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THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team is primed for its pivotal three-game Southland Conference series against the University of New Orleans this weekend.

The games on Friday and Saturday will begin at 7 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, at Maestri Field in New Orleans. The Sunday finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didider Field.   

The Colonels (23-27, 11-13 SLC) have captured their last two series over Lamar and SFA, dropping the opener before picking up back-to-back wins against both teams. The Privateers (21-28, 10-14 SLC) have split their last six games, winning one-of-three versus UIW and two-of-three at Houston Baptist. Nicholls sits in eighth place in the league standings while UNO stands in ninth with two series to go.
 
Senior outfielder Chet Niehaus boasts the 10^th-best on-base percentage in Division I at .502. The Hammond native leads the Southland with 40 walks this season. Niehaus has reached base in 22 consecutive games.
 
Fellow senior outfielder Lee Clark fronts the Colonels with 24 extra-base hits, riding a 20-game reached base streak into the series.
 
Sunday's finale bodes well for junior Jacob Bedevian, who has pitched exceptionally well at the Did in Southland contests. Hailing from Houston, Bedevian flaunts a 2-1 record and a 2.96 ERA in four home SLC starts, tossing a quality start in all four games.
 
In league play, senior shortstop Joey Morales ranks fourth in the league with a .398 batting average. Junior infielder Ethan Valdez has scored 25 runs, third-most in the SLC.

The Privateers Saturday starter Bryan Warzek ranks first in the SLC with 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He is one of nine players in Division I to record 16 strikeouts in a game, whiffing that many in eight innings during a 2-0 victory over Texas A&M – Corpus Christi.
 
Considering conference games only, Pearce Howard and Owen Magee front UNO offensively. Howard has the squad's best slugging percentage at .532 while Magee has accumulated a team-high 35 hits.
 
Dating back to 2011, Nicholls has a 17-1 record against the Privateers.

Pitching Probables
Friday: RHP Cayden Hatcher (3-6, 4.21) vs. RHP Brayson Smith (2-3, 4.38)
Saturday: LHP Alex Ernestine (4-4, 6.75) vs. LHP Bryan Warzek (3-2, 3.07)
Sunday: RHP Jacob Bedevian (2-6, 6.03) vs. LHP John Michael Stephens (3-4, 4.08)

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.