THIBODAUX, La. – After defeating both No. 4 Louisiana State University and Louisiana-Lafayette in the same season for the first time in program history, the Nicholls State University baseball team will look to bolster its resume against in-state opponents as the team faces Southland Conference leader, Southeastern Louisiana, in a three-game home-away-home conference series this weekend.
 
The Colonels (13-10-1, 4-5 SLC) will open their weekend against the Lions (20-7, 7-2 SLC) at 6 p.m. on Friday at Ray E. Didier Field. The teams will face-off in Hammond on Saturday at 3 p.m. before returning to Thibodaux for the series-finale on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Nicholls has had an outstanding start to its 2015 season, particularly in non-conference play. The Colonels took a 2-1 series victory over American East favorite Stony Brook before handing the now-number one team in the country, LSU, its only loss of the year. Nicholls strengthened its resume against Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday night with a 3-1 win in a dominant defensive performance. Even more impressive, the Colonels' victories over the Tigers and Ragin' Cajuns both occurred on the home fields of their opponents.
 
Nicholls has been unable to duplicate their non-conference success in league play so far this season. The Colonels took a 2-1 series win against Abilene Christian, but dropped the next two conference series against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Sam Houston State, 2-1.
 
Southeastern La. has built and outstanding reputation in its own right this year. The Lions swept Louisiana Tech, downed ULM and defeated South Alabama. Southeastern La. came up just short against both Tulane and LSU, losing by just one run to both teams. In conference the Lions have lost only two games, and have outscored opponents 65-38 through nine contests.
 
This weekend's matchup will feature Nicholls' dominant defense against the powerful offense of Southeastern La. The Colonels have the top-ranked pitching staff in the Southland, while the Lions are the top-ranked offensive squad in the league.
 
Nicholls owns three of the top four starting pitchers in the conference this season. Right-hander Ryan Deemes (3-0) is first in the Southland with a 0.83 ERA, lefty Grant Borne (1-4) is second in the league with a 1.03 ERA and righty Justin Sinibaldi (4-1) is fourth in the SLC with a 1.42 ERA. Borne is also second in the conference in strikeouts with 39 this year. Southpaw reliever Stuart Holmes (1-0) is first in the league and third in the nation in saves with nine this season and carries a 0.56 ERA.
 
The Lions rank first in the Southland Conference in scoring, hits, batting average, runs, stolen bases, on base percentage and walks. Southeastern La. also ranks second in slugging percentage, doubles and sacrifice flies. The Lions have four players in the top-10 in batting average, headlined by Daniel Midyett, who hits .356. Midyett is first in the league in runs, runs per game, home runs, slugging percentage and total bases.
 
The Colonels will throw their standard rotation of right-handed pitcher Marc Frazier (1-4) on Friday, Borne on Saturday and Sinibaldi on Sunday. Frazier carries an ERA of 4.94 heading into Friday's matchup.
 
Southeastern La. is set to start righty Tate Scioneaux (4-1) in the series-opener, right-hander Jake Johnson (4-0) on Saturday and close out the weekend with lefty Kyle Cedotal (3-1) on Sunday. Scioneaux carries an ERA of 5.03, Johnson registers a 1.96 ERA and Cedotal enters with an ERA of 1.56.
 
Nicholls is led offensively by third baseman Kyle Reese, who was named the LSWA Hitter of the Week on Monday after a record-setting 6-for-6 performance at the plate against Lamar University. Reese is batting .318 with nine runs scored and six RBIs. Catcher Christian Correa and second baseman Tanner Vandevere each have a team-leading 10 RBIs this season, while outfielder Justin Holt paces the squad with 14 runs scored.
 
While the Colonels have just two every-day starters with a batting average over .300, the Lions are loaded offensively. Nine Southeastern La. players register an average of .300 and above this season. Kevin Carr ranks second in the league with a .371 average and has scored 20 runs with 17 RBIs. Midyett leads the team in runs with 26, while Ryan Byers has knocked in a team-high 21 RBIs.
 
Nicholls will battle Southeastern Louisiana this weekend, before hosting Alcorn State at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Friday and Sunday's matchups will be broadcast live on KNSU 91.5 FM, while Saturday's contest will air on KTIB 640 AM.
 
Following Sunday's contest, the Colonels will battle an even more important opponent as they join the fight against childhood cancer. The team will shave their heads in support of the Vs. Cancer Foundation, which is dedicated to saving kids' lives by empowering athletes and communities to fund lifesaving childhood cancer efforts.
 
You can join the fight too! Visit the Nicholls Baseball Vs. Cancer page at team.vs-cancer.org/Colonels to make a donation. To learn more visit VS-CANCER.ORG or follow the organization on twitter @VS_CANCER.
 
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats, video and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball.