THIBODAUX, La.  – With hopes of its first postseason berth since 2010, the Nicholls State University softball team will look to stay in the hunt as the Colonels close out their 2015 home schedule with a three-game series against rival Southeastern Louisiana at the Colonel Softball Complex.
 
The series against the Lady Lions (19-24, 13-7 SLC) will open tonight at 6 p.m. and will wrap up with a Saturday doubleheader slated for 1 p.m. Saturday will serve as the team's annual Strike Out Cancer Day, as well as Senior Day for 2015 graduate Laura Neil. The Senior Day ceremony will take place after the games.
 
Although the Colonels (24-19, 10-11 SLC) were swept for the first time this season last weekend at first-place Northwestern State, they are just 0.5 games back from the sixth and final tournament spot. With only six conference games remaining, the Colonels will need to continue their winning ways at home where they have posted a 9-5 record on the year.
 
The  matchup with Southeastern features two of the three top hitting teams, led by SLU's .316 team batting average. The Colonels slid down to third after last weekend's series, but are still batting .305 on the season. A big reason for the Colonels' success at the plate has been the play of the left side of the infield. Short stop Brooke Morris and third baseman Haley Stevenson led the team in hitting at .366 and .359, respectively, while center fielder Payton Gremillion is close behind at .355.
 
In the circle, the Colonels earned run average spiked a bit after giving up seven home runs and 23 runs last weekend at NSU. Hannah Haydel took two of the losses, dropping to 12-9 on the year with a 3.00 ERA. However, Haydel has been stellar at home, posting a 5-2 record with a 1.73 ERA and a .205 opponent batting average.
 
Southeastern brings a four-game losing streak to Thibodaux, but hold the fifth spot in the league standings. The Lady Lions feature one of the league's best hitters as Katie Lacour leads the Southland with 74 hits and a .484 batting average. Joining Lacour with .350 or better averages are Sydney Booker (.371), Kinsey Nichols (.366) and Megan Moore (.353). In the circle, Taylor Bishop has led the staff with a 12-6 record and a 3.14 ERA.
 
Last season, the Colonels swept the opening doubleheader against Southeastern with 6-4 and 8-0 wins, but the Lady Lions broke a 4-all tie in the seventh inning in the finale to avoid the sweep with a 5-4 victory.