Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications

Baseball

Louisiana Tech takes its four-game winning streak to the Lone Star State to face nationally ranked Dallas Baptist in a three-game conference series starting tonight and running through Sunday.

Tonight’s first pitch is at 6:30 p.m. followed by Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. with all three games streamed on the Patriots Network.

LA Tech (20-18, 9-6) is playing perhaps its best baseball of the sea­son at the moment, having come off a series sweep of FIU as well as a 3-1 victory over rival Southern Miss who was ranked No. 24 in the country (was the 20th win over a ranked team for the Bulldogs under Lane Burroughs).

Catcher Jorge Corona has been on an offensive tear as of late, batting .500 (7-of-14) over the last five games with five RBIs. Four of the seven hits have gone for extra bases — two doubles and two home runs. He now leads the team in slugging percentage at .554 while having a team-high 11 doubles to go along with eight homers.

Dallas Baptist (28-9, 12-3) is ranked in four of the six national polls, ranking as high as No. 18 in the country by Perfect Game. And for good reason as the Patriots are on a roll, having won 11 straight (tied for the second longest active streak in the nation).

In fact, DBU’s last loss came against LA Tech. Since then, they swept two C-USA series versus UAB and Florida Atlantic while also collecting midweek wins over Sam Houston State, Baylor, and UT Arlington.

LA Tech leads the all-time series over Dallas Baptist, 15-12. The two teams faced off in a three-game series three weeks ago in Ruston with the Patriots taking the series. The Bulldogs took game one, 5-2, but DBU won handily in games two (14-7) and three (9-1). Only seven of the 27 all-time meetings have come in Dallas (last time was 2013).

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Tennis

The nationally ranked Louisiana Tech tennis team gets postseason underway today as they battle Florida Atlantic in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament.

Match time is set for 1 p.m. at Waranch Tennis Complex in Denton.

No. 65-ranked LA Tech (19-5) earned the No. 4 seed and received a first-round bye in the C-USA Tournament after finishing with the fourth highest nationally ranking in the league. It is the highest finish ever for the Lady Techsters in their 10 years in C-USA.

LA Tech had a strong close to the regular season, having been nationally ranked the last three weeks. The team won 12 of its last 14 matches, including a stretch of 11 straight victories.

Florida Atlantic (8-13) earned the No. 5 seed and also received a first-round bye after concluding the season with the fifth highest ranking in C-USA. The Owls played a very difficult schedule, facing five nationally ranked opponents.

FAU’s biggest win came in a 6-1 victory over No. 62 Wichita State. However, the Owls closed out the regular season with three straight losses to Columbia, Maryland, and top-seeded FIU.

LA Tech and Florida Atlantic have met on the courts twice all-time with both teams winning one match apiece. The Lady Techsters won the first ever meeting, 7-0, in 2014 while the Owls claimed the second meeting, 5-2. Both match-ups took place in Boca Raton, Florida.

Softball

The Louisiana Tech Softball team is back on the road this weekend as they travel to El Paso, Texas, for a three-game Conference USA series against the UTEP at Helen of Troy Softball Complex.

Game one is tonight at 7 p.m. followed by Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games can be seen streamed on C-USA.tv.

Louisiana Tech (26-18, 8-7) is coming off a series sweep of UTSA as the Techsters defeated the Roadrunners 1-0, 3-0 and 1-0. Tech did not allow a run all weekend in its 24 innings pitched against a UTSA team that entered the series having only been shut out three times all season. It was the first time in program history that the Lady Techsters have shut out a conference foe in all three games of the series.

The Miners (11-25, 2-13) was swept this past weekend at Florida Atlantic by the scores of 4-1, 2-1 (8 inn.) and 5-1. The Miners are currently on an 11-game conference losing streak, with their last C-USA win coming back on March 17 when they defeated Western Kentucky 6-3 on an eighth-inning walk-off home run by Peyton Angulo.

Louisiana Tech and UTEP have faced each other 35 times with Tech having the upper hand in the series 20-15.

By Emma Stone

Louisiana Tech University’s Sci-Tec showed its “love for the boot” by offering everybody a chance to plant begonias on Tech’s campus.

Earlier this week, Tech’s Building and Grounds placed 1,600 begonias on the flowerbeds in the quad. Spades and garden gloves were given to all those that joined to help plant.

Free T-shirts featuring the design for “Love the Boot” week colored the participants in bright green as they worked together.

Dr. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, associate dean for research, outreach and innovation and director of Sci-Tec at Louisiana Tech, planned the event and spoke about the positive turnout.

“We were thrilled with the number and variety of faculty, staff and administrators from across campus from Buildings and Grounds and many colleges that opted to be a part of the event,” said Vincent.

Starting as a Keep Louisiana Beautiful Initiative of Lt. Gov. Bill Nungesser’s office, “Love the Boot Week” celebrates keeping Louisiana’s environment clean.

Sydney Mashaw, a Tech student, participated and commented on how important it is to keep the Earth healthy.

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“I’m happy I came to plant flowers, because it’s Earth Week,” said Mashaw. “It’s important to appreciate the Earth we live on and learn sustainable practices.”

Participants worked swiftly to help unload the flowers and place them accordingly across the flower beds.

Erika Jones, administrative coordinator and student success specialist at Sci-Tech, noted the sense of community at the event.

“No matter where you are from, faculty and students come together to build community for Love the Boot,” said Jones.

With Building and Grounds supplying and making sure the event ran smoothly, they helped participants with picking the correct spots and digging the holes correctly.

“We also gained a greater appreciation for the hard work our Building and Grounds team puts in daily to keep Louisiana Tech the beautiful and iconic campus it is,” said Vincent.

Lyle Kelley 
July 30, 1947 – April 20, 2023 
Services pending 

Sharon Ero 
December 10, 1946 – April 19, 2023 

Alpha Omega Jones 
Monday 12/07/1936 — Monday 04/17/2023  
Graveside: Friday 04/21/2023 11:30am, Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, 585 Mt. Pleasant Road, West Monroe 

Charles V Crawford, Sr.  
Friday 11/03/1978 — Wednesday 04/12/2023   
Visitation: Monday 04/24/2023 9:00am to 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home  
Celebration of Life: Monday 04/24/2023 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home  
Interment: Monday 04/24/2023 Following Service, China Grove Cemetery, 699 Mondy Road, Grambling  

Belinda D Williams Scott  
Tuesday 06/20/1961 — Thursday 04/13/2023  
Memorial Service: Saturday 04/22/2023 11:00am, New Hope Baptist Church, 204 W Vaughn Ave., Ruston 

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Choudrant Elementary School in Lincoln Parish has collaborated with Edge of Space Missions from Colorado to give their 5th graders a once-in-a-lifetime “out of this world” opportunity.

Edge of Space Missions, funded by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association, aims to develop future scientists and engineers by giving students a chance to launch items 100,000 feet to the very edge of space via a 50-foot balloon.

Around 80 fifth graders at Choudrant Elementary collected items to send up on the March 26th launch date. These items could be anything of the students choosing as long as it fit inside a gumball-sized capsule. Students chose to send up items such as marshmallows, bubble wrap, glue sticks, and even a Cheeto.

Before sending their items up, students performed multiple pre-flight tests to collect data on the items they chose to send to the edge of space. Once the items returned, the students then re-evaluated the matter to determine how the extreme cold (approximately -40 degrees F) and nearly zero atmospheric pressure affected their items. 

Kelly Washam and Michelle Taylor, teachers at Choudrant Elementary, explained that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Only 300 students in the nation were able to participate in the March launch, and there are only two launches every year. The students had the opportunity to watch a video of their items going up from the March 26th launch. Their gumball-sized capsules reached a height of 104,000 feet before the balloon popped!

Each student also sent up a flower seed. These seeds are planted, and the “space flowers” will be used as gifts for Mother’s day.

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By Jackson Bain

Graduate students in Louisiana Tech’s speech pathology program got an inside view of Dysphagia, which is difficulty swallowing.

Representatives from Ambu brought an Ambu aScope for the students to use in a hands-on workshop. The advanced device is used by medical professionals to see inside someone’s throat, food pipe and stomach to allow for diagnosis of problems such as aspiration, where food or drink is not being swallowed properly but instead falls into a person’s airways.

Students were able to witness an in depth demonstration by their professor, Dr. Kerri Phillips, and then were able to try it themselves on special manikins that simulate human anatomy.

“Honestly, it was exciting because it’s just more of a glimpse into the future outside of school,” graduate student Jenny Moss said. “Seeing what your job is gonna look like in the future is exciting.”

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The workshop, referred to as FEES (Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing) was a first for the program.

Along with the workshop and hands-on demonstration, Ambu donated some equipment to the program for future demonstrations.

“That was cool and I don’t know if we’ve ever done that before, definitely kind of a first time thing for the program,” Moss said. “A lot of the (students) love hospital settings and were very excited about learning this and considering themselves doing this in the future.”

By T. Scott Boatright

HARRISONBURG – It took something a little extra for the Choudrant Lady Aggies to [pull off a win Thursday afternoon at Harrisonburg.

And the ninth-seeded CHS softball team did just that as the Lady Aggies ignited at the plate in the top of the ninth inning and then held on in the bottom half for an 8-4 win over eighth-seeded Harrisonburg to advance to  the quarterfinals of the Louisiana High School Athletics Association Division V Nonselect playoffs.

The Lady Aggies jumped out first early on, with leadoff batter Holly Bennett, Choudrant’s pitcher, notching a double before scoring on another double hit by Zoey Smith.

And Choudrant stretched their lead to 2-0 in the top of the third inning  after Bailey Grave Weaver reached first on a Harrisonburg fielding error before scoring on a Smith single.

After Harrisonburg cut that CHS lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Choudrant countered with three straight singles from Weaver, Smith and Addison Worley, who picked up the RBI for plating Weaver to stretch the Lady Aggies’ advantage to 3-1.

Choudrant held that lead going into the bottom of the seventh and final stanza of regulation play, but Harrison rallied for two runs on four straight singles with one out to push the game into extra innings tied at 3-3.

Then it happened – the Choudrant bats heated up.

Weaver led off the top of the seventh with a double before Smith smashed one over the fence

Then with one out, Elissa Guilotte and Emma Bell both singled before Mattie Johnson sent another ball flying out of the park to put the Lady Aggies up 8-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning.

Harrisonburg added a run in the bottom half of the stanza after a pair of errors committed by the Lady Aggies, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Lady Aggies to face top-seeded Holden in the quarterfinals.

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Smith went 4-for-4 at the plate with two singles, a double and her home run to lead the Lady Aggies while Weaver went 3-for-5 with two singles and a double.

“It took a while for the bats to get started,” Antley said. “We hit some good line drives, right at them. But both teams made some great defensive plays. Everybody was doing their job, trying extra-hard.

“Then in the top of the ninth – we just exploded,” Antley said. “A two-run homer and a three-run homer. I don’t know how it happened. It was just one of those things. We had been scattering hits and scoring a run here and a run there, but it just all kind of exploded for us in the top of the ninth.”

The good news now for Choudrant is that they’ll return home for the lLady Aggies’ quarterfinal playoffs.

But the bad news is that they’ll be facing Holden. 

“Yes, we get to come home,” Antley said. “But we’re playing Holden, which has won four straight titles. I don’t think they lost to anybody last year. They beat Summerfield tonight 11-0, so they’re who we have up next.

“But in the end, you always have to beat the best to reach the ultimate goal. And at least we’ll get to take them on at home. Right now we’re just going to get ready for Holden.”

That game against Holden will likely be played on Saturday, Antley said, adding that he couldn’t be specific yet because he hadn’t talked to the Holden coach yet as of late Wednesday night.

As part of the ‘Lincoln 150’ Sesquicentennial events, the Lincoln Parish Museum will host a historian to discuss Native Americans in north Louisiana.

Local historian Allen Tuten, who has collected Native American artifacts his whole life and who has spent the last 20 years learning about their culture and everyday living activities, will show some of his artifacts and discuss how they were made and used. Tuten will also talk about north Louisiana’s rich history of Native American habitation.

This free event will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, and doors will open at 6 p.m. The Lincoln Parish Museum is located at 609 N. Vienna Street in Ruston. For more information, call museum director Rick Godly at 318-243-4681.

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A Dubach man arrested Tuesday morning after he was found walking on Interstate 20.

The Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call of a man walking along the shoulder of the Interstate at about 1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. The caller was afraid the person could be struck by a vehicle.

Pedestrians are prohibited from walking on Louisiana’s Interstate highways.

Deputies found John M. Miller, 49, of Dubach walking west along the westbound shoulder. Miller said he was trying to get to Arcadia. A records check showed Miller was wanted on an outstanding warrant for failure to pay child support.

A search at the time of Miller’s arrest found a smoking pipe and unused syringes in his backpack. The glass smoking pipe contained suspected methamphetamine. 

Miller was transported to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center and booked for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and the child support warrant. 

Bail on the drug charges was set at $2,500.

