THIBODAUX, La. – With a postseason berth already secured, the Nicholls State University softball team will look to claim the No. 2 seed for the second straight year as the Colonels battle Lamar University on the road to close out the regular season.
 
GAMEDAY INFO
Nicholls (33-17, 17-7 SLC) at Lamar (26-24, 16-8 SLC)
Beaumont, Texas – LU Softball Complex
Friday, May 5 – 4 p.m.        VIDEO
Friday, May 5 – 6 p.m.        VIDEO
Saturday, May 6 – 1 p.m.    VIDEO
LIVE STATS
 
FIRST PITCH
- Both Nicholls and Lamar have clinched a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament, but the series finale features a winner-take-all for the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. The Colonels lead Lamar by 1.0 games in the standings, so a series win would give Nicholls the No. 2 seed. Two wins by Lamar would put the teams tied at 18-9 and the Cardinals would be No. 2 following the head-to-head tiebreaker. McNeese has a 4.0 game lead with three remaining, giving the Cowgirls the top seed.
 
STORYLINES
- The Colonels are aiming for their second-straight 20-win season in Southland play. Last season's 21-5 record in the SLC was just the fourth time Nicholls won 20 or more games since joining the league in 1992. Nicholls had back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1994 (21) and '95 (28).
- Nicholls earned its third sweep in league play after closing out its home schedule with three wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Colonels won the first game, 7-0, before going on to sweep Saturday's doubleheader, 3-1 and 9-4. The Red and Gray finished the season with a 14-2 record at home.
- Last season's matchup with Lamar in Thibodaux also pitted the second-place Colonels against third-place Lamar. Nicholls secured the 2-seed after winning 5-0 in the opener, but the final two games were decided in extra innings. The Colonels outlasted the visitors, 5-4, in a nine-inning affair in Game 2 and went on to drop the finale, 1-0, in eight innings. The loss snapped Nicholls' winning streak at 13 games.
- Nicholls enters the matchup with a .287 team batting average, led by freshman Samantha Mracich with a .399 average. Mracich ranks 19TH  in the NCAA in hits with 67 and leads the team with 38 runs scored.
- The Colonels are paced in the circle by senior Jackie Johnson and sophomore Megan Landry. Johnson is 17-10 on the season with a 2.10 ERA and has 134 strikeouts. Landry posts a 12-7 mark with a 2.58 ERA and 133 strikeouts. Landry enters the final week tied for first in the NCAA with six saves.
 
SCOUTING LAMAR
-  Lamar also swept its last series, defeating UIW by a combined score of 38-15 in its road finale. Most of the damage came in the opener where LU won, 22-4, capped by a 15-run sixth inning.
- Lamar is led on offense by Brittany Rodriguez with a .406 batting average. Brynn Baca is second on the squad with a .329 average and has a team-high 30 RBIs.
- Lamar has two pitchers with 20 or more starts – Ciara Luna and Laura Napoli. Luna is 11-14 with a 2.50 ERA on the season while Napoli posts a 11-9 record with a 3.80 ERA.
 
UP NEXT
 
Nicholls will head to Conway, Arkansas for the 2017 Southland Conference Tournament. The Colonels will play Wednesday, May 10, with the time and opponent to be determined. For information about the tournament, click here.