BEAUMONT, Texas – With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, Northwestern State softball has officially entered crunch time – and it still has plenty to play for.
Only two games separate five teams battling for the second spot in the Southland Conference standings and the right to host one of the two bracket pools of the conference tournament April 30-May 3. Sitting squarely in that mix, the Lady Demons (21-21 overall, 10-8 in the SLC) begin a pivotal six-game road stretch this week that could go a long way in shaping the final standings.
NSU salvaged the last game of a three-game home set with second-place Incarnate Word last weekend. Now they visit fourth-place Lamar (25-18, 11-7), whose head coach is former Donald Pickett Lady Demon assistant coach Amy Hooks and her primary assistant is former Northwestern shortstop and assistant coach Tara McKenney.
Second-year NSU coach Jenny Fuller believes the intensity of the series with UIW, with the last two games going down to the wire, can benefit her team.
“This past weekend was a high-pressure environment, and it gave us that sort of playoff feel,” Fuller said. “The more we’re in those moments the more comfortable we’re going to be in them. We don’t have much Division I postseason experience on this roster so that was a good test for us. So will these next few games as we head towards the conference tournament.”
NSU embarks on its second longest road stretch of the season in the shortest amount of time with six games, three at Lamar followed by three at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (10-32, 4-14) this weekend.
The midweek series begins with today’s doubleheader against the Cardinals at 3 p.m. followed by a single game on Wednesday at 2 p.m. All three games are scheduled to air on ESPN+ with Wednesday’s finale also airing locally in Natchitoches on 100.7 FM KZBL.
The Demons salvaged their three-game set this past weekend against UIW by winning the finale 3-2, behind a three-run fourth inning where five hits and six straight batters reached to provide enough offense they needed on the day.
That game was set up by the grit and resilience that the 2026 Demons continue to show this year, responding with a better performance in Friday’s nightcap after a sloppy performance in the series opener where a season-high three errors and stale play led to a run-rule loss.
“We didn’t get the win in that second game on Friday but were able to play more our style and I think that definitely played a part in us winning on Saturday,” Fuller said. “Feel like that was really a must-win game for us to get that confidence and knowledge that we can compete with the top teams in the conference.”
The 10 conference wins through 18 games match the most in a season since 2022 and the third most over the past 10 years. Overall, 21 wins triples the win total from last season when Fuller was hired in late summer at the end of the recruiting cycle, but she still collected some quality talent to play for NSU.
They’ll face a Lamar team looking to regroup after being swept by SLC unbeaten Southeastern, ending a program-record 14-game winning streak. The Cardinals were held to just one run and eight hits across the three-game set.
Despite the recent stumble, Lamar presents a balanced challenge. The Cardinals boast slightly stronger offensive numbers in several categories, while Northwestern holds the edge in pitching and defense.
For Northwestern, the approach this week is simple and necessary.
“We have to continue to play hard and be gritty, which I think this team is,” Fuller said. “Just find any way to win games. That can look different depending on the day. We need different players to step up, Buster to continue to pitch well, and I know she will, and just work hard and grind it out this week.”
