Four young ladies will serve as Heralds to the King and Queen of the 58th annual ball of the Spring Festival Court Presentation by the St. Denis Art League. Serving as the Kings Heralds will be Brinley Cedars and McCall Methvin. The Queen’s Heralds will be Audrey Ratliff and Caroline Terrell.
Brinley Ember Cedars is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Andrew Cedars. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Marlow Ezernack, Mrs. Winston Dudley Cedars, and the late Mr. Cedars. Brinley enjoys playing softball, art, and cooking. She is on the Principal’s List and is Student of the Year for the 5th grade where she attends school at the NSU Lab School.
Roslyn McCall Methvin is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Trenton Daniel Methvin. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Mead Methvin, Mr. Thomas Jeffrey Jones and the late Mrs. Jones. McCall’s hobbies include Competitive cheer, tennis, and painting. She received the Terrific Kid award and she also was awarded these Virtues: Gratitude, Kindness, and Perseverance. She is a 5th grader at St. Mary’s School.
Audrey Lorraine Ratliff is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Ratliff. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory David Friedman and Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Ratliff. Audrey’s hobbies include running club, horseback riding, swimming and singing. She was chosen as a Terrific Kid, is on the A Honor Roll, and a 4-year member of NFA. She is a 4th grader at NSU Lab School. Her mother, the former Erin Friedman, served as a Herald in 2005, an Usher in 2013, and was presented as a Lady in 2015.
Caroline Grace Terrell is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dane Terrell, Jr. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Lynn Arthur, and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dane Terrell, Sr. Caroline’s hobbies include competitive cheer, softball, and swimming. She is on the Principal’s List, received the Fearless award, and Coach’s award. She attends NSU Lab School. Her mother, the former Kayla Arthur, was presented as a Lady in 2000. Her sister, Sydney, served as an Usher in 2023 and was presented in 2025.
Bradley Dale Peveto, who was defensive coordinator for Coach Sam Goodwin’s NSU football teams from 1996-98 and later the Demons’ head coach, spoke during Saturday’s memorial service at Turpin Stadium. (Journal photo by KEVIN SHANNAHAN)
By JASON PUGH, NSU Sports Information Director
The numbers Sam Goodwin compiled walking the sidelines as Northwestern State’s football coach speak for themselves.
The 102 wins, the four conference championships, the 22 All-Americans and 38 NFL players produced in 17 seasons he coached are impressive, but they fail to encapsulate what Goodwin meant to the legion of Demon players who flourished on and off the field under his tutelage. He was celebrated in a stirring 90-minute memorial service Saturday morning at NSU’s Turpin Stadium, with an array of speakers sharing memories – some poignant, some powerful, some hilarious, but all compelling.
Former players, coaches, staff and colleagues along with hundreds of supporters and friends, and the 2026 NSU football team, attended the event.
“Coach was just a great human being, a great person,” said wide receiver Pat Palmer, a 2016 N-Club Hall of Fame inductee and a member of the Top 100 Demon Players of All-Time. “He loved his players. He proved that year after year. I gave coach a few problems during my time, but he loved me regardless. He was always there for me no matter what the situation. He influenced a lot of boys to be men.”
In 17 seasons as Northwestern’s head coach, Goodwin took the Demons to three Southland Conference championships and a Gulf Star Conference title.
Palmer was a key member of Northwestern’s 1997 SLC title team before playing professionally in the NFL (2000-02) and the CFL. He credited Goodwin’s influence for helping shape him as a player and as a person.
“I was leaving school one weekend, going home and got pulled over,” Palmer said. “I kind of got into a little debacle. Coach Goodwin didn’t have to do this, but coach came to court with me. Even though nothing came of it, it was the idea he showed up. He didn’t have to do that. He could have said, ‘I’m done with this player.’ He literally showed up.
“He would show up for you, no matter what it was. It wasn’t just about football. He was genuinely a good man.”
Goodwin’s impact was not limited to just his players or how it affected them in their playing career.
Former Northwestern head coach Brad Laird both played and coached for Goodwin as part of his Demon journey. Long before he set the school’s since-broken all-time passing yardage mark, Laird was a down-the-depth-chart option who was forced into his first start as a freshman at then-Southwest Texas State.
After an inauspicious beginning – Laird threw three interceptions in the first quarter – the quarterback learned what kind of man his head coach was.
“This is a memory I won’t forget,” said Laird, now the head coach at Natchitoches Central High School. “We’re sitting on the bus waiting for the long ride home. The last one to walk from the locker room to the bus was coach Goodwin. I vividly remember him walking to the bus and when he got on the bus it was like he had more confidence in me then he did prior to the game. That’s how I felt. That’s how he made people feel. That’s why he had the success he did. He turned those situations into opportunities to be successful. Him sticking with me is probably why I am where I am today.”
Laird, whose Demon playing career covered the 1991 through 1995 seasons, is the son of a football coach, but it wasn’t clear he would follow his father’s footsteps into the family business.
Goodwin helped see that the Laird coaching tree grew another branch.
“There are a few coaches that, outside of my mom and dad, had a big impact on my career, and Sam Goodwin is on top of that list,” said Laird, who served as a graduate assistant under Goodwin in 1996. “At that time, I didn’t know it, but looking back, he definitely saw something in me, not just as a player but also as a coach before anybody else did. That belief in me really changed the trajectory of my career. My first year playing football at Northwestern, I wasn’t going toward being a coach. I was going in a different direction. As I watched the way he impacted us, that was the biggest influence on where I am today.”
Goodwin’s final season at the helm of Northwestern was in 1999 – one year after taking the Demons to the FCS semifinals and a school-record-tying 11-win season.
Nearly three decades later, he could still be found around the Donald G. Kelly Athletic Complex, lending an open ear or an encouraging word for current Demon head coach Blaine McCorkle.
Much like Laird, McCorkle is the son of a football coach, having grown up around the game.
Upon Goodwin’s passing, McCorkle posted a moving tribute on social media focused on the encouragement Goodwin gave to the man who now occupies his former office, coaching until the very end.
“The origin of the word coach is a Hungarian term for a carriage that takes you somewhere you can’t go by yourself,” McCorkle said. “That’s what we need coaches for. That’s why I needed him. I couldn’t start the first two years without knowing he was in my corner. So, wherever we go in the future, it’s going to be because he helped carry me and our staff there to get us started.
“He is Northwestern State football. He did it as well as anybody here. He is the standard. I get the unique privilege to stand on the shoulders of a giant, and I don’t take that lightly.”
The N.S.U. Middle Lab School Orchestra competed at Festival Disney in Orlando Florida on April 8-12. Festival Disney is the premiere international music festival where fifty orchestras, bands and choirs performed with hopes of winning one of the coveted Mickey Mouse trophies. The Middle Lab Orchestra consisted of 75 string orchestra members from grades six through eight grades.
They were accompanied by 174 chaperones, siblings, grandparents and Lab School Orchestra Director Katrice LaCour. The group performed at the Ballroom of the Americas at the Disney’s Contemporary Resort and evaluated by three adjudicators. The panel consisted of Dr. Douglas Droste, Director of Orchestral Studies at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music; Allen Gray, an Instrumental Teaching Artist for Disney Imagination Campus with over 20 years of experience developing workshop curriculum; and Dr. LaToya A. Webb, who serves as Visiting Director of Bands at Ball State University where she leads the wind ensemble and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting courses.
Three types of awards were presented at the awards ceremony in the Indiana Jones theater. The Festival Disney award is presented to ensembles receiving a Superior (90-100%) or Excellent rating (80-89%). Best in Class is presented to the highest rated ensemble within their division. Festival Disney Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are presented to the three highest superior-rated ensembles. The NSU Middle Lab Orchestra received a festival Disney Superior Award for a score of 95.7%. The Orchestra was then awarded Best in Class for the highest score in its division. Finally, the group was awarded the Gold Mickey Mouse Award for the highest score overall.
The Orchestra received the Golden Mickey on its last two visits completing the “threepeat.”
LaCour would like to invite everyone to Magale Recital Hall to hear this award-winning group on Thursday, May 14 starting at 5:30 pm.
The second annual Demon Brothers’ CrawFest brought music, food and fun Saturday afternoon following the Delaney Bowl and the Sam Goodwin memorial service at Turpin Stadium.
The annual Joe Delaney Bowl has ended spring football practice at Northwestern since 1990, and Saturday morning’s 37th edition featured a quality of play that was a promising portent of things to come. This year’s event was particularly poignant, taking place immediately after the memorial service for Goodwin, the beloved legendary NSU football coach.
The afternoon and evening provided fun for everyone with the Demon Brothers Booster Club’s second annual CrawFest event.
The DBBC is an organization of former NSU football players and family members founded a few years ago to provide financial support and encouragement to the NSU football program. Each spring, the DBBC has fed the team after the Delaney Bowl and earlier this decade hosted a low-key public crawfish boil after the team meal.
In 2025 the organization’s board of directors decided to up their game and added a flavorful twist, the inaugural Demon Brothers CrawFest. As with the inaugural event, many former players from miles around with their families joined Demon fans to support the young men who currently wear the NSU purple and white.
Arranged by former defensive tackle and Delaney teammate Bryan Arceneaux, Louisiana Environmental Transportation’s Let’s Geaux Crawfish Crew served up over 2,000 pounds of mudbugs to a hungry and appreciative crowd of several hundred supporters and visitors. That amounts to over a ton of juicy crustaceans with all the fixings!
For those who couldn’t enjoy crawdads, longtime NSU supporter and former Demon baseball player Layne Miller offered over 100 gallons of his signature homemade jambalaya, long a staple of NSU and community events. Two bands were on hand to entertain the crowd with an eclectic variety of music spanning mid-afternoon into the pleasant night air. The Spirit of Northwestern and NSU Pom Line also performed a rousing set of their gameday standards.
CrawFest also included well-received live and silent auctions. Revenue from the gate receipts combined with auction sales and sponsorships from an array of local and statewide businesses, some owned by former players or alumni, all serve to advance NSU football. Demon Brothers leaders stated that every dime raised will go to supporting the team.
Former Demon, author, two-time Super Bowl champion linebacker, College Football Hall of Famer and college football analyst for ABC, Fox and ESPN, Gary Reasons gave each member of the football team a personally autographed copy of his latest book “Reasons to Believe.”
The man the spring game is named in honor of is Joe Delaney, a former Northwestern athlete. He was an All-American in track and field as well as football, setting school records in both sports. Joe was a second-round NFL Draft choice and played for two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs where he was named “Rookie of the Year” by United Press International.
For all of his athletic accomplishment, the Haughton native left a legacy of courage and character on and off the field. His life ended in heroic fashion. Before his third pro season was to begin, on June 29, 1983, Joe went with some friends to an event at a water park in Monroe. Three children, trying to cool off, had ventured into a nearby drainage pond and could not get out, and bystanders were calling for help. Despite not being able to swim, Joe Delaney dashed to the scene and nonetheless dove in to try to rescue the children. One survived, but tragically the other two and the man who gave his life to try to rescue them did not. At Joe’s funeral, Vice President George Bush personally delivered the Presidential Citizen’s Medal at the direction of President Ronald Reagan and read Reagan’s remarks during the ceremony in the packed Haughton High School gymnasium. Those words sum up this remarkable man’s legacy well.
“He made the ultimate sacrifice by placing the lives of three children above regard for his own safety. By the supreme example of courage and compassion, this brilliantly gifted young man left a spiritual legacy for his fellow Americans…”
Forever more, all NSU Demons have some big shoes to fill.
Theo Hemphill of Sterlington is this year’s recipient of the Lisa Chesser Borders Endowed Scholarship and Meraki Award, presented to a student pursuing a degree in Fine and Graphic Arts at Northwestern State University. Artist James Borders and Judge Desiree Dyess established the scholarship in memory of his wife, the late Lisa Chesser Borders, in 2019.
“The selection committee was unanimous in recognizing Theo Hemphill for his outstanding body of work, enthusiastic presentation and exceptional technical skill, particularly in painting. His ability to combine craftsmanship with passion set him apart,” Borders said.
The word meraki is derived from Greek and means “labor of love, creative task done with absolute devotion and undivided attention to detail; to infuse passion, soul, and one’s essence into the work.”
“Since its inception, the scholarship has recognized students at Northwestern State University who embody these values through their artistic pursuits and personal character,” Borders said.
The presentations took place in the Lisa Chesser Borders Permanent Student Art Collection, housed on the first floor of Eugene P. Watson Memorial Library, with a large crowd of friends and family in attendance.
Hemphill is pursuing a degree in Fine and Graphic Art with a minor in business.
Sarah Mayeaux of Loranger was named winner of the Avis Borders Fletcher and Margaret Pauline Chesser Art Award. She is pursuing a degree in studio art with a minor in biology. Mackensie White of Covington is winner of the Jerry Chesser and Lisa Ates Borders Art Award. She is a double major pursuing degrees in studio art and musical theatre. Both awards recognize the students’ promise and professionalism while honoring the memory of members of the Borders and Chesser families.
Students were selected by a committee upon faculty recommendation and were required to present a cohesive body of studio work, which could include painting, printmaking, sculpture, metalwork or ceramics. Applicants presented their work professionally and delivered an oral presentation discussing their artistic practice and individual pieces.
“Theo was selected for his energy and passion for his craft,” said Anna MacDonald, a selection committee member. “He displayed strong technical skills and a confident, masterful approach to painting. His portfolio was exceptional, showcasing a diverse range of works and mediums, all presented with a high level of professionalism.
“This year also marks a major step forward for the scholarship program. For the first time, the Meraki Scholarship will award $1,000, reflecting the growth of the endowment and the increasing support from the community,” Borders said. “While one student is selected as the primary recipient, the ceremony continues to emphasize encouragement and support for all finalists. This year, all three participating students received $400 in gifts and gift cards, thanks to generous annual donors.
“More than a financial award, the Lisa Chesser Borders Meraki Scholarship remains an investment in students, in the university and in the broader community. It continues to grow as a tradition rooted in faith, creativity and service. As each new recipient is added to the legacy, the mission remains the same: to inspire students to pursue excellence, uplift others, and carry forward the spirit of Lisa Chesser Borders in everything they create.”
Borders extended special thanks on behalf of the Borders and Chesser families to the many sponsors who contributed to the scholarship award. Those include Melvin James, Harbor Freight; Romulus and Jennifer Roquemore, Fisher’s Sports; Kat Beaudoin, Raising Cane’s; Leigh Ann Gilley, Chick-fil-A; Terry Chesser, C & H Precision Machining; Natchitoches City Marshal Randy Williams, Brittany, Lindsey and Gracie Borders; Stacey Stewart, Industrial Supply, David Guillet, Chris Guillet, and Danielle Morgan, Starbucks.
Previous winners include the following.
Maxey McSwain (2019) – the first recipient, recognized during the unveiling of the Lisa Chesser Borders Permanent Student Art Collection
Caroline Shepherd (2022) – a Louisiana Scholars’ College student who graduated with a 4.0 GPA and pursued digital illustration
Mickayla Love (2023) – honored for her commitment to self-expression and artistic discipline
Skye Marie Dager (2024) – recognized for exceptional production and versatility across multiple mediums
Elizabeth Maynard (2025) – selected for her large-scale paintings and clear artistic vision
Borders also thanked NSU President James Genovese, Cristy Bernard and Janet Vienne, NSU Foundation and University Advancement, and Steve Hicks and Elizabeth Pursell in the Academic Success Center in Watson Library . In addition to MacDonald, committee members were Michael Scott, Al Poston, Romulus Roquemore and Traci LaBom-Norris.
Borders said he hopes to establish a second endowment in the future to ensure the scholarship’s long-term sustainability and impact. Contributions to the scholarship can be made through the NSU Foundation at https://northwesternstatealumni.com/lisa-borders/.
Natchitoches Regional Medical Center will host its annual sports physicals event for student athletes on Wednesday, May 13.
The event will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the NRMC Multispecialty Clinic, located at 601 Keyser Ave, and is open to current high school athletes as well as incoming freshmen.
Officials said the physicals will be provided at no cost and no insurance is required. Participants will also have access to food and T-shirts during the event.
The annual initiative is part of NRMC Sports Medicine’s efforts to support student athletes across Natchitoches Parish by helping ensure they are medically cleared and prepared for the upcoming school year.
Saturday’s annual Joe Delaney Bowl spring football game provided highlights on both sides of the ball and special teams, including from local players, as Northwestern State wrapped up its third spring practice under coach Blaine McCorkle.
“The theme of spring has been competition,” McCorkle said. “That is something we really haven’t had since I’ve been here. We’ve kind of played the best players and that was kind of it. But now, guys are getting older and developing better and we’re bringing in talent to compete with them and that is a good thing.
“Competition makes everybody better. You’re either going to accept the challenge and fight for your job or you’re going to melt away, and a majority of our guys have fought for their jobs, and I am proud of them for that, and I think that will carry over through the summer and preseason.”
Following an emotional memorial service for legendary late Northwestern football coach Sam Goodwin, the Demons took the field with inspired hearts.
“I think today went really good,” McCorkle said. “I was proud of what the players did today, but the whole day today was special for Northwestern State with the memorial service for Coach Goodwin before and baseball and softball are playing and there is a big crowd here today all over campus. That part is exciting for the whole university.
“On the field, I was proud of our guys. They worked hard and competed and tried to get better. Sometimes you have those natural mental lulls because you are coming to the end, but I liked what I saw, and I am proud of them.”
On the field, it did not take long for redshirt sophomore defensive end Geoffrey Ojeh to make his presence felt at the Delaney Bowl, picking off a screen pass on the second play of the game and returning it inside the 20-yard line.
The defense had the better of it early, as a sack by Natchitoches native linebacker Ben Bienvenu forced a three-and-out on the second one and redshirt senior Kamron Norwood had a fumble recovery in the end zone to thwart the third drive.
A senior leader who was named a team captain by teammates votes (he got 69 of 76 cast) once again was linebacker Danny Sears, who was happy with how the defense has progressed through the offseason and into the spring.
“We’ve definitely played well,” Sears said. “We got better as the spring progressed on. From day one, we’ve focused on all the details. We had a lot of missed tackles last season, so our No. 1 goal going into the spring was tackling. That was our main focus, and I think we got a lot better at that throughout the spring. That was evidenced today as well, as we were all over the place tackling. The defense had a good day.”
Abram Johnston, who took home the offensive most improved player award for spring, converted a fourth down on a pass to tight end Luke Carter, and redshirt freshman running back Trevor Allen Jr. had a 30-yard run down to the 1 on the third possession before a fumble stymied the drive.
It was a good sign of things to come for the running game, as they also had a 36-yard run from Myion Hicks and 30-yarder from Zay Davis.
“I think we have a very deep running back room,” Hicks said. “We feed off it. One person may get an explosive and he may come out because he is tired and then another guy finishes the drive. As a running back room, we have a lot of guys who can make plays. The more guys who can create explosives, the easier it is to finish drives.”
The run by Hicks, who was voted an offensive team captain along with graduate student offensive lineman Caleb Billiot, set up a 1-yard plunge from Davis right before halftime.
While Hicks and Billiot were voted the captains on offense, redshirt senior safety Christian Williams and Sears were voted captains on the defensive side of the ball.
