THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University softball team will begin its stretch of seven straight road games with a three-game series at ULM this weekend. Friday's single game is set for 6 p.m. while Saturday's doubleheader will start at 1 p.m.
All three games can be watched on ESPN+. Live stats are available on the schedule page.
The Colonels (11-8) are coming off an 8-2 loss to Louisiana on Tuesday and will be searching for their first in-state win of the season. Nicholls started the year at No. 15 LSU and the rest of the schedule has been against out-of-state programs until this week's matchup with the Ragin' Cajuns. Nicholls will now square off against Louisiana teams for eight consecutive games.
Nicholls is batting .304 on the year while holding opponents to a .234 batting average.
Molly VandenBout boasts a .408 average after her showing last week where she was named Southland Conference Hitter of the Week. VandenBout homered four times and drove in 10 runs in the Colonels' seven games but cooled off against UL as she was held without a hit.
The Colonels were limited to five hits against Louisiana with
Alexa Poche' recording two. She nearly hit a home run in the seventh as well but it was brought back with a reaching catch. However,
Gabby Higbee sent one out earlier in the game for her team-high fourth home run of the season.
Audrey McNeill and
Molly Yoo have continued from were the left off last season as the Colonels' top two pitchers, but
Averi Paden has given the Red and Gray a solid third starter in the circle. Although Paden fell to 3-1 on the season with the loss to UL, she's totaled 24 innings with 14 strikeouts. McNeill leads the team with a 1.90 ERA, five wins and 25 strikeouts, with Yoo right behind at 23 Ks and a 2.70 ERA with two wins.
ULM is off to a 14-5 start to the season. The Warhawks also participated in the Mardi Gras Mambo to start the year and went 3-2. Like the Colonels, ULM defeated Green Bay and Providence, but fell to Montana and UTA while Nicholls picked up wins against the two. Nicholls dropped a 4-2 game against North Dakota and ULM shutout the Fighting Hawks in a five-inning win.
Both Nicholls and ULM run-ruled Alcorn in both games of a home doubleheader.
The Colonels hosted ULM last season for a three-game series and the Warhawks came away with two wins. Yoo tossed a shutout in the 1-0 victory for the Colonels but ULM won 4-3 and 3-2 in the first and third games, respectively.
