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THIBODAUX, La. – Looking to gain some ground in the Southland Conference standings, the Nicholls State University softball team will take on a first-place team for the second consecutive weekend as the Colonels host in-state rival McNeese State for a three-game set, starting Friday night at 6 p.m. at the Colonel Softball Complex.
 
Saturday's doubleheader to wrap up the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on Colonels All-Access, along with an audio stream and live stats.
 
With their doubleheader sweep against Alcorn State on Wednesday, Nicholls (20-13, 6-6 SLC) surpassed its win total from last season, while improving its record to seven games over .500. McNeese State (25-12, 11-1 SLC) had its midweek game against Louisiana-Lafayette canceled, but is coming off a conference series win against Abilene Christian last weekend.
 
The matchup between the Colonels and Cowgirls pits the Southland's second-ranked offense against the league's best pitching staff. Nicholls brings a .313 batting average and a SLC-high 298 hits into the series, while McNeese's pitching has a stellar 2.09 ERA, which is over a run better than the second-ranked team. The Cowgirl staff is also limiting opponents to a .222 batting average.
 
While Haley Stevenson leads the team with a .374 batting average on the year, in 11 home games this season, Alexis Huss posts a remarkable .513 average and a team-high 13 RBIs. Stevenson has also hit well at home with a .441 average, followed by Payton Gremillion (.429) and Brooke Morris (.405).
 
In the circle, Hannah Haydel also has excellent numbers for the Colonels at home, going 4-2 with a 1.86 ERA. On the season, Haydel is 11-6 with a 2.51 ERA and ranks second in the SLC in strikeouts (75), fourth in ERA and sixth in opponent batting average (.229).
 
Despite winning the series against Abilene last weekend, McNeese suffered its first conference loss, falling 8-2 at ACU. With the Colonels defeating Central Arkansas last weekend, the Cowgirls and UCA are tied for first at 11-1. McNeese has had a favorable schedule in SLC play as its four opponents have a combined 11-36 record.
 
McNeese's pitching staff is led by Emily Vincent, who is 10-2 so far this year with SLC bests 1.08 ERA and .180 opponent batting average.  Rachel Smith is 9-3 with a 1.96 ERA while Jamie Allred is 5-6 with a 2.93 ERA. All three hurlers have over 50 strikeouts, led by Smith's 64.
 
At the plate, Erika Piancastelli heads the team with a .408 average, followed by Lauren Langner at .400. Piancastelli, who has 13 home runs with 36 RBIs, has been red-hot in conference play, posting a .594 batting average with nine homers and 22 RBIs.