The league-leading Northwestern State tennis team heads back into Southland Conference play when it hosts McNeese on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.
The Lady Demons (7-6 overall, 6-0 in the SLC) aim to ride their momentum, with victories in seven of their last eight matches.
McNeese (18-4, 5-2) is riding its high horses, coming to Jack Fisher on a five-match win streak, most recently beating New Orleans 6-1.
“McNeese has been having an impressive season,” said second-year Northwestern coach Marcos Morelli. “We know it’s going to be a hard-fought matchup. We’re preparing for a real battle.”
Two more SLC matches stand between the Lady Demons and a second SLC title in three seasons. NSU will celebrate Tjasa Klevisar and Ayu Ishibashi before a Senior Day match on Monday as Southeastern comes to town. NSU ends the season later this month traveling to face Stephen F. Austin, tied for second in the SLC standings.
SOFTBALL HOME TODAY, SATURDAY VS. LAMAR: After a refreshing win Wednesday in San Antonio over a strong UIW squad, Northwestern continues a hectic stretch as it returns home for a three-game Southland Conference series with Lamar beginning this afternoon.
The third three-game set over the past week begins with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. today and concludes with a single Saturday affair starting at noon at the Demon Diamond.
The matchup with the Cardinals (22-19, 10-8) — led by former NSU assistant coach Amy Hooks (2013-18) assisted by former Demon all-conference players Tara McKenney (2011-14) and Taylor Williams (2021-24) — also serves as Alumni Weekend. Former Demons and their families can purchase $5 tickets on both days that grants them access to the Outfield Club behind the left field wall.
Members of the 2015 Southland regular season championship team will throw out a ceremonial first pitch this afternoon.
BASEBALL VISITS FIRST-PLACE HCU: For the first time in 11 years, the Northwestern baseball team has won five straight Southland Conference series.
As such, the stakes with each successive weekend have risen and will continue to do so when the Demons open a three-game series against league-leading Houston Christian at 6:30 p.m. today at Husky Field.
The series also includes 2 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday. Free streaming audio of all three games will be available on www.NSUDemons.com and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
Northwestern (20-14, 12-6) has won 10 of its last 12 Southland games while the Huskies (20-10, 12-3) sit atop the league with wins in each of their first five conference series.
The Demons, since dropping all three games at Southeastern Louisiana during the opening week of conference play, have won consecutive road series at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and New Orleans.
In addition to the implications on the Southland race –the top six teams enter the weekend separated by three games in the loss column – this weekend’s series marks a return home for several Demons.
The greater Houston area long has been a pipeline for Demon baseball, and this year’s roster includes seven players from the metroplex, including senior first baseman Daniel Burroway, who leads the team with 10 home runs.