prairie View A&M beating them 7-0 in both matches on Monday afternoon at Cajun Courts. Due to Prairie View A&M only having five players, Louisiana own a 1-0 advantage in each match.

Match 1
Louisiana and Prairie View A&M only played two doubles matches, with Louisiana earing victories in both. Jamie Fraser and Karlo Kajin posted a statement win over Xavier Lawrence and Jorge Caballero by a score of 6-1, while Kacper Dworak and Silvio Cocito-Monoc showed tremendous fight in their match, coming back from a 4-1 deficit to snag a 7-5 victory.

As for singles, Fraser and Stefan Gazo dominated the opposition with a pair of 6-1, 6-0 victories. Dworak and Kajin also won their singles matches, while Cocito-Monoc came from behind to defeat PVAMU's Kevin Ugarteche, 6-4, 6-3, 12-10.

Match 2
With no lineup changes from the day's earlier match, Fraser and Kajin claimed their second win by beating Lawrence and Caballero, 6-3. Cocito-Monoc and Dworak matched their score from earlier in the day at 7-5.

The Ragin' Cajuns cruised through the singles matches, taking five of the available six points. Gazo had a terrific contest one again, taking care of business early to cap off a day in which he only dropped three games.

Cocito-Monoc once again found himself in a battle with Ugarteche and earned another within three sets, 6-2, 6-4, 10-6.

RESULTS
Singles
Lawrence (PVAM) def. Dworak (UL), 3-6, 6-3, 11-9
Fraser (UL) def. Caballero (PVAM), 6-2, 6-4
Kajin (UL) def. Yoshikata (PVAM), 6-1, 6-0
Stefan Gazo (UL) def. Juan Malham Viada (PVAM), 6-1, 6-1
Silvio Cocito-Monoc (UL) def. Kevin Uarteche (PVAM), 6-2, 4-6, 10-6

Doubles
Fraser/Kajin def. Lawrence/Caballero (PVAM), 6-3
Dworak/Cocito-Monoc def. Yoshikata/Malham Viada (PVAM), 7-5

Singles
Kacper Dworak (UL) def. Xavier Lawrence (PVAM), 6-3, 6-1
Jamie Fraser (UL) def. Jorge Caballero (PVAM), 6-1, 6-0
Karlo Kajin (UL) def. Rodrigo Yoshikata (PVAM), 6-4, 6-1
Gazo (UL) def. Malham Viada (PVAM), 6-1 6-0
Cocito-Monoc (UL) def. Ugarteche (PVAM), 6-4, 3-6, 12-10

Doubles
Fraser/Kajin (UL) def. Lawrence/Caballero (PVAM), 6-3
Dworak/Cocito-Monoc def. Yoshikata/Malham Viada (PVAM), 7-5

Smart Scores 20 as LSU Earns Road Win at Ole Miss, 80-76

From LSU athletics:

OXFORD, Miss. — The LSU Tigers played to its specialty, the six-minute game, rallying from six points down in the final 6:57 of the game to score an 80-76 win over Ole Miss Saturday night at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.

LSU remains the only undefeated team in the Southeastern Conference at 13-4, 5-0 in the SEC, and Ole Miss falls to 9-8 and 0-4 in the league.

The Tigers are now winners of 12-straight games on the road in the SEC, 10 straight Southeastern Conference games overall and six games in a row this season.

Javonte Smart led LSU with 20 points and six rebounds, hitting four treys, while Emmitt Williams had 17 points and seven boards. Skylar Mays had 15 points and four assists. Marlon Taylor in his best game since his return several games ago had 13 points and six rebounds. Taylor did not make the trip to Texas A&M on Tuesday so doctors could evaluate his foot, which has given him problems since summer left leg surgery.

Breein Tyree had 36 points with Blake Hinson adding 13 and Khadim Sy 10.

LSU shot 42.1 percent for the game with eight treys and 24-of-27 at the free throw line. Ole Miss shot 44.6 percent overall with nine treys and 9-of-19 from the free throw line. Ole Miss started the second half 0-of-7 at the free throw line in the first four minutes of play.

Coach Will Wade has talked since he has been here about getting into a six-minute game and being around at that point to be able to finish the game. LSU has been a finishing team. After winning by 14 at Tennessee, the Tigers have won by two against Arkansas, one against Mississippi State, four in overtime at A&M and four at Ole Miss.

A big Ole Miss run put the Rebels up 67-61 inside seven minutes but two free throws by Williams and a three-pointer by Smart quickly got LSU back to within one.

The Tigers would eventually tie the game and take the lead on free throws by Taylor at 70-69 with 4:30 to play. A Tyree jumper put Ole Miss back briefly at 71-70 but when Williams scored on a layup, the Tigers had the lead for good.

But teams had a couple of empty possessions before Mays got a layup to make it 74-71, LSU, with 2:23 to play. Ole Miss then missed two three-pointers before Mays drove and scored again to put the game to 76-71 with 52 seconds to play.