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This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

By Malcolm Butler

Former Ruston Bearcat and current UNO shortstop Kasten Furr has been named to the initial 2023 Brooks Wallace Award watch list, the College Baseball Foundation announced.

Furr is one of 100 Division I players named to the prestigious list.

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Ruston Police arrested a Hodge man Tuesday afternoon after drugs were found in his car on a traffic stop.

Richard Hines, 76, was stopped when an RPD officer saw excessive tint on the door windows of his Nissan Altima. The license plate number was also obscured.

When the officer approached the car, the strong odor of marijuana was detected inside. 

A search of the car revealed marijuana and suspected cocaine. When arrested, $1,500 was found on Hines. He was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, and illegal window tint.

Bail was set at $2,500. 

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This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

A few weeks ago, I fulfilled a commitment I had made months ago by participating in a Spartan race held at Baylor University’s football stadium.  Spartan races involve a lot of running with obstacles along the path.  In this race, the run was about three miles with most of it going up and down the bleachers.  There were also twenty obstacles ranging from walls to get over, heavy stuff to carry, bars/rings to maneuver, and ropes to climb.  It was a huge challenge for me to attempt for the first time at my age.

I can describe the experience as awesome and disappointing.  If you are old enough to remember the old Wild World of Sports promo of the “thrill of victory and agony of defeat”, you can identify with me that morning.  I felt the entire range of emotions.  There were 2500 participants and an equal number of spectators.  The energy level was great, and I started out strong.  I made it over all the walls including the 8’ monster that I was worried about getting over.   It was awesome coming over the top of those walls having conquered those challenges.  However, as the race wore on, I got tired and was severely fatigued in upper body strength.  I failed several obstacles toward the end of the race.  I was tired, tentative, and didn’t approach those obstacles with confidence.  After failing, I was so disappointed because I knew I could do it if I had just trained smarter and gone at the challenge with confidence.  The thrill of victory and agony of defeat all within an hour time span.

As I ran through the finish line, collected my shirt, and looked for a bottle of water, I instantly reflected on the life lessons that I was just reminded of during that grueling one hour on that course.  I knew each of those lessons prior to the race but was reminded of them in a very real way.

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• • Team is a powerful thing.  There were participants running the race as a team.  They would help each other with the various obstacles, encourage each other along the way, and take some of the weight burden off a teammate when they were fatigued.  These same principles are true in life as well.  A team is a group of people united by a common purpose.  Teams can be a powerful influence in each of our lives and something we should all strive to be a part of when possible.
• Passivity and hesitancy will not lead to success.  Once the obstacle is understood, and the pathway is clear, one must attack the challenge with great confidence and relentless pursuit of success.  I am not referring to a reckless approach, but rather a determined, confident approach that won’t give in to fear of failure.  As I previously mentioned, I was on both ends of the spectrum during the race.  Here again, isn’t life eerily like what I have just described?  If we are passive, hesitant, and fear failure, we are almost certain to not put forth our best efforts on a matter.  However, if we seek to understand the requirements and then go forward with confidence, great effort, and never accept anything less than our best, we will most certainly be satisfied with our efforts.
• Never underestimate the importance of preparation.  While I trained hard, I did not train smart.  I ran long distances up hills and steps, hung on bars, held onto rings, lifted heavy weights, and did everything I thought possible to prepare for the race and obstacles.  I didn’t consider the fatigue factor.  I trained hard, but not smart given the nature of this competition.  We can be very busy in life too. but are we effective?  Let’s not confuse activity with achievement.  We can look busy in life, but are we using our time wisely to have the most impact and make the most difference?
• Do it now.  Don’t procrastinate on opportunities you want to pursue, events you want to experience, or things you want to accomplish.  We are not guaranteed tomorrow.  One day you will wake up and be out of time.  While you don’t want to be reckless or foolish with your health, money, or time, you also don’t want to continually put off or talk yourself out of things that are important to you.  Regardless of the outcome, I made a commitment to the race and followed through with that commitment.  About halfway through the course, a security guard, about my age, asked me how I was doing.  I told him the race sounded like a good idea a few months ago.  It was a good idea, and I’m so glad I did it!

It’s amazing what you re-learn during the thrills of victory and the agony of defeat.  A special thanks to Lauren at Crossfit Ruston for the rope climbing lesson!

By Josh McDaniel

I hate socks.

If I could wear Crocs or Chucks with no socks every day of my life, my world would be a much better place.  Sadly, my utopian dream will never be a reality, so here I am again with socks on my feet. I try to make the best out of a bad situation by wearing foot prisons that show off my personality. Whether it be one of my eight pairs of Captain America socks, my Peyton Manning socks, or my Louisville Slugger socks, my socks represent a small piece of who I am.

Today’s socks go a little bit deeper.

Today, I am wearing watermelon socks.

Watermelons to most folks are just a delicious fruit to eat in the summer at a BBQ, but to me a watermelon represents so much more.

I grew up on a farm in Sugartown, Louisiana.  

To call modern day Sugartown a town would be doing a disservice to towns everywhere. There is a stop sign, a church, an old school, and a cemetery. There was a post office and a convenience store, but they burned down a few years ago. Not coincidental, they were housed in the same building.  

A few thousand feet from said stop sign you can find Leon Stracener Road. 

Take a right down what is no longer a dirt road, hang a left at the fork, go around the big curve, and you will see a small unassuming white house underneath centuries old trees.

The yard will be a bit overgrown, but trust me, it used to be immaculately kept. 

There along the sidewalk is where the azaleas and jasmine bushes would bloom. On the other side, beautiful rose bushes once stood proudly. The grass was always mowed, and to be one of the trusted few to mow the grass was a tremendous rite of passage for us select few. 

There is a patch of black dirt near the porch that makes for wonderful mud pies after a rainy spring day, and the grass by the back porch makes for a suitable place to practice Pete Rose-esque head first slides despite the low hanging power lines and the hole in the ground covered up by an old sheet of plywood.  

Go around the side of the house to the backyard, and you might still find the persimmon tree. If God made a more disgusting fruit than a persimmon, I am certain that He kept it for Himself. Although not fit for eating, the fruits lying on the ground make for tremendous ammo to throw at your cousins.  

If you look over the fence in the backyard, you will see where the barn once stood.  

There were chicken coops, pig pens, and a corn crib among the various homemade structures built near the barn that time has taken over. I would not be surprised if you still see an old tractor that no longer runs. Not that you could have cranked it in its heyday anyway. There were never any keys: only a screwdriver and an unparalleled mechanical knowledge.  

Look to the left, and you will see an old, washed-out road leading into the woods. If you are brave enough you could try to make it up that road. It winds back and leads to what used to be an expansive piece of land with fertile soil like no other. They say it is the soil that makes the melons taste so good. 

I think it is the love in which they were grown.

My Paw-Paw, Mitchell Jackson, was a career Army man, but he also had a green thumb like none other I have ever encountered.  You name it, and he grew it… Corn, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers… 

But the watermelons… 

The watermelons were my favorite.

Before I learned to read, I learned to eat a watermelon; they were an integral part of my childhood. 

For us, the first melon off the vine was a celebration, and those that followed would be picked by the older grandchildren and loaded into the back of an old pickup truck. I would ride with Paw-Paw all over the countryside peddling out of the back of the truck. 

Most often boredom would overtake me, and my patience would wear thin. 

His never did. 

He was kind and gentle: the epitome of true strength.  

As I got older, I found myself spending my summers carrying ripe melons to the end of the row and later loading them onto the truck.  

You never needed water in the field.  

You just used a pocket knife to cut open a red-meated or a yeller-meated, and you ate it right there with your dirty hands.  

Sometimes in the loading process, melons would get “accidentally dropped,” and you just cannot let a good Sugartown watermelon go to waste.

As a kid, I never realized the life lessons I was learning on those miserably hot summer days, nor did I realize how I would later treasure those times in the cab of a pickup listening to an old Army vet from Mississippi sing “White Lightning.”  

From him, I learned to be honest and kind.  

He never fully charged what he could have charged for his watermelons. He would always say, “I just don’t think it’s right what those grocery stores are charging for their melons. I don’t feel right doing that.”  

I learned the beauty of a hard day’s work. 

 I am not sure Paw-Paw ever truly retired.  

He was a mechanic, a talented gunsmith, and he paid the bills by being the best locksmith I have ever known.  

I learned that you cannot put a value on valuing people. Paw-Paw treated everyone equally.  

His heart always saw the best in people.  

Well, until you mistreated one of his grandkids.  

Of all the lessons I learned, I think the most important two lessons I learned are to take pride in your work and to stand for what is right, no matter the cost.

Paw-Paw has been gone now for nearly 12 years, and I have not eaten many watermelons since that day in June. 