“It is truly an honor to be voted as a captain,” Hicks said. “I am not the most vocal guy. I am the guy who is going to try to lead by example and do the right things and hold people accountable. I may not be vocal all the time, so the fact I was able to get that honor still with the type of person I am means a lot.”
In addition to his role as a captain, Williams was named by coaches as one of the most improved players on the team.
Following halftime, the offense started with Davis sprinting down the right sideline for 30 yards to the 40-yard line. Johnston followed with a great throw for a 40-yard score, but it was wiped away due to an illegal man downfield penalty, and the defense went on to stop the offense on fourth down.
The day wrapped up on a 42-yard made field goal by Natchitoches native Payne Williams III, sending the Demons to the summer.
Third-year Demon football coach Blaine McCorkle encourages his players before the start of Saturday’s Joe Delaney Bowl spring game at Turpin Stadium. (NSU photo by CHRIS REICH)
It was only a matter of time before the Northwestern State softball team got the clutch hit it needed, and it happened at the most dramatic stage of Saturday’s Southland Conference series finale with visiting Nicholls at the Demon Diamond.
Down a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, NSU’s Sister Arnold delivered the go-ahead two-run double that gave the Lady Demons (24-27 overall, 13-14 SLC) the lead in a 5-3 comeback victory against Nicholls (29-21, 17-10) to cap the regular season.
“I think we felt like we’ve had our backs against the wall the past couple weeks not coming through with timely hitting,” head coach Jenny Fuller said. “Today we came out and said let’s play loose and have fun. I think we did that, and that’s what led to the result.”
The Senior Day win secured the No. 6 seed for NSU in the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament, sending the Demons to the Lake Charles bracket, where they will face, for the fourth straight game, the No. 3 seed Colonels Thursday night at 7 in the four-team double-elimination pod.
Nicholls swept Friday’s doubleheader with Northwestern, 6-0 and 15-6. But Saturday’s game was a nailbiter throughout.
The late-game dramatics were necessary after Nicholls scored single runs in each of the first three innings. An unearned run in the first gave the Colonels the lead, which they extended in the second with a two-out RBI single.
NSU’s response against Colonel ace Molly Yoo came in the bottom of the second after a screaming leadoff double from Brynn Daniel down the left-field line. She scored on an opposite-field single from Makynlie Jones. After a pair of fielder’s choice groundouts put runners at the corners, Riley Schwisow baited an errant throw at second, allowing Aly Delafield to score and tie the game at 2-2.
The Colonels moved back ahead after a leadoff double of their own in the third, but from that point forward, Demons’ ace Mattison Buster put the dynamic Nicholls lineup in check, setting up the late-inning heroics.
She tossed four straight scoreless innings, stranding runners in scoring position in each frame.
Northwestern got a spark in the sixth as Jones and Delafield produced base hits to open the frame. A wild pitch put two runners in scoring position, setting up Arnold’s clutch double to right-center on a 3-2 count.
“I just wanted to see a good pitch and hit a good pitch,” Arnold said. “Coach Brad (Fuller) talked to me before the at-bat and just told me to believe that I could hit it, and you will. Yesterday I struck out with the bases loaded and that was not good for our team. So today I just wanted to be better than the day before. That’s what it’s all about, improving from what you did before because that’s all you can control.”
After a frustrating strikeout with runners in scoring position to end the fourth, Smith came through twice for her team in the final frames. A sacrifice fly to center gave the Demons an insurance run in the sixth, and a critical catch in the seventh on a shallow fly ball gave them the second out.
“I told her after that strikeout that you can’t let that affect you,” Fuller said. “That we’re going to need you. You’re going to come up again, and she came through at the plate and made an amazing catch that I don’t know if many centerfielders make.”
The drama was only beginning, however, as the Colonels were able to escape the sixth with only three runs scoring and put the first two batters of the seventh in scoring position with a single and double.
A visit to the circle from Fuller settled Buster and set up three of the biggest outs of the season for the Demons.
“When I go out there I just try to see what she’s thinking and what pitches she’s comfortable throwing,” Fuller said. “Really just trying to give a reset for her and the defense. We work well together, so usually we come up with a game plan, and it worked out for us today.”
Buster picked up her sixth strikeout of the game, matching a season high, for the first out, got a shallow fly to center that Smith tracked down, and induced the final out on a grounder to short.
The win was the 21st of the season for Buster, tying the school record for a Demon pitcher held by Amie Ford (2004), Crista Miller (2002) and Nancy Percle (1990).
Northwestern’s Bryce Johnson dives back to first base as SFA’s Mark Henning tries to drop the tag Sunday. (NSU photo by CHRIS REICH)
After the Northwestern State baseball team won by slugging and pitching in the first two games of its home finale weekend series with Stephen F. Austin, big innings trumped consistency Sunday afternoon at Brown-Stroud Field.
Northwestern scored in seven of its nine team at-bats in the third game of the Southland Conference series, but the Lumberjacks produced two big innings and SFA rallied for an 11-8 victory to salvage the final game of the series.
The outcome followed a pair of hard-fought victories, an 11-8 comeback triumph Friday night and 2-1 Saturday on a pitching gem by Dylan Marironneaux and a bottom-of-the-ninth walk-off RBI single by shortstop Sam Ardoin.
Sunday’s contest had its pros and cons for the Demons.
“It was kind of a weird baseball game in the fact that, I thought, we did some really good things offensively,” third-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. “We posted a zero in the error column. We posted six other zeroes on the scoreboard. It’s just death by the crooked number, and in this case, two super crooked numbers.”
Northwestern (25-19, 16-11) opened the game with a flourish, scoring in each of the first seven innings.
Aside from a two-run first inning, the Demons, however, managed only one run each inning from the second through the seventh innings, which was plenty of offensive support early for Trent Hillen.
Making the final home start of his career, Hillen blanked the Lumberjacks (23-22, 12-12) for the first four innings before a leadoff walk to Roderic Black opened the floodgates to a five-run fifth inning.
Once that switch flipped, the Lumberjacks morphed back to the offense that produced 17 hits in an 11-8 Friday-night loss to open the series.
The momentum also flipped back and forth between dugouts after the top of the fifth.
Northwestern used a two-out RBI double from Brooks Leonard to regain the lead, 6-5, in the bottom of the fifth. Following Mark Henning’s two-out RBI single in the top of the sixth, Thomas Marsala III gave the Demons the lead back with a solo home run in the sixth.
“We did have some responses,” Bertrand said. “Even though we allowed the first crooked number, we came back and responded. We took the lead on multiple occasions. They fought. They had responses. Today, we just kind of got baseballed a little bit.”
