LIVE STATSTHIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University softball team will look to continue its hot start in conference play as the Colonels host Central Arkansas for a three-game series at the Colonel Softball Complex.
Originally scheduled to begin on Friday night, the series has been changed twice due to weather. After being pushed back to a 12 p.m. start on Saturday, Friday's rain has moved first pitch for the doubleheader to 5 p.m. Sunday's single game finale is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Nicholls (19-14) is off to its best start in conference in recent years as the Colonels sit in second place at 6-2 after three series. Central Arkansas (23-11) is tied for third in the standings at 6-3, while next weekend's opponent, McNeese State, is undefeated with a 9-0 record.
The main reasons for the Colonels' early success have been their pitching and defense. While the team has a respectable .281 batting average, the Colonels rank 26th in the NCAA in earned run average at 2.26, and the fielding is in the top 50 with a .968 clip.
Nicholls has used senior
Hannah Haydel and freshman
Megan Landry primarily in the circle, and the duo has been one of the best the conference. Haydel has the 33rd best ERA in the nation at 1.55, and she is 35th with 4.6 hits allowed per seven innings. She has a 10-6 record on the season with 80 strikeouts.
Landry was on the brink of tossing her second career no hitter last weekend at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but late infield singles ended the bid in her 1-0 victory. Landry is 9-6 on the year and ranks fifth in the Southland with a 2.13 ERA. She has 67 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched.
The offense is led by seniors
Alexis Huss and
Danielle Phillips, and freshman
Amanda Gianelloni, after all three had strong showings last weekend against the Islanders. Gianelloni has a team-best .358 batting average and 20 RBIs after leading the team with four hits in the sweep, while Huss (.340, 20 RBIs) and
Danielle Phillips (.318, 11 RBIs) had three hits each.
Central Arkansas has won five of its last six after taking last weekend's series against Abilene Christian, 2-1. The Sugar Bears have won all three conference series, losing once each against ACU, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Stephen F. Austin.
UCA has also been led by its pitching, ranking fourth in the Southland with a 2.96 ERA. The Sugar Bears have two hurlers ranked in the top 10 in ERA – Kayla Gomness (2.30) and Shivaun Landeros (2.62). Gomness has a 6-2 win-loss record, while Landeros is 14-7 and has a league-high 120.0 innings pitched.
Central Arkansas has struggled at the plate, hitting .255 on the season. Bailey Reynords has a team-best .333 average, and Sam Forrest is the only other UCA batter over .300 with a .306 clip. UCA has used the long ball to generate a large portion of its runs as the team has 22 home runs on the season, good for third in the conference.
Following Sunday's finale, the Colonels will have a day off before hosting Alcorn State for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 5 at 5 p.m. Admission for all home softball games is free of charge.