They just don’t taste right anymore. 

Paw-Paw was there for so many milestones in my life.  

He came to countless numbers of ball games, school plays, and awards days. He saw me graduate from college, and I even got him to wear a tux with an ascot in my wedding.  

I wish he could have met his great-grandkids. 

The three of them would’ve been thick as thieves getting into way too much mischievous activities. There would’ve been way too many Cokes drank, way too many Little Debbie cakes eaten, and way too many bedtimes ignored. 

As they grow up, I’ll tell Davis and Eleanor all about their Paw-Paw Jack. 

I’ll tell them all the stories Paw-Paw shared with me throughout his life. 

I’ll tell them of the love he had for his beloved Rubie, whom he called the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 

I’ll tell them of Paw-Paw’s patriotism and how he instilled in me a deep sense of pride for our nation. 

I will tell Eleanor how every time I look into her sparkling blue eyes, I see the same blue gentle, loving, and fiery eyes I saw for 29 years.

I had the extraordinary honor of giving the eulogy at Paw-Paw’s funeral.  

It was incredibly difficult putting into words my feelings for a man who measured 6’5″, but stood ten feet tall.  

I like to think that I did right by him and those who love him.  He is my hero, and there will never be another man like him.  

My last line of the eulogy is one I borrowed from the lyrics of an old Pat Green song, “He was one helluva man.”

Mitchell Jackson, you were one helluva man.

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 Source: Yaffe, Alva. 2019. “What Really Happened to Amelia Earhart?” History by Day. March 20, 2019. https://historybyday.com/human-stories/solving-the-mystery-of-what-happened-to-amelia-earhart-americas-favorite-female-pilot/. 

By Malcolm Butler

With the groundbreaking ceremony for Champions Plaza set for this Saturday morning, work began Wednesday on the area on the north end of Joe Aillet Stadium.

The Louisiana Tech Athletics Department announced the plans for the construction of the Sarah and A.L. Williams Champions Plaza back in November of 2021. 

Named in honor of former Louisiana Tech student-athlete and football coach A.L. Williams and his wife Sarah, the plaza will include recognition of the most highly-decorated student-athletes and teams in the University’s history, including Terry Bradshaw, Fred Dean, Karl Malone, Kim Mulkey, Willie Roaf and Teresa Weatherspoon.

Former Louisiana Tech football standout Chris Richardson, who is the nephew of A.L. and Sarah Williams, provided the philanthropic gift that will fund the plaza.

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The plaza will be the front entrance to the new academic center that will be constructed in the north end of Joe Aillet Stadium that will house the student athlete success center. The new facility will also include a new video board and scoreboard for the stadium as well as some additional amenities that will be utilized on home football game days.

Louisiana Tech fans are invited to attend the groundbreaking of the Sarah and A.L. Williams Champions Plaza, which will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. prior to the start of the Bulldogs annual spring game.

Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications

Louisiana Tech women’s basketball head coach Brooke Stoehr announced the addition of TCU transfer Evie Goetz to the Lady Techsters roster today. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Evie to the Lady Techster family,” Stoehr said. “She is a versatile athlete who brings toughness to the court with her ability to defend and score. Evie can create offense for herself as well as facilitate for others. We love her length on the perimeter and her ability to score in a variety of ways. She is an intense competitor, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her family to our Louisiana Tech family. Evie will be a tremendous addition to our program, campus, and the Ruston community.”

Goetz, a 6-1 four-star recruit from Denton, Texas, was the No. 6 ranked recruit in Texas by PrepGirlHoops.com coming out of Guyer High School. In addition, Prospects Nation ranked her as the 37th-best forward and No. 115 overall player in the nation. 

Goetz prepped her first two seasons at Flower Mound Marcus High School, where she led the Wildcats to a 31-6 record, including a 14-1 district championship record. She was named the district 6-5A Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 after averaging a team-high 14.1 PPG and 6.4 RPG. She also earned both TABC and TGCA all-state honors. 

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At Guyer, she led the team to a 19-6 overall record and a 6A bi-district playoff appearance in 2020-21 and earned all-state honors from TABC and TGCA for the second consecutive year.

Following a redshirt freshman season at TCU in 2021-22, she appeared in 13 games while making three starts before her season ended due to injury. She tallied season-highs in minutes (20), points (8), and rebounds (3) while hitting 2-4 from three in her second collegiate game at North Carolina. She followed that performance with consecutive starts against UTSA, South Florida, and Sam Houston. She finished the season with six steals, four assists, and two blocks. 

