THIBODAUX, La. - With half of the Southland Conference slate in the books, the Nicholls State University softball team will look to stay in contention for the title as the Colonels head to Houston for a three-game series against HCU at Husky Field.
Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m. while Saturday's finale will be at 12 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Nicholls (22-17, 9-3 SLC) is coming off its second sweep in league play after taking all three games at home against Texas A&M-Commerce. The Colonels sit in third place in the standings, trailing Southeastern by 1.0 games and McNeese by 2.0. Nicholls dropped two of three games against the Cowgirls but will host the Lady Lions next weekend for a three-game set at Swanner Field.
The Colonels will look to continue their success on the road in the SLC as they have won five of six away games in league play. The Red and Gray swept Northwestern State to open SLC action and then took the series at Lamar, knocking the Cardinals out of first place. After the set against HCU, the final road series will be at UIW to close out April.
Nicholls has won the last five meetings against HCU, which includes a 2-1 win over the Huskies in last year's Southland Conference Tournament. Prior to the postseason win, the Colonels swept HCU in Thibodaux thanks to a pair of eight-inning victories.
Audrey McNeill had a strong showing in the circle last season versus HCU, going 3-0 with a 0.32 ERA, struck out 20 while allowing just one earned run in 22.0 innings.
The first win of the five-game streak came in 2022 in Houston, but after HCU claimed the series with 1-0 and 6-5 victories. Nicholls won the two previous series at HCU, taking two of three in 2020 after sweeping the 2018 series.
With 14 players on the roster from Texas, this weekend will serve as a Homecoming for several Colonels. Cypress native
Erin Krause has emerged as the team's top hitter in conference play with a .424 batting average.
Reagan Heflin, from Richmond, is second with a .325 batting average and leads the team with 10 RBIs. Leadoff hitter
Claire Sisco, another Texan, paces the team with seven runs scored and carries a 20-game on-base streak into the series.
In the sweep over TAMUC, Nicholls started a different pitcher each game for the first time this season and all three logged a complete game. McNeill started it off with a five-hit effort and
Averi Paden clinched the series by scattering seven hits in a 4-2 victory. On Saturday,
Molly Yoo tossed a two-hit shutout in the five-inning 8-0 win.
The trio boasts the best opponent batting average in SLC play with a stellar .205 clip. Nicholls also ranks second in ERA at 1.21.
HCU is batting .231 in conference, led by reigning SLC Freshman of the Year AB Garcia with 13 hits and a .351 average. The pitching staff has a 4.69 collective ERA with Ronni Groffman going 2-4 with a 2.46 ERA.
The Huskies (15-19, 2-10 SLC) have lost their last five after being swept by UIW last weekend. HCU was also swept by Lamar to start league play, but was able to get wins against Southeastern and Texas A&M-Commerce.
