THIBODAUX – The Nicholls State University softball team will head to Texas this weekend for a six-game slate in the Houston Hilton Plaza Classic, hosted by the University of Houston at the Cougar Softball Stadium.

Nicholls closed out the Lion Classic on Sunday with two wins and will be looking to carry the momentum as they are pitted against a tournament field that features two teams ranked in the Top 25 – No. 18 LSU and No. 22 Oklahoma State.

The Colonels open up play on Friday against Southern University at 11 a.m. before playing host Houston at 5 p.m. On Saturday, Nicholls faces Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. and will follow up with a 5 p.m. game against LSU. For the final day, the Colonels have a pair of rematches - Southern at 9 a.m. and Oklahoma State at 11 a.m.

Nicholls had a tough opening day last weekend which resulted in a 0-2 start. The Colonels were one-hit in a 3-0 loss against St. Louis, and in the final contest versus the University of Missouri-Kansas City, they squandered a five-run lead in the seventh before falling in extra innings, 9-6. However on Sunday, they regrouped to knock off Akron, 5-4, before handing Jackson State a 7-1 defeat.

Tori Lay, Katie Holmes, and Megan Gaspard led the Colonels with four hits each while Ashley Ray was tops with five RBIs. As a team, the Colonels hit .227 in the classic which included six doubles and a pair of home runs – a three-run shot by Ray and a solo homer by Ashton Bennett.

Bennett also led the pitching staff, tossing two complete games with a 1.08 ERA. She earned the win on Sunday against Akron while Katie Moulder notched the W against Jackson State.

Southern (1-4) heads into the weekend on a three-game losing streak. The Lady Jaguars picked up a win in day one of the Lion Classic against Jackson State before dropping their final three contests. Shawntall Steamer leads SU with six hits and four RBIs.

Houston started their season by hosting the Hilton Plaza Invitational, coming away with a 3-1 record. After falling to Michigan in the opener, the Cougars reeled off three consecutive wins to close out the weekend. Brooke Lathan belted three home runs for Houston while Amanda Crabtree went 2-0 with 20 strikeouts.

LSU (7-0) heads into the weekend undefeated after getting a perfect game from Rachele Frico in a 9-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday. Frico heads a Tiger pitching staff that has compiled 66 strikeouts in the early going. Anissa Young leads the offense with 10 hits, two home runs, and nine RBIs.

This weekend's game against LSU will be the first of three matchups this season with the Colonels hosting LSU on March 26 before heading to Tiger Park on April 6.

Oklahoma State (4-1) opened their 2011 season in the Kajikawa Classic, falling only to host Arizona State in a 1-0 pitcher's duel. Ari Morrison paces the Cowgirls at the plate with eight hits while Kat Espinosa is 2-0 in the circle with a 0.98 ERA and 14 strikeouts.

Live stats for all six contests can be found by visiting geauxcolonels.com. First pitch on Friday against Southern is set for 11 a.m.