THIBODAUX, La. – For fans of dominant pitching and electrifying defensive play, Tuesday's matchup between undefeated pitchers representing Nicholls State University and No. 25 Tulane will be a can't-miss battle. Both squads will look to add to their already impressive 2015 resumes as they square off at 6 p.m. at Ray E. Didier Field.
 
The Colonels (7-3-1) took their opening series 2-1 over American East favorite Stony Brook before downing No. 4 Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Most recently Nicholls earned a 3-1 series win over Pac-12 opponent Utah, and will now set their sights on the Green Wave (10-2). Tulane has won eight of its last nine games, including a 2-1 series win against Creighton over the weekend, and earned a spot on the national rankings for the first time since 2011.
 
The Colonels and the Green Wave enter Tuesday night's matchup with similar statistics on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The Nicholls pitching staff is ranked eighth in the nation and first in the Southland Conference with an earned run average of 1.58. Tulane's ERA is slightly higher at 1.89, good for 14^th in the nation and first in the American Athletic Conference. The Colonels average 7.18 strikeouts per contest, almost identical to the Green Wave who average 7.17. Additionally, each team boasts five pitchers who carry earned run averages less than 1.00. Nicholls reliever Stuart Holmes has five saves already in the young season, placing him first in the conference and third in the nation, as the Colonels' leader from the bullpen.
 
At the plate Nicholls is hitting .258 collectively, with a .359 slugging percentage and five players batting over .300. Tulane carries a team average of .279, a slugging percentage of .409 and has six players with averages higher than .300.
 
The Green Wave own the all-time series with the Colonels 57-24, and have won the last three meetings between the programs, including both matchups last season. Tulane took a 1-0 victory on Feb. 25 and an 8-1 victory on April 29.
 
Freshman lefty Alex Ernestine (1-0) will make the first start of his collegiate career against the Green Wave. Ernestine has thrown 1.2 innings in two games for Nicholls this season and earned a win against LSU on Feb. 18. He carries a 0.00 ERA and has allowed just one hit with one strikeout this year.
 
Junior righty Patrick Duester (1-0) will make his third start for Tulane on Tuesday, and also enters the contest with a spotless 0.00 ERA. Duester has allowed eight hits with six strikeouts and four walks through 11 innings this season.
 
Colonel pitcher and designated hitter Marc Frazier leads the Southland with a .444 batting average, has a .704 slugging percentage, 12 hits, six RBIs, six runs scored and two home runs. Catcher Christian Correa has a team-leading seven RBIs and is hitting .359, good for second on the team. Leadoff hitter Justin Holt has scored nine runs for Nicholls this season, while outfielder Darius Knight is first in the league and fifth in the nation in sacrifice bunts.
 
Third baseman Hunter Hope spearheads the Green Wave offense with a .383 batting average, 18 hits, seven RBIs and six runs. Catcher Jake Rogers and first baseman Garrett Deschamp each have a team-leading nine RBIs and outfielder Lex Kaplan leads the squad with nine runs scored.
 
The Colonels will host Tulane on Tuesday before hitting the road for a three-game series against Abilene Christian. Tuesday's contest will be broadcast live on KTIB 640 AM.
 
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats, video and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball.