NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State baseball team is set to host state rival and nationally ranked Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday at 6:00 in Demons home opener at Brown-Stroud Field in non-conference action.
 
 The Ragin' Cajuns (3-1), who are ranked 14^th by Baseball America and 22^nd by Collegiate Baseball, wrapped up a four-game series with Eastern Illinois in which it averaged six runs a contest.
 
Northwestern State (1-2) comes in after a road series at Jacksonville State. Despite the record, both NSU and JSU scored the same number of runs (14).
 
"They (Ragin' Cajuns) are a very good club.  They are ranked in the Top 25 and deservedly so," said second-year head coach Lane Burroughs.
 
"They are probably the best offensive club I have seen in quite a few years," he said.  "I told our guys after our win on Sunday that the good news is that we gutted out a win, the real news is the Cajuns are coming to town."
 
Sophomores Regan Kaufman and Cort Brinson led the way at the plate for the Demons in the series at Jacksonville State.  Kaufman was 3-of-7 (.429) with two runs batted in and one run scored.  Brinson was 4-of-11 (.364) at the plate and was hit by a pitch four times.  He knocked in two runs and scored four.
 
Freshman left-handed pitcher Austin Tanner will start on the mound for NSU on Wednesday. The Prairieville product, St. Amant High School, appeared in one game during the opening series and pitched one inning and he allowed one hit.
 
Evan Powell leads Louisiana-Lafayette in batting average (.429) and Blake Trahan leads it in RBI (6).  Three Cajuns have home runs this season, Ryan Wilson, Seth Harrison, and Jace Conrad.
 
Right-handed pitcher Matt Plitt, who appeared in one contest, will start for ULL.  Hit pitched 2.2 innings and gave up one unearned run and two hits with two walks.
 
Northwestern State will return to the road on Friday to take part in the Al Ogletree Classic at Texas-Pan American.  The Demons will play both UTPA and Prairie View A&M in that tournament.