CONWAY, Ark. – Coming off of a thrilling 10th-inning victory over ULM on Wednesday, the Nicholls State University baseball team will turn its sights to a three-game Southland Conference matchup against Central Arkansas, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. in Conway.
The Colonels (19-13-1, 8-7 SLC) are playing some of their best ball of the season and have won six of their last seven games, including four straight against league opponents. The Bears (17-10, 8-4 SLC) are coming off of a 14-9 loss to the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but have done exceptionally well in conference play. UCA swept Lamar and took a 2-1 series win over Sam Houston earlier this season.
Last year Nicholls took two of three games from Central Arkansas in Thibodaux, but the Bears own a 15-9 advantage over the Colonels in the all-time series.
Nicholls has been dominant in 2015, particularly from the mound. The Colonels own all three of the top-three starting pitchers in the Southland Conference, as well as the first-ranked closer. Righty
Ryan Deemes (4-0) is first in the league with a 0.99 ERA and has 47 strikeouts through 45 1/3 innings on the hill. Right-hander
Justin Sinibaldi (6-1) is second in the Southland, posting an ERA of 1.01 with 40 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings this season. Lefty
Grant Borne (2-4) carries an ERA of 1.29 and has tossed 50 strikeouts through 48 2/3 innings on the mound. Relief pitcher
Stuart Holmes (2-0) leads the nation in saves with 11, and boasts a dominant 0.44 ERA.
This weekend Nicholls will toss Deemes on Friday, Borne on Saturday and Sinibaldi on Sunday.
UCA is set to start righty Connor Gillmore (4-2) on Friday. Gillmore enters the contest with a 2.83 ERA and 32 strikeouts through 54 innings. Right-hander Brandon Hagerla (4-1) will take the mound Saturday, with an ERA of 3.12 and 23 strikeouts in 52 innings. Righty Riley Echols (2-1) will throw in the series-finale, and brings an ERA of 2.70 with 22 strikeouts through 26 2/3 innings.
The Colonels have struggled mightily this season at the plate and are currently last in the Southland Conference with a .242 collective batting average. Nicholls has hit the ball significantly better over their last seven games however, averaging over five runs per game.
Kyle Reese leads the Colonel offense with a .311 average, 16 runs and 12 RBIs.
Justin Holt has a team-leading 21 runs and
Tanner Vandevere paces the squad with 16 RBIs.
The Bears are hitting .266 as a squad this season, led by Matt Anderson's .272 average. Tyler Langley leads the team with 24 runs and Braxton Phillips has a team-high 21 RBIs.
The series-opener will be broadcast live on KNSU 91.5 FM. First pitch for game is slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday, with the series-finale set for 1 p.m. on Sunday. Games two and three will air on KTIB 640 AM.
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats, video and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball.
