LAKE CHARLES, La. – After nearly two weeks without facing a conference opponent, the Nicholls State University baseball team will return to Southland play against in-state rival McNeese in a three-game weekend series slated to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday at Cowboy Diamond.
 
The teams will square off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the series finale set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
 
The Colonels (23-14-1, 10-8 SLC) are riding a four-game win streak after taking a 2-1 series victory over Central Arkansas and earning consecutive wins against Spring Hill College and Grambling State.
 
The Cowboys (22-19, 12-9 SLC) were one of the hottest teams in the league only a week ago but have dropped four straight games after being swept by Southeastern La. over the weekend and losing to the University of Houston on Tuesday.
 
McNeese owns the all-time series against Nicholls, 87-83, but the Colonels have taken six straight victories against the Cowboys after sweeping the last two seasons.
 
The Nicholls pitching staff has been a dominant force in the Southland Conference this year, boasting a league-leading 2.27 ERA and all three of the top-three pitchers in the conference. Justin Sinibaldi (8-1) paces the Southland with a 1.04 ERA and 44 strikeouts through 60 1/3 innings on the mound. Grant Borne (3-4) is second in the league with a 1.53 ERA and has fanned 57 batters in 58 2/3 innings of work. Ryan Deemes (4-1) is currently third in the conference with a 1.54 ERA and 54 strikeouts through 51 2/3 innings on the hill. Deemes is set to start in the series-opener with Borne taking the mound Saturday and Sinibaldi throwing Sunday.
 
Closer Stuart Holmes has been exceptional this season for the Colonels and was recently named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association watch list as a candidate for Stopper of the Year, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. Holmes leads the Southland Conference with 13 saves, five more than the next closest league player. He carries a dominant 1.14 ERA through 24 appearances this season and has tossed 26 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings on the mound. Holmes is second in the nation in total saves this year and is only one save shy of tying the single-season saves record held by Alex Velazquez.
 
McNeese will bring an evenly balanced team into this weekend's ballgame. The Cowboys pitching staff is fourth in the conference and they rank fifth offensively.
 
Righty Kaleb Fontenot (5-3) is set to start for McNeese on Friday, with right-hander Bryce Kingsley (3-4) taking the hill on Saturday and Ethan Stremmel (3-4) throwing on Sunday. Fontenot carries an ERA of 3.00 with 60 strikeouts in as many innings. Kingsley enters the series with a 4.46 ERA and has tossed 36 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings this year. Stremmel holds an ERA of 4.53 with 40 strikeouts through 49 2/3 innings on the mound.
 
Kyle Reese leads Nicholls offensively with a .324 batting average, 20 runs, 16 RBIs and 12 doubles. Justin Holt paces the squad with 23 runs scored and Tanner Vandevere has a team-high 19 RBIs for the Colonels.
 
McNeese has four players with averages over .300, led by Joe Provenzano, hitting .333. Connor Crane has 30 RBIs and Andrew Guillotte has scored 31 runs, both team-highs for the Cowboys.
 
This weekend's series 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.