Stephen F. Austin saved its final crooked number of the series for the eighth inning. The biggest swing came from Jhett Creel, whose two-run home run off Wesley Marien (2-1) tied the game.
Creel’s blast was the lone extra-base hit for the Lumberjacks, who followed the home run with four singles to take an 11-8 lead.
“We have to find ways at times to mitigate the damage, or how can we limit the damage?,” Bertrand said. “Even though you’re prepared for some of that stuff to happen, we have to have a response before it gets to, to, you know, that, that super of a crooked number.”
Reid Bowyer closed the game with two scoreless innings of relief, stranding a runner on third to end the eighth and getting a key double play to erase Michael McAloose’s leadoff single.
The Demons return to action Tuesday when they open a two-game, midweek series at Arkansas. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
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The Northwestern State University Department of Theatre and Dance will present its annual Senior Dance Concert on Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m. in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public.
Senior choreographers who will present their original works in the concert are Ariyonna Sarpy, Nyah Lynch, Jaeda Barrett, Journey Wills, Vee Duran, Makenzie Scroggs, Nicole Miller and Cameron Bruno.
Sarpy’s piece is titled “Becoming Her” and features eight dancers who Sarpy says represents significant relationships in her life. According to Sarpy, the work blends improvisational movement with raw emotion to create a sense of realism and connection. Inspired by music that mirrors the rhythm of a heartbeat, “Becoming Her” captures the beauty of growth through adversity, showing that sometimes falling apart is what ultimately allows you to become whole.
“’Becoming Her’ reflects my college journey one filled with excitement, heartbreak, growth and self-discovery,” said Sarpy. “What began as a search for perfection evolved into a deeper understanding of authenticity and self-acceptance. This piece explores the transformation between who I once was and who I am becoming.”
The dancers for “Becoming Her” will be Allyce Richards, Darrick Jasmine, Diana Mercado, Ellie Dufrene, Kimberly Cain, Trinity Patrick, Tuw~Tuw Clay and Victoria Freeling.
Lynch’s work is “Won’t Stop for Death.” The dancers are Clay, Kennedy Fiscus, Darrick Jasmine, Trinity Patrick, Liza White
“This piece is about how we grieve people we have lost.” said Lynch. “Through every emotion comes something different.”
Barrett’s piece is “An Overture of Emotion,” and will feature dancers Dufrene, Fiscus, Kwincy Pierre, Ava Schorr and Cara Thomason
“The piece is an exploration of my own journey from a state of numbness flowing into the expressive, overbearing and free-spirited overture that is human emotion,” said Barrett. “Joy, fear, anger and sadness begin to emerge. As overbearing as these emotions can feel for any one of us, it’s important that you allow them to pass through you, observe them, and accept them. Your only objective with them is to feel.”
Wills’ piece is called “Growing Pains” and will feature Jasmine and Pierre.
“Growing Pains is a piece that celebrates Black artistry and Black bodies while also tying in the constant struggle that Black people have faced throughout time,” said Wills.
Duran’s work is titled “The Path” and will feature Payton Desselles, Freeling, Dylan Freeman, Susana Polo, Richards, Schorr and Thomason.
‘“The Path’ explores how relationships and external factors can completely alter the course of your life,” said Duran. “Sometimes it’s unclear where you are being led, and you get thrown off the path and lose sight of it. With time, the path will reveal itself. I hope that you find yourself in moments during ‘“The Path.”’
Scroggs’ piece is “Ideal Perspective” and will feature Dufrene, Freeman and Pierre.
“Perfectionism is the belief that one must be flawless,” said Scroggs. “It is easy to become hyper-fixated on avoiding failure and constantly looking for approval in others. ‘Ideal Perspective’ explores both positive and negative traits of perfectionism and the internal and external struggles of feeling the need to always be perfect.”
Miller’s work is “Stay Here for Awhile” and features Freeling, Avery Holmes, Thomason and White.
“This piece explores my own personal struggles with religion and how through new opportunities we can rediscover our faith in the Lord,” said Miller.
Bruno’s piece is “From Rubble, We Rise” and features Desselles, Fiscus, Holmes, Richards, Arien Thibodeaux and White
“This piece is about the victims of 9/11 who were identified as missing for approximately two years after the attacks,” said Bruno. “There is one soloist who is representing the mourning of the families. I also have an ensemble representing the victims.”
Lakeview Jr./Senior High School will no longer require tickets for this year’s graduation ceremony after concerns were raised by students, families and community members.
In a message to the school community, Principal Stepp acknowledged the feedback and said the timing of the initial decision was not ideal. School leadership determined that removing the ticket requirement would allow for a more inclusive celebration for seniors and their families.
The change means graduation will be open to attendees without restrictions, allowing for a larger show of support for the graduating class.
School officials said the experience will be used to guide future planning efforts, with an emphasis on ensuring important milestones like graduation remain positive and accessible for all involved.
Please vote Yes for Constitutional Amendment 5 on the ballot for May 16. The amendment raises the age of retirement for Judges in Louisiana to 75 years, from the current 70-year retirement mandate. The reasons are simple.
The voters are best suited to decide if a candidate should continue to serve.
Experienced, highly qualified Judges are being forced into retirement.
People are living longer productive lives and working longer.
No other political office has a mandatory retirement age.
By Supreme Court oversight, incompetent Judges can already be removed.
While the amendment does not put an end to what can only be called age bias, it does soften its effect. Voting Yes to raise the age is simply the right thing to do. In this election cycle alone, some 60 Judges of the approximately 360 in the State are being forced to retire. While some are doing so voluntarily, many others have an earnest desire to continue to serve the people of this great state. They should have the opportunity to do so, and it should be up to the voters to decide if they can continue, not some arbitrary age limit.
When I was 7th grade I took a Home Economics class, as it was quite common in those days to have this offered as an elective in middle school. They taught so many practical lessons that I still use today. We learned to sew buttons on clothes, we learned how to mend something with a hole in it. We learned how to crochet potholders and small blankets. My parents had crocheted potholders for days. We also learned to cook a few dishes. But, one of the most favored projects of the entire class during this time was making a t-shirt with a pattern.
The goal was to be able to wear the shirt. Without embarrassment, of course. As it turns out, sewing was not one of my spiritual gifts. Needless to say, I had crooked hemlines, the sleeves were not the same length. My treasured artwork was destined to be a dust rag in my mother’s cleaning supply cabinet for the rest of its life.
I shall never forget the teacher’s words, “the hemline is the most important part of a garment.”
I would have to say there is a lady in the Bible that would agree with that same statement. She needed a miracle and told anyone who would listen that she only needed to touch the hem of his garment and she knew she would be healed.
