THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team returns to Southland Conference action this weekend as the squad host a three-game series with McNeese beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday at Ray E. Didier Field.
First pitch for game two is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday with the series finale scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
Nicholls will don pink jerseys on Friday for the team's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game sponsored by the Cancer Center of Thibodaux Regional. Proceeds from the auction will benefit cancer research and treatment.
The Colonels (17-24, 7-11 SLC) are coming off of a 2-1 series defeat at the hands of Nebraska over the weekend. Nicholls has lost four of its last five games, but earned consecutive series wins against Incarnate Word and Central Arkansas in the team's most recent conference action.
The Cowboys (23-15, 13-8 SLC) currently sit at fourth in the Southland standings. Despite dropping their most recent series to league-leading Southeastern Louisiana, McNeese is only 3 1/2 games out of first place. The Cowboys have had success on the road this season, particularly in league play. McNeese is 7-2 against conference opponents away from Lake Charles.
Kyle Knauth leads the Colonels with a .354 average, 40 hits, 12 doubles, a home run, 26 RBIs and seven walks.
Kyle Reese is batting .343 and has 34 hits, 16 runs scored and 22 RBI.
Gavin Wehby has a team-high 45 hits and
Ethan Valdez paces the squad with 12 stolen bases on the year.
Senior Connor Crane spearheads the Cowboys offense with a .359 average. He leads the team in nearly every offensive category with 52 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, seven RBIs, 16 runs scored, a .641 slugging percentage, 14 walks and a.443 on-base percentage. Four other McNeese batters have posted at least 30 hits and 20 runs batted in this season.
PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATION
Nicholls
Friday: Justin Sinibaldi (4-4, 2.92 ERA, 62 SO, 71.0 IP)
Saturday: Cole Stapler (3-5, 3.60 ERA, 35 SO, 65.0 IP)
Sunday: Alex Ernestine (2-3, 8.13 ERA, 14 SO, 27.2 IP)
McNeese
Friday: Kaleb Fontenot (4-3, 2.27 ERA, 75 SO, 71.1 IP)
Saturday: Bryan King (4-2, 3.22 ERA, 46 SO, 50.1 IP)
Sunday: Ethan Stremmel (3-1, 4.85 ERA, 31 SO, 42.2 IP)
The Colonels are batting .276 as a team, while the Nicholls pitching staff holds a 5.17 ERA through 41 games this season.
The Cowboys are hitting .272 collectively and their pitching staff maintains a 3.74 ERA with a .250 opponent batting average.
The Colonels hold a 128-115 edge in the all-time series against the McNeese. Last season the Cowboys earned a 2-1 series victory in Lake Charles, but McNeese hasn't won a series in Thibodaux since 2007.
Following this weekend's action, Nicholls will head to Texas for a three-game league series at Houston Baptist, beginning May 6. The Colonels then host Alcorn State at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball, visit geauxcolonels.com.