LSU would make 4-of-4 at the free throw line in the waning seconds to clinch the win, the second team in the Tigers 12-game road streak to have been defeated twice in their building by LSU.

The Tigers again had the big advantage on the road at 47-31 and 12-8 on the offensive board. The Tigers had a 21-9 advantage in second chance points.

Trendon Watford led LSU with 10 rebounds. Five players combined for the good night at the line.

LSU now faces a big home game on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. against the Florida Gators. The teams split games last year with each team winning on the opponent's home floor. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network. Tickets will be available at LSUtix.net.

Explosive Second Half Sends Louisiana Past Texas State, 73-67

From UL athletics:

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Trailing 18 points with 9:40 to play in the third quarter, Louisiana mounted a massive comeback behind a season-high 52 second-half points to stun Texas State on the road, 73-67.

Louisiana (11-6, 4-2 SBC), which only led Saturday's game for 2:57, used a perfect 23-for-23 effort at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes to complete the comeback win, the team's largest come-from-behind victory since overcoming a 15-point deficit against Texas State on March 9, 2017, to win, 66-64.

Juniors Ty'Reona Doucet and Skyler Goodwin stole the show, combining for 42 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Doucet led the way with a season-high 22 points and pulled down seven boards, while Goodwin also contributed a season-high scoring performance with 20 points.

The only other Ragin' Cajun to score in double figures was Brandi Williams, who added 15 points in 36 minutes of action.

Despite being narrowly outrebounded, 34-30, Louisiana was able to feast in the paint, outscoring Texas State, 34-24, down low. The Ragin' Cajuns also forced 19 Bobcat turnovers and notched 11 steals.

After trading buckets early in the first quarter, Goodwin gave Louisiana its first lead of the game at the 6:12 mark when she drove through the lane and deposited a layup to put the team up 6-4. The lead quickly dissipated when Texas State used a 7-0 run to take an 11-6 lead with 2:32 on the clock.

Up 17-12 after the opening quarter, Texas State pushed its lead out to 26-16 when Bailey Holle drained a 3-pointer 3:36 into the second period. Louisiana was unable to respond over the remainder of the half, being held scoreless over the final 2:28 to find itself down 36-21 at halftime.

Holle opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer to give Texas State its largest lead of the game at 39-21 before Louisiana took control and used a 15-7 run to trim the lead to 46-36 at the media timeout following a layup from Doucet. Over the final 4:55 of the third period, the Ragin' Cajuns used another big run (14-7) to trim the lead down to one possession (53-50) with 10 minutes to play.

Texas State (7-10, 0-6 SBC) gave itself some breathing room early in the final stanza, but it could not slow a surging Louisiana squad that tied things up at 56 all with 6:27 to play after Andrea Cournoyer made two free throws, her only points of the game.

Two minutes later, Doucet gave Louisiana its first lead since the first quarter when she made two free throws, but the Bobcats answered with two free throws of their own to tie things up once again, 63-63.

That was as close as the game would get, though, as the Ragin' Cajuns made 10 free throws in the final 2:04 of the game to fend off any potential momentum from the Bobcats and ice the 73-67 comeback victory.

Louisiana will play six of its next seven game in the Cajundome, beginning on Thursday, Jan. 23, when it welcomes in Arkansas State. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and ESPN1420.

LSU wins its fourth national title, 42-25 over Clemson

Press release from LSUsports.net:

NEW ORLEANS — Led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow's six-touchdown performance, Ed Orgeron's top-ranked Fighting Tigers of LSU earned the title 2019 National Champions and arguably The Best Team Ever.

LSU (15-0) proved its dominant season by ending Clemson's 29-game winning streak in a 42-25 victory over the defending champs.

The Tigers - playing 60 minutes southeast of the Baton Rouge campus - won the fourth national championship in program history: 1958, 2003, 2007 and 2019. Orgeron became the third-straight LSU head coach to win a title.

Burrow, Offensive Player of the Game, was 31-of-49 passing for 463 yards with five touchdown passes, while adding another 58 rushing yards and including a TD run. He accounted for all but 107 of LSU's 628 yards of total offense, as the Tigers broke NCAA records for points and yards in a season. Burrow set NCAA single-season marks for passing touchdowns (60) and total touchdowns (65).

After facing its biggest deficit of the season - 17-7 early in the second quarter - LSU scored 21 unanswered points to lead 28-17 at halftime. Though Clemson narrowed the margin to three, LSU scored the final 14 points of the contest including a 24-yard dagger from Burrow to Terrace Marshall Jr. with 12:08 to play that gave the Tigers the final margin.

LSU linebacker Patrick Queen was named Defensive Player of the Game after leading the Tigers with eight tackles including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage.

Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase broke Josh Reed's single-season receiving yards record in the second half. He caught nine passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns, while Justin Jefferson added 106 yards on nine catches. Tight end Thaddeus Moss also scored twice and caught five passes for 36 yards. Marshall finished with three catches for 46 yards.

Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran 16 times for 110 yards.

Ragin’ Cajuns claim 1st win of season, defeat West Florida 6-1

From UL Athletics:

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Louisiana Men's Tennis team (1-0) picked up its first victory of the season Tuesday afternoon defeating West Florida, 6-1. It was the Ragin' Cajuns first season-opening win of a spring season since 2014.

The Ragin' Cajuns claimed four of their five singles triumphs in straight sets. Ivailo Keremedchiev and Stefan Gazo earned wins in their spring season collegiate debut.

Louisiana's doubles pairings of Jan Galka and Kacper Dworak and Keremedchiev and Jamie Fraser tallied wins to capture the doubles point. Galka added to his solid day by battling West Florida's No. 1 singles player to earn a 6-2, 6-7, 10-3 decision.

"I'm very proud of Jan Galka today stepping up and clinching doubles and beating a very good West Florida player in three sets," head coach Mark Jeffrey explained. "The guys approached this match very professionally for their first match. Everyone is buying in on problem solving and getting better, it was a good day against a team that is always ranked top two or three nationally in Division II."

Louisiana will head to Tallahassee, Fla., for a three-match swing at Florida State starting with Florida A&M on Thursday and Friday, then taking on the Seminoles on Saturday.

Full Results:
Singles
Galka (LA) def. Bojedjiev (UWF), 6-2, 6-7, 10-3
Keremedchiev (LA) def. Cabrera (UWF), 6-4, 6-2
Fraser (LA) def. Svensson (UWF), 6-2, 6-2
Dworak (LA) def. Cordeiro (UWF), 6-2, 6-2
Motta (UWF) def. Gilheany (LA), 6-4, 4-6, 10-2
Gazo (LA) def. Racine (UWF), 6-2, 6-0

Doubles
Galka and Dworak (LA) def. Bojedjiev and Svensson (UWF), 6-3
Keremedchiev and Fraser (LA) def. Cabrera and Cordeiro (UWF), 6-2
Motta and Racine (UWF) def. Gilheany and Gazo (LA), 6-2

Louisiana Uses Balanced Attack To Rally Past Troy, 79-62

From UL Athletics:

Five players reach double figues as short-handed Ragin' Cajuns earn first SBC win

LAFAYETTE – Freshman Mylik Wilson recorded his first career double-double, establishing career-bests with 18 points and 13 rebounds and Louisiana (6-9, 1-3 Sun Belt) got a balanced attack from its revised starting lineup as it earned a 79-62 win over Troy in a Sun Belt Conference game on Saturday at the Cajundome.

Doug Gueye and freshman Calvin Temple, making his first career start in place on an injured Trajan Wesley, scored a season-high 16 and 12 points each for Louisiana (6-9, 1-3 Sun Belt). Tirus Smith matched his season-high with 15 points for the Ragin' Cajuns while Cedric Russell added 15 points, including four 3-pointers.

The game started slow with neither team scoring until Smith's three-point play at the 17:36 mark of the first half for the Ragin' Cajuns. Troy (5-10, 1-3 Sun Belt) built a 16-8 lead with 13:05 remaining on Ty Gordon's three-point play, and the Trojans took their biggest lead of the night, 23-13, on Darian Adams' bucket.

Louisiana would rally to tie the game at 31-all on a basket by Russell and would regain the lead when Wilson converted on a three-point play with 4:32 left in the half.

Troy would use an 11-0 run that was capped by Desmond Williams' 3-pointer with 2:00 left before intermission, but the Ragin' Cajuns would get a free throw by Smith and a bucket by Wilson to close to within 42-37 at the break.

Louisiana got off to a hot start in the second half opening with on 15-3 run and taking a 52-45 lead on a three-point play by Temple with 14:02 left. Gueye, who finished 6-for-11 from the field, help provide the spark early accounting for eight points during the run.

Troy, which was held to 7-for-26 (27 percent) from the floor in the second half, closed to within 57-54 on a pair of free throws by Gordon with 7:51 remaining, but Louisiana would respond with a 9-2 run that was capped by a three-point play by Wilson with 4:58 remaining.

The Ragin' Cajuns finished 29-for-57 (51 percent) from the floor, 8-for-18 (44 percent) from behind the 3-point line and 13-for-15 (87 percent) from the charity stripe. Louisiana held a decisive 42-27 advantage on the glass with Wilson getting three of his 13 rebounds on the offensive end.

Gordon and Adams scored 15 points each to lead Troy, which lost its third straight game after leading at the half. Adams hauled in six rebounds for the Trojans, who went 6-for-15 from behind the 3-point line in the first half before going 2-for-12 after intermission and finishing 8-for-27 (30 percent) overall.