She was so desperate to be healed and made whole that she fought her way through a crowd of people just to touch his clothes. She didn’t expect a conversation, she didn’t expect to take up much of his time at all. She just wanted to get just close enough to get her miracle. During these times it was forbidden that any women speak to a man in public. She didn’t care, she had an appointment with a Savior who was a huge part of the rumor mill at this point. Stories of healings, raising people from the dead and turning water into wine had made its way all through the villages and towns. News traveled really fast and they didn’t even have a Facebook account.
Just like this lady with the issue of blood, everything happens in God’s timing not ours. She was healed and claimed as Jesus’ daughter in an instant. Many of us will go through years of pain, years of brokenness, years of sadness and hurt, and years of making the worst mistakes. But take heart, all it takes is a moment to visit with our Savior. When he redeems and heals you, it will leave you wanting to proclaim his goodness to anyone who will listen.
“Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve yers came up to him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.”
Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Deputies Sgt. C. Crow and T. Graves visited Psalm Christian Academy in Hagewood, where they spent time engaging with students during an informative and interactive presentation.
Deputies spoke to students about the importance of personal safety, situational awareness, and making responsible decisions both in and out of school. They also discussed the wide range of career opportunities available in law enforcement and public safety, giving students insight into the daily responsibilities and challenges faced by deputies.
Students had the opportunity to ask questions, learn about the equipment deputies use in the field, and gain a better understanding of how law enforcement officers serve and protect their communities.
The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office values opportunities like these to build positive relationships with young people and to encourage future leaders who may one day consider careers in public service.
The Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and the Cane River Singers will perform parts two and three of Handel’s “Messiah” on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall. A livestream will be available at http://www.nsu.la/CAPA-LIVE.
Douglas Bakenhus is the orchestra’s music director. Andrej Kurti is assistant conductor. Dr. Shane Thomas conducts the Cane River Singers. Bakenhus will give a preconcert talk at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $16.50 each and can be purchased online at https://nnssla.org/. There is an added charge for buying tickets online. For more information, email NSUsymphony@gmail.com.
Featured soloists will be sopranos Malaina Aultman and Dr. Terrie Sanders, mezzo soprano Kat Wilkinson, tenors Juan Campos, Dr. Shane Thomas and Phillip Voorhees and baritone Dr. Robert Cardwell.
Handel was one of the pillars of artistic life in Baroque London. His operas, court music, religious anthems, organ music and oratorios have all become staples of the performing repertoire. “Messiah” remains one of the enduring masterpieces of his career. Composed over a period of a few weeks (Handel often reused material from other works, which made the compositional process quicker), the oratorio is based on key moments of Jesus’s life: the nativity, passion, resurrection and ascension.
Bakenhus said “Messiah” is the most performed classical piece in history. He said it has been performed every year since 1742 and today it is performed throughout the U.S. around Christmas. Last December there were over 200 U,S. orchestras and choruses that performed “Messiah.”
“Even though today it is performed around Christmas, it was intended for Easter and premiered April 13 during Holy Week,” said Bakenhus.
The performance will be part two, the passion, and part three, the resurrection and redemption.
Aultman holds her Bachelor of Music from Louisiana Christian University and a Master of Music degrees and Northwestern State. She has performed as Adele in “Die Fledermaus,” Fiordiligi in “Cosi fan tutte,” Asteria in Gluck’s “La Corona” with the Orchestra Instabile Arezzo in Tuscany and has been a featured soloist with the AAMS Emerging Young Artist program at the Kennedy Center.
Campos is a senior vocal performance major from Dallas. He is a member of the Northwestern State choirs, including the Chamber Choir, Cane River Singers, Orpheus and Northwestern Choral Artists. He has performed as a soloist for the Lake Charles Messiah Society. Recently he played the role of The Witch in the NSU Opera Ensemble’s production of “Hansel and Gretel” and was a member of the 2022 SWACDA Mixed Honor Choir and the 2022 TMEA Mixed Choir. Campos has performed with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Rapides Symphony and Prisma Vocal Ensemble.
Cardwell has performed with opera houses and music organizations throughout the United States, Italy, and Austria, including the Sarasota Opera, Amarillo Opera, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Amalfi Coast Music Festival and the AIMS Symphony Orchestra. Some of his favorite performances include leading baritone roles in “Don Giovanni,” “Il barbiere di Siviglia,” “I Pagliacci,” “La Traviata” and “Pirates of Penzance.” His research interests include the use of repertoire by composers from underrepresented communities to promote a more diverse and inclusive experience in the voice studio and the stage. Cardwell is the director of opera at Northwestern.
Sanders is a professor of music and head of the Department of Music at NSU. She has been on the faculty at NSU since 1992. Sanders teaches voice and vocal pedagogy. She holds degrees from Emmanuel College (A.A.), Lee University (B.A.), Northwestern State (M.M.) and the University of Southern Mississippi (Ed.D). She also holds a certification with the McClosky Institute of Voice and is a master teacher for that organization. Sanders is an active performer and lecturer. She has been a member of the Summer Seminar Faculty for the McClosky Institute of Voice since 2005. She has presented at state, regional and international Conferences, including the International Congress of Voice Teachers in Australia in 2012 and in Sweden in 2017.
Thomas is the director of choral activities and assistant professor of music at Northwestern, where he conducts the Chamber Choir, Cane River Singers and the Northwestern Choral Artists. He teaches courses in vocal music education, choral methods, choral literature and administrates the choral activities within the department. Thomas serves as the founder and artistic director of the Louisiana Vocal Arts Ensemble. He also serves as the Louisiana ACDA president-elect and on the National Board for the National Collegiate Choral Organization.
Voorhees is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Sacred Music from Northwestern where he participates in the Chamber Choir, Northwestern Choral Artists and Opera Theatre. He discovered his musical passions in school and church choirs in his hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi. Voorhees has portrayed roles such as Frederick from “Pirates of Penzance” and St. Brioche from “The Merry Widow.” His experience goes beyond classical music, as he is also a songwriter, guitarist and banjoist, blending American folk music traditions with modern sensibilities. He has won awards from the National Association for Teachers of Singing and is the secretary of NATS student chapter at NSU.
Wilkinson is a multi-genre vocalist known for her collaborative musicianship. She has performed works with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, the Rapides Symphony Orchestra, the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra and Northwestern Opera Theater. This is her second season as a guest artist with the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony.
Natchitoches Regional Medical Center is offering a series of free breastfeeding classes designed to help expecting parents prepare for the early stages of infant care.
