THIBODAUX, La. – After a tough outing on Sunday the Nicholls State University baseball team will look to get back on track as they battle the University of Utah in a four-game weekend series, set to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday at Ray E. Didier Field.
 
The Colonels (4-2-1) started off the 2015 season red-hot, taking two of three games from Stony Brook before downing No. 4 Louisiana State University and North Florida. Weather disrupted the team's momentum as torrential rains in Pensacola forced Nicholls to end its Saturday matchup with Southern Miss in a 1-1 tie. The team finished their weekend in Florida with a tough 10-2 loss against Troy before returning to Thibodaux.
 
The Utes (1-7) opened their season with a 6-4 win over Sacramento State on Feb. 13, but have dropped their last seven straight games and have been outscored 44-21 over that stretch.
 
Nicholls picked up right where it left off last season with the number one ranked pitching squad in the Southland Conference. The Colonels are 18^th in the nation and first in the league in ERA (1.92). Right-hander Ryan Deemes is first in the nation with a 0.00 ERA, throwing four innings with six strikeouts in the team's win over LSU. Lefty Stuart Holmes earned one of his three saves against the Tigers, and is fifth in the nation and first in the Southland in total saves this season.
 
At the plate the Colonels are batting just .254, but have a number of bright spots. Darius Knight is third in the SLC in stolen bases (four) and first in the league in sacrifice bunts per game (0.33). As a team Nicholls is third in the Southland in triples. The team also has three players hitting .300 and above.
 
The Colonels are set to throw righty Marc Frazier (1-1) on Friday in the series-opener. Nicholls will play a doubleheader with Utah on Saturday, with game one set to start at 3 p.m. and game two slated to begin immediately after the conclusion of the first. The Colonels will put Deemes (1-0) on the mound for the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader, with Southpaw Grant Borne slated to get the start in the second. Righy Justin Sinibaldi (1-1) will be on the hill for Nicholls in the series finale on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
 
The Utes will toss four right-handed pitchers against the Colonels, beginning with Bret Helton (1-0) on Friday. Jayson Rose (0-1) and Dalton Carroll (0-2) will take the mound for Utah on Saturday, with Nolan Stouder (0-1) throwing the final game of the weekend.
 
Christian Correa leads Nicholls at the plate this season, hitting .360 with five RBIs and three runs scored. Justin Holt paces the squad with six runs on the year. Alex Tucker is batting .500 with three RBIs.
 
Wyler Smith leads the Utes with a .360 batting average, while Dallas Carroll has a team-leading six RBIs this season. Kody Davis is a master at drawing walks, earning nine in just eight games, and leads Utah with eight runs scored.
 
The Colonels will take on the Utes in four games this weekend before hosting Tulane at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Friday's game will air on KNSU 91.5 FM, while KTIB 640 AM will broadcast the next four.
 
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