THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University softball team will hit the road for the final time this season as the Colonels head to Texas for four games in three days, starting with a matchup against No. 1 University of Texas on Thursday night. 

Following the game versus UT, Nicholls will make the trek to San Antonio for a three-game series against UIW. Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 3 p.m. with Saturday's finale slated for noon. All three games at UIW will be on ESPN+.

The game against Texas will air on the Longhorn Network. For access information, please click here. 

Nicholls (25-21) and Texas (38-6) will be squaring off for the second time in three seasons. The Longhorns hosted the Colonels in the first-ever meeting between the programs in the 2022 Bevo Classic, with UT rolling to a 9-0 win in five innings. 

The last Top 5 matchup for the Colonels was in the 2022 Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, Louisiana where they took on No. 2 Alabama. Alexa Poche' hit a two-run homer in the first inning for a 2-1 lead, but Nicholls was held scoreless the rest of the way in a 5-2 loss. 

The Colonels are coming off a series win over Southeastern, which entered the weekend in second place in the Southland standings. Nicholls dropped the opener, 3-1, but won the next two, 4-3 on a walk-off single by Erin Krause, and 7-5 on Saturday. 

The Colonels displayed the definition of an all-around performance to end the Lady Lions' string of 14 consecutive Southand series victories. The pitching staff held the league's top offense to 11 runs in the series win, with Audrey McNeill and Molly Yoo tossing all 21 innings. On offense, Nicholls scored a combined two runs in its previous four losses, but put up 11 runs in the last two games. The Colonel defense also made several highlight plays, including run-saving catches in the outfield by Reagan Heflin and Gabby Higbee. The team also showed execution on the base paths when Higbee put down a bunt with runners on second and third, and after she beat out the throw at first, Abby Andersen was able to score all the way from second. 

Texas has won nine straight games with the help of sweeps against Kansas and Baylor the last two weekends. The Longhorns' last setback was in the opener against then-No. 1 Oklahoma before UT won the final two games to take over the top spot in the polls. 

In addition to Nicholls and Texas having seven common opponents, two of the matchups were Southland schools -- HCU and Northwestern State. The Longhorns won both contests in five innings by a combined score of 24-3 while the Colonels swept Northwestern State and fell in the series at HCU. 

Following the game Thursday night, Nicholls will play its final road series at UIW in a battle of third-place teams. Both squads are knotted at 12-6 in league play, trailing McNeese (17-1) and Southeastern (14-4). 

UIW has been nearly unbeatable at home this season, posting a 17-2 mark at HEB Field. None of the losses have come in league play as the Cardinals are 9-0 with sweeps over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M-Commerce, and HCU. 

ON DECK
Nicholls will wrap up the regular season with a series at home against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, starting Friday, May 3.