| The LSU softball team finds itself one win away from its first trip to the Women's College World Series in seven years thanks to one of the program's most impressive NCAA Tournament victory ever. The Tigers chased Stanford ace NiJaree Canady from the pitching circle Friday night with an eight-run fifth-inning offensive explosion that saw the Tigers hit three home runs, including a grand slam from Kelley Lynch. The game ended moments later as starter Sydney Berzon finished off the Cardinal as LSU run-ruled Stanford on its home field 11-1 in five innings. The teams meet again at 8 p.m. CDT Saturday, the game to be shown streaming only on ESPN+. If LSU wins it's off to Oklahoma City and the WCWS for the first time since 2017. If Stanford wins, the teams meet again Sunday at a time to be determined. Earlier Saturday, at noon to be precise, the LSU baseball team resumes play in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. The 11th-seeded Tigers are in the semifinals against No. 10-seeded South Carolina, insuring that a double-digit seed will play Sunday for the championship. SEC co-champion Tennessee and Vanderbilt meet in the other semifinal Saturday afternoon. What does all this possibly mean for LSU's now certain NCAA Tournament prospects? Fortunately, our Koki Riley brought his crystal ball with him to Hoover and files this dispatch. Back in Baton Rouge, the LSU campus is still buzzing about the return of Tiger legend Seimone Augustus to join the women's basketball coaching staff. Reed Darcey tells us how the second coming of Augustus the Great came to pass. The college sports schedule may be dwindling to a few sports, but LSU teams are still in the mix. The men's golf team battled some tough first-round playing conditions out in Carlsbad, California, and is tied for 19th with two rounds left before the 30-team field is cut to 15 and then eight for match play. Meanwhile, the LSU track and field teams continue to pile up the qualifiers at the NCAA East Regional in Lexington, Kentucky, bolstering the men's and women's teams' hopes of strong showings in the NCAA Championships next month. The regional wraps up Saturday. This looks like a good place to put a wrap on this edition of the LSU newsletter. Thanks as always for reading and subscribing to the best and most comprehensive coverage of LSU sports anywhere. Enjoy your sports weekend, everyone. Scott Rabalais | 