The “Basics of Breastfeeding” classes will be held April 25, May 30 and June 20 at 10 a.m. in the Legacy Classroom at the hospital. Sessions will cover topics including how to get started with breastfeeding, pumping and storage techniques, and common challenges new parents may face.
Support persons are welcome to attend, and space is limited. Those interested in participating are encouraged to reserve a spot in advance by calling 318-214-4335 or visiting the hospital’s website.
The program is supported through an Impact Grant from Louisiana Healthcare Connections.
Ed Orgeron (left), in the spring after he took over as LSU’s football coach, visited his alma mater Northwestern State for a 2017 event and reunited with Sam Goodwin, his college coach who gave Orgeron his start in coaching in 1984. (Photo courtesy NSU Athletics)
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron, who played his senior season for Sam Goodwin then began his coaching career on Goodwin’s Northwestern State staff, is among speakers honoring the late coach Saturday morning at 10 in NSU’s Turpin Stadium.
The memorial service is open to anyone. Casual attire is welcomed, with NSU fans encouraged to wear football game day gear. Entrance is through the stadium’s west (press box) side.
Three of Goodwin’s greatest players – future NFL veterans Kevin Lewis and Marcus Spears, both of whom had no other college offers – and record-breaking quarterback Brad Laird are also on the roster of speakers.
Former NSU assistant coaches Dr. Fitz Hill, later a head coach at San Jose State, and Bradley Dale Peveto, who became head coach at Northwestern from 2009-12, will also talk about Goodwin.
His granddaughter Jaycee Goodwin, who last year completed her college softball career at Georgia State, will share her thoughts. She now is on the administrative staff at the University of Georgia.
Shreveport state Senator Rick Edmonds, a close Goodwin friend, will speak. Former state Senator Gerald Long, who with his late wife Rose was the longtime Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle leader at Northwestern during Goodwin’s 17 seasons, will offer an invocation.
Resolutions from Congressman Cleo Fields, and the state houses in Louisiana and Arkansas, will be presented. Goodwin won five state championships in nine years as head coach in the 1970s at Little Rock-Parkview High School, and also was an assistant coach on Lou Holtz’ Arkansas staff for two seasons.
Goodwin passed away at home March 20 at age 82 after a brief illness.
The celebration of Goodwin’s life will lead into the annual Joe Delaney Bowl spring game that caps Northwestern’s spring practice. Goodwin launched the Delaney Bowl tradition and also inaugurated the Joe Delaney Memorial Leadership Awards for permanent team captains after Delaney’s heroic drowning death in 1983.
Following Saturday’s Delaney Bowl, the Demon Brothers Booster Club, an association of former players, most who played for Goodwin, are hosting the Crawfest festival and music show on the NSU practice fields. Tickets are available at the DemonBrothers.org website.
Goodwin won a school-record 102 games in 17 seasons at the helm of the Demon program, turning it into a perennial Southland Conference championship contender while setting the Southland Conference wins record.
A Pineville native, Goodwin led the Demons to four conference championships – the 1984 Gulf Star crown and the 1988, 1997 and 1998 Southland titles. He twice was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year.
His 1998 Demon team reached the FCS semifinals where it fell to eventual national champion UMass. That 1998 team equaled the school single-season record of 11 wins and featured four of the 22 All-Americans Goodwin coached at Northwestern.
His 1988 squad advanced to the FCS quarterfinals and is the only Northwestern team to go unbeaten in Southland play. That season, Goodwin’s “Road Warriors” picked up five straight conference or playoff wins away from Turpin Stadium, including a regular-season-ending 20-17 victory at Stephen F. Austin, which had previously been ranked No. 1 in the nation. Two weeks ahead of the win at SFA, the Demons took down another top-ranked team, North Texas, on the road.
In addition to the 20 on-field All-Americans he produced, Goodwin also coached two Academic All-Americans, a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes, 42 first-team All-Southland Conference selections and 38 players who reached the NFL – several whose only Division I scholarship offer was from Goodwin.
Goodwin earned induction into the N-Club Hall of Fame – the highest honor the university awards to student-athletes and athletic staff members – in 1999, a year after his alma mater, Henderson State, enshrined him in its athletic hall of fame. He was a NAIA All-America lineman for the Reddies and a three-time Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference discus champion who served 10 years as the HSU athletics director after retiring from Northwestern in June 2000.
He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Southland Conference’s Hall of Honor in 2007. Two years ago, he was presented the “Contributions to Amateur Football Award” by the S.M. McNaughton Chapter of the National Football Foundation encompassing north Louisiana.
Complimentary bottled water will be available for those seated in the west stands at Turpin Stadium. The Goodwin family and speakers will greet well-wishers after the service at the south end of the field, next to the Jack Clayton Plaza.
Orgeron became one of the country’s top recruiters in major college football, served as interim head coach at USC, and after being promoted out of the same role in Baton Rouge following the 2016 season, led LSU to the 2019 national championship in an historic unbeaten run. His senior season at Northwestern, 1983, was Goodwin’s first in Natchitoches.
Northwestern softball senior Britt Bourgoyne prepares for a plate appearance against Lamar. (NSU photo by BRAD WELBORN)
There’s a little bit of everything happening on the Northwestern State campus this weekend, the final regular season softball series is following suit at the Demon Diamond.
For the Demons (23-25, 12-12), it’s a chance to resharpen its edge heading into the postseason, celebrate three important seniors and potentially shake up the top of the Southland Conference standings.
NSU welcomes Nicholls (27-20, 15-9) for a three-game set beginning with a doubleheader today at 4 p.m. and concluding Saturday at noon. All three games will stream on ESPN+, with Friday’s opener and Saturday’s finale also airing on 100.7 FM KZBL.
Today’s twinbill will serve as Bad Tunes night where fans have the opportunity to purchase and choose walk-up songs for the Nicholls players. Visit nsudemons.com/softballbadtunes for more details.
There will be prizes, games and giveaways for fans on both days.
No matter what unfolds on the field, one thing is already secured: Northwestern is headed back to the Southland Conference Tournament for the first time since 2023. That reality has shifted the tone entering the weekend, especially after a frustrating finish to the road portion of the conference schedule a week ago.
“We’re already in the tournament and we basically have nothing to lose this weekend,” head coach Jenny Fuller said. “We’ve already surpassed a lot of expectations and tripled our wins from last year and overall having a great season. So I think it’s go out there, have fun and play hard for the seniors. Don’t let the moment get too big or too bright and just have fun out there. We played Nicholls well last year so looking forward to doing that again.”