Goetz has three years remaining eligibility and is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in mathematics. 

Charles V Crawford, Sr. 
Friday 11/03/1978 — Wednesday 04/12/2023  
Visitation: Monday 04/24/2023 9:00am to 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home 
Celebration of Life: Monday 04/24/2023 1:00pm at King’s Funeral Home 
Interment: Monday 04/24/2023 Following Service, China Grove Cemetery, 699 Mondy Road, Grambling 

Belinda D Williams Scott 
Tuesday 06/20/1961 — Thursday 04/13/2023  
Memorial Service: Saturday 04/22/2023 11:00am, New Hope Baptist Church, 204 W Vaughn Ave., Ruston 

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By Kyle Roberts

With the regular baseball season now drawn to a close, each Lincoln Parish high school team learned its respective fate in its postseason brackets.

For the Choudrant Aggies, the reigning Class B state champion earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Non-Select Division V bracket and will be treated to a first round bye after a 26-4 record. The Aggies are currently on an 18-game winning streak and swept through district play.

“I tell the boys all the time– I’m not worried about what anybody else does; I’m just worried about what we do,” Choudrant head coach Joel Antley said about not knowing who the first opponent will be. “If we execute and do what we should do; I just want the boys to play a good ball game.”

Across the parish, the Simsboro Tigers posted a 17-10 overall record and earned the No. 16 spot to take on No. 17 Doyline.

“They’ve got a good pitcher,” Tigers head coach Scott Hiers said. “We’re going to have to find a way to disrupt him.”

Should Simsboro emerge victorious, the Tigers will have to play district opponent Choudrant.

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For the Ruston Bearcats, a 21-11 season yielded a No. 19 seed in the Non-Select Division I bracket for a first round matchup with No. 14 Destrehan. The Bearcats will be traveling to South Louisiana for a best of three series that will start Friday, April 21, at 4 p.m.

“We know it’s going to be a dog fight,” Ruston head coach Zack Smith said. “They’re a good team; they have a good program. If we can pitch well, play good defense and get timely hits, I think we have a good chance to win and advance.”

Neither Cedar Creek nor Lincoln Prep qualified for the postseason.

Ruston’s playoff bracket can be found here, while the bracket for Choudrant and Simsboro can be found here.

Louisiana Tech’s New Frontiers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series will partner with the University’s VISTA Center to host a webinar on The Evolution of the UIC Biomedical Visualization Curriculum Monday, April 24 at 3:30 p.m.

All are welcome to register for the free webinar through the link below.

Dr. Leah Lebowicz, Program Director of the Biomedical Visualization (BVIS) Program at University of Illinois Chicago will provide information about the graduate program, talk about opportunities in medical and scientific illustration, and share stories from her own career as a professional medical illustrator.

Lebowicz earned her Bachelor of Art from University of Texas and its College of Fine Arts before earning her Master of Science in Biomedical Visualization from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Shortly after completing her graduate degree, Lebowicz joined the faculty of UIC as Associate Program Director, and now Program Director.

While working at UIC, Lebowicz earned her EdD in Adult Education from Capella University in 2020 and created a wellness program for UIC BVIS students that establishes a supportive culture around mental health.

Whether conscious of it or not, we are surrounded by medical and scientific illustrations on a daily basis. Tech’s VISTA (Visual Integration of Science Through Art) Center encourages undergraduates to explore this intersection of art and science. Through the VISTA Center, students have the opportunity to create visuals that communicate complex scientific findings and medical information. Through academic minors, the VISTA Center strives to prepare students for entry to graduate programs like the one lead by Lebowicz at UIC.

Please join us to learn more about this program and opportunities in medical illustration.

Register: latech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hPuiEbS4Ti21LRzjCLyVug

UIC Biomedical Visualization: ahs.uic.edu/biomedical-health-information-sciences/admissions-and-programs/ms-in-biomedical-visualization/

The VISTA Center: LATechVISTA.com

Community Calendar: community.latech.edu/new-frontiers/the-evolution-of-the-uic-biomedical-visualization-curriculum/

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By Malcolm Butler

To say Cedar Creek’s golf team were underdogs entering the district championships would be a fair and accurate statement according to head coach Gene Vandenlangenberg.

After all, defending state champion Ouachita Christian and state runner-up Quitman were both among a 9-team field that competed in Tuesday’s championships at Frenchman’s Bend in Monroe.

