Colonels Take on Northwestern State in a Conference Leader Showdown
The top two teams in the Southland Conference face off in a weekend series in Natchitoches

Colonels Take on Northwestern State in a Conference Leader Showdown

THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team travels to Natchitoches this weekend to face Southland Conference opponent Northwestern State in a three-game showdown between the two top teams in the standings.
 
The Colonels (15-16, 7-2 SLC) have dropped their last two games, but hope to right the ship as they return to conference play. Weekend ballgames have been friendly for Nicholls this year, but the Demons (16-12, 6-3 SLC) will be an unfriendly host, carrying a three-game winning streak into the most important series either team has played thus far.
 
A stout pitching squad, leading the conference in strikeouts, has paved the way to first place for Nicholls this season, despite its league-worst batting average. Northwestern State comes into the game at second place in conference, despite being ranked in the bottom half of the league in both pitching and hitting.
 
Taking the mound for the Colonels will be lefty Taylor Byrd on Friday, southpaw Grant Borne on Saturday and righty Brandon Jackson in the final game Sunday. Byrd (4-2) enters the series as the top pitcher in the conference, leading in both ERA at 1.40 and strikeouts with 46. Borne (4-1) carries a 4.05 ERA into the weekend and has fanned 41 batters this season. Jackson (2-1) ranks second in the league in pitching, with a 1.59 ERA and 21 strikeouts.
 
On the hill for the Demons will be righty Adam Oller (3-0) on Friday, right-hander Josh Oller (1-0) on Saturday, and lefty Austin Tanner (0-1) on Sunday. Adam Oller carries a 2.29 ERA into the game, while his older brother Josh brings a 4.61 ERA. Austin Tanner enters the game with an ERA of 3.05.
 
Nicholls is led by Keith Cormier who comes into the game with a .282 batting average and Leo Vargas who enters with a .281. Cormer leads the team in RBIs with 22 and Vargas has a team-leading 22 runs.
 
Cort Brinson leads Northwestern State with a .339 batting average. Caleb Dugas is second on the team, hitting .321 and leading in runs scored. Chase Daughdrill has a .309 average and a team-leading 24 RBIs.