ABILENE, Texas – After facing some of the top programs in the country through the opening weeks of the 2015 season, the Nicholls State University baseball team will take their talents on the road as they enter conference play with a three-game series against Abilene Christian in Texas, with first-pitch slated for 6 p.m. on Friday.
 
The Colonels (7-4-1) opened their year with a tough 6-0 loss against American East favorite Stony Brook, and looked as inexperienced as their roster suggests. Nicholls lost its starting second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, right fielder, four of its top pitchers and its top four hitters from 2014. The young Colonels responded in their second game this season with a 4-1 victory over the Seawolves, followed by a 10-0 win in the series-finale and punctuated their week with a 6-3 victory over No. 4 LSU at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge. The squad also handed Pac-12 opponent Utah a 3-1 series loss before coming up short against No. 25 Tulane in a pitching duel on Tuesday night.
 
The Wildcats (0-7) have faced stiff competition in their non-conference schedule, opening at home against Nevada, before taking on UT-Pan American in Edinburg and most recently fighting through a 16-inning marathon against Texas Tech in Lubbock. The team will look for its first win of the season this weekend.
 
Nicholls is currently sixth in the nation and first in the Southland Conference in ERA with a 1.53 average. The Colonels are also second in the league in hits allowed per nine innings (7.9). Lefty Grant Borne is first in the conference in ERA (0.53), while righties Ryan Deemes (0.64) and Justin Sinibaldi (1.59) are third and eighth respectively. Reliever Stuart Holmes in third in the nation and first in the Southland in saves (five).
 
Offensively, Nicholls is batting .258 as a team, with 23 extra-base hits and four home runs. The Colonels are 32^nd in the nation and second in the conference in triples. Darius Knight is seventh in the nation and first in the league in sacrifice bunts (four).
 
Nicholls will throw its usual rotation of Frazier (1-1) on Friday, Borne (0-1) on Saturday and Sinibaldi (2-1) on Sunday.
 
Abilene Christian is set to start righty Garrett DeMeyere (0-1) on Friday. He carries a 2.35 ERA this season. Lefty Aaron Mason (0-1) has a 13.50 ERA, and will take the mound on Saturday. Thomas Altimont (0-2) is set to take the hill on Sunday, and brings an ERA of 8.25.
 
Marc Frazier leads the Colonels at the plate, hitting .419 with six RBIs, six runs scored and two home runs. Christian Correa is second on the team with a .341 average, a team-leading seven RBIs and five runs. Justin Holt paces Nicholls with nine runs scored this season.
 
Brayden Gomez and Alex Copeland have each gone 10-for-28 this year, hitting an identical .357. Russell Crippen has a team-high five RBIs and Aaron Draper has four runs to lead ACU.
 
The Colonels will hit the road for their three-game series against Abilene Christian before returning to Thibodaux for a matchup against ULM on Wednesday. This weekend's series-opener will be broadcast live on KNSU 91.5 FM, while KTIB 640 AM will air Saturday and Sunday's contests.
 
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