THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University baseball team begins its 2023 campaign with a four-game series against Lindenwood this weekend at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field. 

The series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday night and will air on ESPN+. The Colonels and Lions will also play Saturday at 6 p.m., Sunday at 1 p.m. and Monday at noon. 

In his first season at the helm, head coach Mike Silva led the Colonels to their first winning record since 2017 as the squad finished 26-25 overall. Nicholls tied for fourth in the league standings and went on to notch a victory in the postseason against Northwestern State. 

Silva brings back seven starters in the lineup from a year ago, including preseason All-Southland selections Edgar Alvarez, Parker Coddou and Xane Washington. All three were all-league selections last season, as was starting pitcher Devin Desandro. Tyler Theriot headlines the pitching staff as he was named All-Southland First Team a year ago and was a preseason honoree this season. 

Theriot is scheduled to start Friday night. Last season, he finished with a 7-5 overall record and a 3.72 ERA in 87 innings pitched. Theriot took a loss in the opening weekend in the 2022 opening series against Missouri, but struck out six and allowed only two earned runs in 5.2 innings. Desandro is scheduled to start on the bump Saturday with newcomers Jacob Mayers and Chat Hayes slated for Sunday and Monday, respectively.

Lindenwood, which is also located in Missouri, is in its first season transitioning to the Division I level. The Lions joined the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) after going 27-24 as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Lions have had recent success, reaching the DII World Series in 2017 and making a regional appearance in '21.  

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