A pleasant spring weekend will be busy for Northwestern Athletics with the defending Southland Conference champion women’s tennis team and the softball team both playing at home, along with a home baseball series and some big non-athletic events.
The Northwest Literary Rally and the NSU Music Festival on Saturday follow the ROTC Demon Challenge on Friday among a heavy slate of on-campus activities. Competition of a different kind in softball and tennis provides noteworthy early-season Southland Conference contests.
SOFTBALL: A strong two-week stretch of play has Northwestern trending upward just as a key Southland series arrives at Demon Diamond.
The Lady Demons (12-14, 2-1) host perennial power McNeese (19-7, 3-0) in a three-game set that begins with a single game this evening at 6 before a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. All three games will stream on ESPN+, with Saturday’s opener also airing locally on 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches.
NSU enters the weekend having won seven of its past nine games, a stretch that included a conference road series victory at HCU and a second run-rule win this season against Grambling earlier in the week.
During the recent surge, the Demons have found their rhythm offensively, batting .311 as a team while averaging 7.0 runs and nearly eight hits per game.
“I think we’re clicking as a team a little bit more than in the beginning and playing well together,” head coach Jenny Fuller said. “Feel like we’re putting the right pieces together and winning some games and gaining that momentum will be key going into this weekend.”
A major catalyst for the offensive turnaround has been leadoff hitter JT Smith, who has sparked the Demons at the top of the lineup during the past 10 games.
Smith is batting .522 during that stretch with a .632 on-base percentage, leading the team with 12 hits, 12 runs scored and nine RBIs during the run.
“She’s definitely elevated her play and done her job in the leadoff of getting on base,” Fuller said. “If she does that it sets us up for some momentum going into that inning. Happy with what she’s doing on that front. And I think she’s a natural leader and example too. She has played at a high level, practices with intensity and focus. She’s elevated our whole team with the way she plays and how she goes about preparing for games and being that true professional.”
The Demons will face a McNeese squad that opened conference play in strong fashion, sweeping Lamar in Lake Charles last weekend while averaging 7.3 runs per game in the three-game series.
“It’s huge to be able to play a team like them at home,” Fuller said. “We’re excited to play a team that is that competitive and has beaten some really good teams this year. I think if we play well and play together that we have a chance to beat them for sure.”
The weekend series will also feature several themed promotions at Demon Diamond.
Today’s opener will serve as Greek Night and a White Out, with Greek organizations invited to attend and participate in games and giveaways throughout the night. Saturday’s doubleheader will feature Bark in the Park, allowing fans to bring their leashed dogs to enjoy the day at Demon Diamond.
TENNIS: After starting SLC action with an impressive road sweep two weeks ago in south Texas, Northwestern returns to the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex this weekend.
Defending Southland co-champion NSU (6–4 overall, 2–0 SLC) hosts New Orleans on Saturday at 2 p.m. before welcoming Nicholls on Monday at 11 a.m. in a pair of matches delayed last weekend by weather.
The Lady Demons enter the weekend with momentum after sweeping their opening Southland road trip with back-to-back 4–3 victories over UTRGV and another defending co-champion, Texas A&M–Corpus Christi.
Saturday’s matchup brings in a strong UNO squad off to a 6-1 start.
