THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team will take on New Orleans in a three-game, home-away-home Southland Conference series with first pitch set for 6 p.m. on Friday in Thibodaux.
 
Game two of the series is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday in the Big Easy, with game three slated for 1 p.m. at Ray E. Didier Field.
 
The Colonels (29-16-1, 14-10 SLC) are riding a season-long five-game winning streak and have risen from eighth to fifth in the Southland Conference standings over the last month. Nicholls has led the league in ERA since day one of conference play, but struggled mightily at the plate. The Dirty Red were ranked last in the Southland in batting average for the majority of the season, but have caught fire over recent weeks, raising their average by 13 percent since April 2.
 
The Privateers (14-33, 3-21) have had one of their most difficult seasons in recent memory, with their only conference series win coming against Stephen F. Austin in March. New Orleans has lost seven of its last eight contests overall and is currently riding a four-game skid after being swept by Abilene Christian last weekend.
 
Nicholls owns three of the top five pitchers in the league this season and is fifth in the nation and first in the conference with a 2.44 team ERA. The squad is also first in the Southland in hits allowed per nine innings (8.08) and shutouts (four). Righty Justin Sinibaldi (9-1) is first in the league with a 1.54 ERA and 50 strikeouts through 70 1/3 innings on the mound. He ranks 16^th in the nation in ERA and fifth in the nation in victories. Lefty Grant Borne (4-4) is second in the conference with a 1.60 ERA and has fanned 70 batters in 73 1/3 innings of work. Right-hander Ryan Deemes (5-2) is fifth in the SLC with a 1.99 ERA and 60 strikeouts through 63 1/3 innings on the hill.
 
The Colonels also own the top closer in the league, Stuart Holmes, who set the school record for saves in a season on Wednesday. Holmes is second in the nation and first in the Southland Conference with 15 saves in 2015. He is seven saves ahead of the next closest league player. Holmes was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team on Thursday and became the first player in school history to land a spot on the prestigious National College Baseball Writer's Association Stopper of the Year Watch List earlier this season. He was also tabbed for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher of the Year Watch List, alongside Sinibaldi.
 
Deemes is set to start on Friday with Borne taking the mound Saturday and Sinibaldi closing out the series on Sunday.
 
The Privateers are scheduled to toss righty Kevin Kelleher (2-8) in the series-opener, right-hander Daniel Martinez (1-3) on Saturday and lefty Jordan Priddle (4-4) in the Finale. Kelleher enters the weekend with a 4.02 ERA and 57 strikeouts through 40 1/3 innings on the mound. Martinez carries an ERA of 5.67 and has fanned 50 batters in 60 1/3 innings of work. Priddle brings a 4.88 ERA with 37 strikeouts through 55 1/3 innings.
 
Kyle Reese spearheads the Nicholls offense with a .356 average, 29 runs scored, 27 RBIs and a league-leading 16 doubles. Justin Holt is second on the team with a .314 average and a team-high 32 runs.
 
Ryan Calloway paces New Orleans offensively with a .330 average, 31 runs scored and 17 RBIs. Chaz Boyer leads the team with 24 RBIs this season.
 
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.