THIBODAUX – The Nicholls State University softball team will conclude its home slate as the Colonels host Northwestern State University this weekend for a Southland Conference series, starting on Saturday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Before Sunday's single game at 12 p.m., Nicholls will honor the Senior Class of 2011.

Nicholls (12-34, 4-19 SLC), already out of SLC postseason contention, will be looking to spoil Northwestern State's tournament hopes as the Lady Demons (29-20, 12-12 SLC) head into the series just 0.5 games ahead of Sam Houston State for the sixth and final spot. Earlier this week, the Colonels took two of three against Southeastern Louisiana, who now sit 2.0 games back from NSU.

Northwestern State heads into the weekend after a 10-0 five-inning loss against No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday. However, in SLC play, the Lady Demons have won their last three series to keep their tournament chances alive.

NSU has a .261 team batting average, which is just one point higher than Nicholls. The Lady Demon lineup features three players hitting over .300 – Cali Burke (.340), Kylie Roos (.314) and Kayla Cole (.314). Burke ranks ninth in the SLC in batting while Roos is the top run producer for NSU, driving in 35 runs with eight homers.

The Lady Demons post the league's best ERA at 2.10 with all three starters ranking in the top 10. Kelee Grimes leads the staff with a 1.39 ERA and is fifth in the SLC with 128 strikeouts. Brooke Boening has a 2.06 ERA with 112 K's while Roos has a 2.19 ERA, 109 strikeouts and leads the team with a 12-5 record.

Coming off its first SLC series victory of the season, Nicholls defeated Southern University, 6-2, on Thursday night, knocking off the Lady Jaguars for the fourth time this season while breaking their nine-game winning streak. Senior Carlee Winklemann had a career day in the circle with seven strikeouts while senior Tori Lay put the game out of reach with a two-run double in the fifth.

Although the seniors led the way for the Colonels on Thursday, four juniors – Ashley Ray, Mandy Granger, Megan Gaspard and Laine Strickland - have had a huge week for Nicholls at the plate. Ray, who set two home run records this week, has nine RBIs and eight hits which include four home runs. She currently leads the SLC with 15 homers and 45 RBIs while ranking eighth in hitting at .344.

Granger leads the Colonels with a .583 average on the week, raising her average to .315 for the season and is on a seven-game hitting streak, trailing only Gaspard and Ray who are currently at eight. Strickland has pounded out five hits with three runs and four RBIs while Gaspard has five hits as well and is a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases, moving her into second place in conference with 20. Gaspard currently ranks 11th in the SLC in batting at .333 after recording a hit in 19 of her last 20 games.

Along with Winklemann in the circle, sophomore Ashton Bennett had an impressive outing on Tuesday, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning before giving up a two-out double. Bennett went on to pick up her team-high sixth victory of the season. Freshman Katie Moulder notched her first career save with a two-plus inning outing against SLU while junior lefty Lauren Crane pitched for the first time this season on Thursday, throwing two shutout innings.

Saturday's doubleheader is slated for a 1 p.m. start. Live stats and live audio will be available courtesy of ThibodauxOnline.com and geauxcolonels.com.