The Northwestern softball team’s two-week test against the top two teams in the Southland Conference continues this weekend at home with the sixth installment of the battle for the Cypress Trophy.
The Demons (3-24, 0-6) coming off a road series at McNeese this past weekend, will host Southeastern (23-8, 5-1), the current leaders in the conference standings, in a three-game series starting with a doubleheader this afternoon at the Demon Diamond.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m. for the twinbill. Saturday’s single game is set for a 12 p.m. start. Tickets for the games can be purchased by visiting nsutickets.com, with prices starting at just $10 for general admission seating.
The defending conference champion Lady Lions make their way to Natchitoches as the winners of the past three consecutive Cypress Trophy series between the two teams. It is the longest one team has held the trophy since its inception in 2019.
Named for the bald cypress, the official state tree of Louisiana, that dot the landscape between the state’s oldest settlement (Natchitoches) and its strawberry capital (Hammond), the trophy has been presented to the winner of the season series between the two teams every year, save for the 2020 COVID-canceled year.
“Tt’s really cool with me being a new head coach to learn the inner workings of the Southland and about all these rivalries and where they come from,” NSU coach Jenny Fuller said. “And especially having this be an in-state rivalry, that just makes it that much more fun.”
The Lady Lions have held the trophy under the guidance of head coach Rick Fremin who has turned Southeastern into a regional powerhouse program that nearly made its way to the NCAA Super Regionals in 2024.
“They’re going to pitch well, run well, play defense well and hit well,” Fuller said. “So, I’m excited to play them. They’re a team that I watched on TV last year in those regional games, so I know that they’re really good and they’re going to be well rounded.
“This week we’ve just been trying to get ready for them and what they like to do. They’re going to steal, bunt, pitch really well and we’re just doing our best to get ready for that.”
The Lady Lions lead the country with 108 stolen bases this season and finished in the top five in the nation in the category each of the previous four seasons.
Their speed and base running ability are designed to apply pressure to defenses with every pitch, an aspect that has been a focal point for the Demons this week and all spring.
“Defense has always been a thing of mine,” Fuller said. “I love defense, probably because I was a pitcher. We do put a big emphasis on defense within our program and that we have to do our job when it’s our time to do our job. I think that the pitchers know that the defense has their back and if SLU hits it, we can make plays behind them.”
TENNIS: Unbeaten in Southland Conference play, the Lady Demons (4-6 overall, 4-0 in SLC competition) carry the league lead to San Antonio for a Saturday visit to UIW (3-8 overall, 1-2 SLC) and a Monday match at Lamar (2-8, 0-2).
BASEBALL: The longest road trip of the season thus far for Northwestern has started on the right foot as a Southland Conference series approaches.
The Demons cap their seven-game road swing with a three-game Southland Conference series at New Orleans that begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight at UNO’s Ron Maestri Field. The series also includes afternoon games on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
All three games will air on ESPN+ with free streaming audio available through http://www.NSUDemons.com and the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for all Apple and Android devices.
The Demons (12-8, 5-4) have recovered from a three-game sweep at Southeastern Louisiana beginning conference play to sweep UIW and take two of three from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the last two SLC series.
Northwestern added a 12-9 win at Grambling on Tuesday night – one that stood in direct opposition to how the Demons captured the series at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
In that series, Northwestern pitched to a 2.08 ERA – their second straight SLC series with a sub-3.00 ERA.
That streak will be put to the test against a New Orleans (11-8, 5-4) team that is hitting .321 and averaging 8.1 runs per game. Coupled with a ballpark that is among the most weather-affected in the league, the Demons could be in for a weekend of differing environments.
TRACK AND FIELD: The outdoor season begins for NSU Saturday at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium with the Lurline Hamilton Invitational. Field events start at 10:30 in Baton Rouge, with running beginning at 1.
The Lady Demons won their third straight Southland Conference Indoor championship and are the reigning SLC Outdoor champions.
Next week, NSU competes at the Texas Relays in Austin.