BATON ROUGE – The last time the Northwestern State baseball team lost a Southland Conference series at home, the Demons responded by winning eight of its next 10 games.
The Demons hope to take the lessons learned from that stretch a month ago and apply them as they begin a four-game road trip with a 6:30 p.m. visit tonight to LSU.
The game will air on SEC Network Plus and can be heard on 100.7 FM KZBL and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
“That’s exactly what it is – continual learning no matter how it comes about or where it comes from,” third-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We want to continuously learn. We’ll learn from this weekend’s ball games. We’ll work on what needs to be fixed, work on the deficiencies and the weaknesses that were exposed. We’ll continue to sharpen our strengths and be very intentional about mending the bodies and getting healthy.”
Both the Demons (23-13) and Tigers (22-15) enter the matchup coming off tough weekends.
Northwestern dropped two of three Southand Conference games to Houston Christian at Brown-Stroud Field while LSU dropped all three games of its SEC series at Ole Miss. The Tigers enter the game in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
It didn’t knock NSU (14-7 in the league) out of the Southland lead, however, while LSU slipped to 6-9 in the SEC, ahead of only South Carolina and Missouri.
A season ago, the Demons handed LSU a 13-3, seven-inning defeat at Alex Box Stadium, waiting out a lightning delay as they won for the third time in the past six meetings between the teams. It was the first time this century that LSU was run-ruled at home in a non-conference game.
“We’ll take all factors into consideration, but we have to put (last year’s game) behind us and know it has no bearing on (Tuesday) night,” Bertrand said. “We still want to pull positives from it. Did we learn from that opportunity and what we accomplished? Take the good from it, but understand it needs to be put behind us and understand all the circumstances that are going on now.
“That team is not only going to be ready to play, but they’re at the point in their season where they have important things on the line, too. They’re obviously going to be ready to play as you always expect from an LSU team or a Jay Johnson-coached team.”
The Demons will send Baton Rouge native Wesley Marien (2-0, 3.16) to the mound for his first start of the season. A Parkview Baptist product, Marien has been one of the Demons’ most trusted relievers, leading the team with 11 relief appearances.
“It’s an opportunity for Wes, and we’re happy for all of those factors that are involved,” Bertrand said of Marien starting in his hometown. “That does play into it. We want him to have that experience, that level of, hopefully, comfort, but it’s also an opportunity for us to grow, develop and learn.
“He gets to experience those things, but at the same time, what can he do to strengthen his game, and what can he do that sets an example for the Demons in all of the games to come. We’re excited about it and what we’re going to get a chance to learn and use moving forward.”
SLC HONOR FOR DEMON PITCHER: Dylan Marionneaux collected his second Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week honor of the season and the third of his career on Monday. The SLC Pitcher and Hitter of the Week awards are voted on by league sports information directors.
Marionneaux, a junior from Zachary, tossed a six-hit, complete game against Houston Christian on Saturday, scattering six hits and not allowing an earned run while striking out a career-high 11 as he improved to 4-2 on the season.
