THIBODAUX, La. – Coming off of its most productive offensive performance of the 2015 season, the Nicholls State University baseball team will turn its sights on Houston Baptist, looking to jump HBU in the Southland Conference standings this weekend and move closer to clinching a postseason tournament spot.
The Colonels will host the Huskies in a three-game league series beginning Friday at 6 p.m., with game two set for 6 p.m. on Saturday and the series finale slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday. Houston Baptist currently holds the sixth spot in the conference standings, with Nicholls sitting in seventh, but a series win for the Dirty Red this weekend would allow the Colonels to trade places with the Huskies.
Nicholls has won six of its last eight contests and is coming off of a 16-hit, 16-run eruption against ULM on Wednesday night. Houston Baptist has lost five of its last six matchups, but most recently downed UT-Arlington, 10-4, on Tuesday.
The Colonels have had a roller-coast season, but have played exceptionally well at home. Nicholls is 15-7 at Ray E. Didier Field, with a .272 batting average and 1.98 ERA. In comparison the Colonels are 9-8 on the road, batting 2.41 with a 3.21 ERA.
This weekend Nicholls will toss its usual rotation of righty
Ryan Deemes (4-2) on Friday, lefty
Grant Borne (4-4) on Saturday and right-hander
Justin Sinibaldi (8-1) on Sunday. Deemes holds an ERA of 2.24 and has 57 strikeouts through 58 innings on the mound. Borne ranks second in the Southland Conference with a 1.49 ERA, and boasts 66 strikeouts through 66 2/3 innings this season. Sinibaldi is the top-ranked pitcher in the league, carrying an ERA of 1.38 with 61 strikeouts in 85 innings on the hill.
Taylor Wright (6-5) will take the mound for the Huskies on Friday, with Matthew McCollough (7-2) throwing in game two and Curtis Jones (4-5) on the bump in the finale. Wright enters with a 2.84 ERA and 35 strikeouts through 66 2/3 innings. McCollough carries an ERA of 2.77 and has tossed 50 strikeouts in 78 innings. Jones holds an ERA of 3.69, with 46 strikeouts through 70 2/3 innings.
Kyle Reese paces the Colonels offensively with a .340 batting average, 25 runs scored, 23 RBIs and 13 doubles.
Justin Holt has scored a team-high 27 runs.
Zach Nehrir leads the HBU offense with a .355 average, 37 RBIs and 26 runs scored. Clay Thomas has scored a team-leading 28 runs.
All three matchups this weekend 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.