The Cougars combined for a team score of 319 to narrowly defeat OCS (323) and Quitman (327) and capture the Division IV District I crown.

“We have a good team and I am proud of our kids,” said Vandenlangenberg, who has been coaching the Cougars for the past eight years. “But to wake up (Tuesday morning) and think we were going to win it, well that’s a big expectation.”

Jed Stephens led the Cougars with a 78 followed by Triston Floyd (79), Gray Worthey (80), Alex Roebuck (82) and Parker Bush (89).

“We have been waiting on that one day where all five of our guys shoot what they are capable of shooting,” said Vandenlangenberg. “And today was that day. All five of our players shot a great score. They put it together. These guys earned it. Our entire team played their best.”

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Worthey agreed.

“All year long we could see our potential, but we could never collectively shoot what we were capable of shooting as a team,” said Worthey. “One or two of us would play good, and then the other two wouldn’t. Today we all played how we knew we could play, and that’s what brought us home the title.

“Coach Van has also done a great job encouraging us and providing us with what we need to succeed.”

The final standings included Creek (319), OCS (323), Quitman (327), St. Frederick (379), Weston (385), Glenbrook (391), Castor (407), River Oaks (433) and Saline (506).

Vandenlangenberg said he believes this is the program’s first district crown since 2013.

The Cougars will next compete at Regionals Monday in Alexandria.

Today, second grade students at Glen View Elementary School will sell ice cream to raise funds for Christian Community Action.

The students, who are under the direction of teacher Hannah Doss, have been learning how to start a business by creating slogans, advertising, understanding start-up cost and more. As a result, students will operate their own ice cream shop at the school today from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and sell ice cream donated by Bluebell.

The students then will use the proceeds from their ice cream venture to take a field trip to Walmart where they will be given a budget to see which team can purchase the most items for their budget. The food purchased will be donated then to CCA.

Ice cream will be sold for $2, and monetary donations will be accepted.

Glen View is located at 1601 Bittersweet Avenue in Ruston.

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An Arlington, Texas, man was arrested Sunday morning for drug and weapon charges after he allegedly crashed his car near Ruston.

Lincoln Parish deputies responded to a report of a possible single vehicle crash on Works Road west of La. Highway 818 about 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning. A black Chevrolet Camaro was found in the ditch with the driver apparently asleep or passed out behind the wheel.

Deputies were able to wake up Randall Smith, 26, and direct him to shut off the engine and put the car in park.

Smith had difficulty getting out of the car and exhibited several signs of impairment. He was arrested and searched, and a bag of marijuana was found in his pocket.

A .40 caliber pistol was found under the driver’s seat. A records check showed numerous felony convictions in Texas which prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

At the Lincoln Parish Detention Center, Smith refused to provide a sample for a breath test. He was booked for DWI, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of marijuana.

Bail was set at $11,500.

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This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

By Kyle Roberts

The Ruston High Bearcats finished out the regular season Monday at home for Senior Night with an extra-inning 3-2 win over the Mangham Dragons.

The Bearcats end the 2023 campaign 21-11 and have earned the No. 19 overall seed in the playoffs.

“We honored ten seniors,” Ruston head coach Zack Smith said. “We brought them and their families on the field. I really appreciate all ten of them for the contributions they’ve given to the program; not only me for two year, but for the four years in the Ruston baseball program. We really appreciate everything they do.”

The Bearcats took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first before Mangham tied in the top of the third. Ruston answered with a run in the bottom of the third before Mangham tied the game again in the top of the fifth.

After going into extra innings, senior Bryant Bennett drew a base-loaded walk for the final go-ahead score.

Bennett was one of the seniors recognized along with R.J. Brown, Chase Clendenen, Wade Crawford, Dyson Fields, Breydon Freeman, Cade Patterson, nick Robinson, Justin Szymanski, and J.R. Tollett.

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In the previous week, Ruston failed to get any wins after losing a midweek contest to OCS 7-6, and then two to West Monroe — first 5-4 on Thursday and then 8-1 on Friday.

“We really just didn’t hit as well as I thought we should have,” Smith said. “When you’re playing great teams, you have to pitch well, play good defense and get timely hits. We just didn’t do that last week. And now headed into the playoffs, we better be able to do those three things.” 

Ruston will now prepare to take on No. 14 Destrahan on the road with the first pitch coming Friday, April 21, at 4 p.m.