THIBODAUX - In the middle of a heated Southland Conference Tournament race, the Nicholls State University baseball team (23-24, 12-15 Southland Conference) will face their toughest test of the season as the Colonels head to No. 25 Texas State (31-17, 20-7 Southland Conference) for a three-game conference series at the home of the first place Bobcats beginning with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch for Friday night's series opener.

The Colonels begin the weekend tied for the eighth and final Southland Conference Tournament spot after winning two-out-of-three against Southeastern Louisiana in their last conference outing.  After beginning conference play with a 1-8 record, the Colonels have rebounded by going 11-7 in league play since April 1.  Nicholls has picked up series victories over Texas-Arlington, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State and Southeastern.

With two three-game series left on the conference slate, Nicholls is tied for the eighth and final conference tournament berth with McNeese State.  The Colonels remain just 1.0 game back of sixth, 2.0 games out of fifth, and 3.0 games out of fourth.  In a crowded conference race, third through tenth place are separated by just 5.0 games.

However, if the Colonels hope to continue their hot streak, they will have to do it against the league-leading Bobcats.  Texas State enters the weekend ranked No. 25 in the nation.  The Bobcats have nine of their last 12 conference games and will look to strengthen their hold on first place.  Texas State currently owns a 3.0 game lead on second place Stephen F. Austin with two conference weekends left on the slate.

The Bobcats are led by junior right hander Carson Smith who will look to strengthen his chances of winning the Southland Conference's pitching triple crown.  Smith, who is scheduled to start Friday night's series opener for the Bobcats, leads the league with a 1.88 ERA and 97 strikeouts and is tied for second in the league with seven wins.  Texas State also boasts one of the best hitters in the league in the form of Tyler Sibley, who boasts a .370 batting average, the fourth best mark in the conference.

Nicholls counters with junior right hander Seth Webster, who will take the mound on Friday to create a match up between two of the best pitchers in the league.  Webster leads the Southland Conference with five complete games and trails only Smith with a 2.25 ERA that ranks second in the league.  Webster has led a resurgent pitching staff that compiled a 1.17 ERA over a stretch of eight conference games from April 21 through May 7.

Meanwhile, the Colonel lineup is led by junior shortstop Chase Jaramillo, who is tied for fifth in the league with a .366 batting average.  Jaramillo enters the weekend on a 12-game hitting streak, the longest of the season by a Colonel, going 20-for-85 (.385) over that stretch.  Jaramillo has led a Nicholls lineup that has combined to hit .314 over their last 11 games.

First pitch between the Colonels and Bobcats is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday night.  Game two is set for a 3 p.m. start time on Saturday, and Sunday's series finale is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.  Links to live stats and a live streaming audio webcast will be made available at www.geauxcolonels.com and www.ThibodauxOnline.com.