THIBODAUX, La. – With baseball opening day just one day away, Nicholls State University head coach Seth Thibodeaux gave an in-depth analysis of his infielders and outfielders.

While the Colonels must replace team captain and former No. 11 Joey Morales at shortstop, senior Ethan Valdez is ready to fill the void. The San Antonio native has all the tools and has worked tirelessly on his arm strength and range to make a smooth transition from second base to shortstop. The other coaches in the league voted Valdez as a Preseason All-SLC First Team honoree.

Shoring up the left side of the infield will be redshirt senior Brady Bell, who started 52 games at third base last season while hitting .330, the second-best batting average on the squad.

Thibodeaux raves about the rest of his infielders for their position flexibility. Sophomore trio Waylon LeBlanc, Ivan Prejean and Nathan Tribble can play second base, third base and shortstop. Prejean and Tribble also have the ability to play first base. Junior college transfer CJ Hughes was a shortstop for Meridian Community College and Mason Barker was a high school shortstop, but both can also play second or third if needed.

Nicholls will also have first base open as former student-athlete Gage Teer graduated. Fans can expect to see a mix of transfers Austin France and Alec Paz and returners Adam Tarver and Tribble at first base.

With Lee Clark and Chet Niehaus graduating and Xane Washington out for the season with an injury, the Colonels will have to replace all three outfield positions from a season ago. That leaves senior Champ Davison and sophomore Dane Simon as the two true outfield returners.

France has been pegged the opening day starter in center field by Thibodeaux. Simon started 24 games in the outfield last season and can play all three outfield positions. Davison started two games in center field in 2018.

Paz and freshman Mason Turner, Washington's teammate at Terrebonne High School, will also see playing time. Freshman Lloyd Nash, who is also a member of the Nicholls football team, recently had meniscus surgery and will be evaluated in approximately four weeks.



Visit geauxcolonels.com for the most up-to-date information on Nicholls baseball. Be sure to follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_BASE.