Despite being swept last weekend at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Demons found positives in the underlying numbers. NSU piled up 26 hits across the three games, tied for its third-highest total in a conference series this season, and struck out just twice the entire weekend, matching its lowest total in any three-game stretch this year. Defensively, the Demons were equally active, throwing out five runners on the basepaths in the extra-inning opener.
Picking up those hits in more timely situations, with runners on base, will again be the key for the Demons this weekend and beyond. NSU left an average of eight runners on base per game across the three-game series on the island.
The bats and the defense will be tested against one of the league’s most experienced and balanced teams this weekend.
Nicholls enters the series with its sights set on a potential No. 2 seed and hosting position in the upcoming conference tournament, leaning heavily on a veteran core that has grown together over multiple seasons.
“They have a bunch of seniors on their team with a lot of experience,” Fuller said. “They’ve grown together over the years and that’s something you can’t replicate. Beyond that what sticks out to me is how good their pitching is. Two lefties that can bring it and other pitchers around them that complement them. It’s going to be up to our hitters this weekend to come through.”
While Nicholls leans on a large senior class, Northwestern State will honor three players making their final appearances at Demon Diamond on Saturday — Britt Bourgoyne, Erin Kirkland and JT Smith. All three arrived in Natchitoches as senior or graduate transfers that chose to play their collegiate seasons as a Demon and quickly became central figures in the program’s resurgence.
“I’m so grateful for all three of them because they all took a chance on a program that didn’t have a ton of wins and wanted to be a part of getting it going in the right direction,” Fuller said. “All three of them have helped us do that.
“JT has shown her leadership in the outfield and the team how to play hard. Britt has been phenomenal on defense for us this year and Erin has brought in a lot of knowledge and been a strong leader in the bullpen. I’m so grateful for them and lucky that they wanted to come here when they easily could have gone anywhere else. Fortunate that they took a chance on the Demons.”
The Demons’ destination for the bracket-play round of the SLC Tournament will be determined on Saturday afternoon. NSU could finish the season anywhere from the five-seed to the seven-seed.
Sebastian Huerta (foreground) is one of 12 Northwestern baseball seniors who will be honored following Sunday’s home game against Stephen F. Austin. (NSU photo by CHRIS REICH)
Each time the Northwestern State baseball team takes to the Brown-Stroud Field turf is special for third-year head coach Chris Bertrand.
This weekend’s three-game Southland Conference series against Stephen F. Austin at the Demons’ home park is even slightly more so as Northwestern will honor 12 seniors following Sunday’s series finale with the Lumberjacks.
The series begins at 6:30 p.m. this evening before moving to 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday with the Senior Day festivities to follow that game. All three games will air on ESPN+ with Sunday’s finale also being carried on 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches with free streaming audio available on the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
A dozen Demons – pitchers Connor Wilson, Caden Fiveash, Trent Hillen, JC Acosta, Adam Alexis and Chase Prestwich, catchers Sebastian Huerta and Mason Wray, outfielders Bryce Johnson and Joe Siervo and infielders Thomas Marsala III and Ethan Menard – will be feted Sunday. That group covers a wide range of experiences — and experience — in Northwestern purple and white.
On the field, both the Demons (23-18, 14-10) and Lumberjacks (22-20, 11-10) are both looking to shift back into a positive direction.
Each team was swept in its most recent Southland series with Northwestern dropping three at Lamar while Stephen F. Austin lost three straight at home to Nicholls.
Despite their recent struggles, the Lumberjacks already have improved their conference win total from a season ago when they finished 9-21 in the conference.
“In the whole Southland Conference by and large, people are playing an incredible brand of baseball,” Bertrand said. “It is to be respected. Every time they say, ‘Play ball,’ and we take the field for a Southland Conference game, it is to be respected among your opponents, and you have to bring everything you’ve got. You’ve got to be mentally and physically prepared, locked in and focused. You have to be at your best if you expect games to be in the win column. We respect the heck of the job (head coach) Matt (Vanderburg) is doing and how well they have played. We are preparing ourselves for a wonderful three-game battle.”
Northwestern seemed poised for a breakout Wednesday night at Southern when the Demons held a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning before a rainstorm washed away the game before it reached the five-inning threshold to be an official game.
Still, Bertrand saw value in the short competition with the Jaguars.
“We’re grateful for what we got to do and to learn,” he said. “It was an unfortunate circumstance that we didn’t get to finish the ballgame, but we had a great day of travel. We enjoyed the time spent together. I thought we had an opportunity in those (four) innings to put a game plan against a starting pitcher into action. We took some really good swings, and it was unfortunate the way it played itself out, but there were some great things that took place Tuesday and Wednesday for Demon baseball that we are excited to learn from and then put into action as we move into this weekend and into this nine-game stretch run to finish it out.”
Part of those good feelings come from playing at home, which the Demons will do for the final time in the regular season this weekend.
“The B-Stro, for what it is and what it has become to our team, we are constantly trying to grow it,” Bertrand said. “Obviously, the baseball and the baseball team is the biggest piece of that pie and is at the forefront, but we want to be all-inclusive. We want to continue toe enhance the facility, enhance the fan experience, the student-athlete experience and player development. We want to give them something to play on that they can be proud of. Our fans have built into not only being there for the team but also being there for each other.
“The relationships that are forged there, you can tell people enjoy coming for so many reasons. The fact we see so many little kids running around in Demon baseball jerseys, I can’t say enough about the stakeholders of our program helping us grow this to a point where Demon baseball is really, really special because of all of those things.”
Two seniors from Lakeview High School were honored during the April 21 meeting of Rotary Club as Students of the Month.
Tralyn Lofton, daughter of Leigh and Todd Lofton, received a Rotary award and a scholarship to attend Northwestern State University, where she plans to major in English. She was recognized alongside Rotary Student of the Month Coordinator Jessica Broadway.
Macy Jarnagin, daughter of Ashley and Adam Jarnagin, also received a Rotary award and plans to attend Louisiana State University, where she will major in microbiology. She was recognized with Broadway during the meeting.
Members of the Natchitoches Lions Club earned a third-place finish at the Louisiana Lions Club State Convention Golf Tournament held at Cypress Bend Golf Resort.
The team’s participation carried added significance as it was played in honor of former club member Orin Foster, who was recognized for his contributions to the organization and his passion for golf.
Team members included Sammy Woods, husband of Foster’s granddaughter, Nicole, and Clint “Scooter” Perot, Foster’s grandson. Jake Cooper and Danny Garrett also joined the team.
Club members said the tournament served not only as a competition but also as a tribute to Foster’s legacy of service, leadership and dedication to the Lions organization.
