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HOUSTON – The Nicholls State University baseball teams faces Houston Baptist University this weekend in its first road conference series at Husky Field.

The Colonels (5-12, 1-2 SLC) are coming off of a 4-2 victory over Purdue, using a three-run first inning to roll to the win. Nicholls has been fronted offensively by junior infielder Ethan Valdez, who boasts a team-high .355 batting average and has reached base in 11 consecutive games.  Senior outfielder Lee Clark has produced the most RBIs at 14. The Colonels are outscoring opponents 17-9 in the fifth inning and 13-3 in the eighth.

Nicholls showed against Northwestern State that its pitching staff is improving. The Colonels starting pitchers recorded three quality starts as Friday starter Alex Ernestine earned his first win of the season.

Nicholls is 11-4 against HBU with head coach Seth Thibodeaux at the helm, sweeping the Huskies in three one-run games in Thibodaux last season.

HBU (6-11, 0-0 SLC) is on the heels of a 3-2 win over UTRGV. Senior outfielder Spencer Halloran flaunts a team-best .286 batting average and is 7-9 in stolen bases. All-SLC First Team hurler JT Newton has three saves this season, tied for first in the conference with Corpus Christi's Chris Cooper.

Pitching Probables
Friday: Nicholls LHP Alex Ernestine (1-2, 8.00) vs. HBU RHP Zach Carter (0-2, 2.16)
Saturday: Nicholls RHP Cayden Hatcher (0-1, 3.47) vs. HBU LHP Matthew McCullough (0-1, 3.86)
Sunday: Nicholls RHP Jacob Bedevian  (0-3, 3.34) vs. HBU RHP Brady Batten (2-2, 3.63)

Visit geauxcolonels.com and follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_BASE for the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball. Season tickets, six suite tickets per game at $20/ticket, 15- and 25-game flex packages and Coaches Committee passes are available for purchase. Contact the ticket office at 985-448-4790 or go to www.nichollstickets.com for more information.