THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team opens the 2014 regular season on Friday night, traveling to Texas to take on the Houston Cougars at 6:30 p.m. at Cougar Field.
 
First pitch of each of the first two games is set for 6:30 p.m. in Houston, while the finale is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch. All three games can be heard on KTIB 640 AM locally in Thibodaux, with an available audio stream through ThibodauxOnline.com, with Erik Solberg on the call. Links to live stats and video will be provided for all three days on the home page at GeauxColonels.com.
 
Series Information (Based Off Last Year's Stats and Records)
Nicholls (26-29, 9-18 Southland) vs. Houston (36-22, 13-11 CUSA)
Cougar Field (3,500) - Houston, Texas
Game 1 - Friday, Feb. 14, 6:30 p.m.
Game 2 - Saturday, Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m.
Game 3 - Sunday, Feb. 16, 1 p.m.
Radio
KTIB 640 AM Thibodaux
Internet
www.UHCougars.com
TV
None
Pitching Matchups
Game 1
Nicholls - Sr. LHP Taylor Byrd (5-6, 73.2 IP, 43 BB, 72 SO)
UH - Jr. RHP Aaron Garza (5-5, 67.1 IP, 18 BB, 43 SO)
Game 2
Nicholls - Sr. RHP Brandon Jackson (3-1, 47.2 IP, 18 BB, 27 SO)
UH - So. RHP Jake Lemoine (7-4, 69.2 IP, 33 BB, 45 SO)
Game 3
Nicholls - So. LHP Grant Borne (3-0, 43.0 IP, 28 BB, 48 SO)
UH - So. LHP Jared West (0-0, 7.1 IP, 8 BB, 5 SO)
 
Nicholls Notes
·         Seth Thibodeaux enters his fourth season as the head coach of the Nicholls baseball team, and his seventh season as a member of the Colonels baseball team... Thibodeaux became just the third head coach in team history to win at least 25 games in each of his first three seasons at the helm... Thibodeaux has the third-most wins as a head coach through is first three seasons at coach, behind Mike Knight (90) and B.D. Parker (81).
·         The Colonels open their 55th season of baseball on Friday against Houston, and is looking to win their season opener for the seventh time in the last 11 seasons.
·         Nicholls was 26-29 overall last season and 9-18 in the Southland Conference.
·         Nicholls returns top overall hitter Tyler Duplantis to the fold, as he led the team with a .330 batting average with seven doubles and three triples.
·         On the year, the Colonels return four everyday starters back in Duplantis, Keith Cormier, Philip Lyons and Leo Vargas.
·         Nicholls has the bulk of its pitching staff returning, led by senior left-handed pitcher Taylor Byrd who started 13 games last year. Byrd had a 3.18 earned run average, with 72 strikeouts to just 43 walks.
·         Brandon Jackson, who was named preseason second team all-conference as a designated hitter, returns to the group as he hit .295 at the plate and sported a 3-1 record on the mound with two complete-game shutouts.
·         Nicholls has six returning pitchers that had no less than six appearances in 2013, including Marc Picciola (19) Grant Borne (16), Zach Thiac (14), and Justin Sinibaldi (6).
·         Houston was 36-22 overall last season and 13-11 in the Conference USA. The Cougars are in their first season as members of the American Athletic Conference.
·         Houston has won nine of the last 11 games against the Colonels in the series history.