NATCHITOCHES – In their final series at Brown-Stroud Field, seven seniors will lead the Northwestern State baseball team against New Orleans with a chance to lock up a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament during a busy weekend that starts on Friday at 6:30.
 
The Demons (27-21, 15-9 SLC) are in fifth place, but only two games out of first in the Southland Conference standings.  Northwestern State needs only three wins to lock a spot in the league tournament.  New Orleans (11-32, 2-22 SLC) sits at 14^th in the conference standings.
 
Losses by Central Arkansas, who plays Incarnate Word, and Houston Baptist, who plays Sam Houston, would shrink the number of wins needed to get NSU into the tournament.
 
Andrew Adams, Cameron Brewer, Cody Butler, Edwin Gomez, Nathan Lyons, Joey Parrack and Steven Spann will play their final series at Brown-Stroud Field, and will be recognized in during pregame festivities before Sunday's contest.
 
"Anytime you think of seniors, you think of all the things that they have been through," said Burroughs. "Its good to honor them.  The individuals who are playing their last games in at home will take their memories with them forever.
 
"These seniors have helped set a foundation for our program," he said. "We owe them a great debt. We are looking forward to seeing them with their families."
 
With it also being Mother's Day on Sunday, every senior's attendant on Senior Day will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to her son. 
 
Saturday's game has been set as the date for the "Lil Man" fundraiser to help the Johnnie Santangelo family.  Representatives of the Santangelo's will be selling discounted game tickets outside of Brown-Stroud Field.  Partial proceeds from each ticket sold will go to support the family.
 
Santangelo, a former Demon baseball, was diagnosed with a brain tumor earlier this year, and his teammate from 2007-08 will throw out the ceremonial first pitch in his honor.
 
Former Demon and Major League Baseball player Jim Willis will throw a ceremonial pitch as well on Saturday.  Willis' jersey (28) is one of only four retired at Northwestern State.
 
Adam Oller (5-1, 2.05 earned run average) will start the game on the mound for the Demons on Friday.  He has pitched 74.2 innings, and has 46 strikeouts and only 10 walks. His older brother Josh Oller (3-1, 3.13) will be the starter in Saturday's game. 
 
Sunday's starter on the hill for NSU is still to be determined.
 
"After Friday, we hope to be 1-0.  That is how we are approaching this," said Burroughs.  "On Saturday, we want to be 1-0 again.  We have to go out and take care of our business and not care about what other programs are doing."
 
UNO will toss right-hander Alex Smith (1-8, 4.60) on Friday, right-hander Nick Halliday (2-6, 4.88) on Saturday and right-hander Daniel Martinez (0-1, 7.31) on Sunday.  Smith has thrown 72.1 innings with 31 strikeouts and 26 walks.
 
Bret Underwood leads the Demons, who have won seven of their eight league series this season, at the plate with a .313 batting average.  Chase Daughdrill and Caleb Dugas follow him with .307 averages.  Daughdrill leads the team in runs batted in, and Dugas in runs scored.
 
"We have everything ahead of us, and six league games left to play," said Burroughs. "We have to be 1-0 after Friday night and move forward from there.  All of the other stuff will take care of itself."
 
Samuel Capielano leads UNO in batting average (.339) and runs scored (25).  Hezekiah Randolph is tops for the Privateers in RBIs with 29 on the year.
 
NSU will play its final mid-week contest of the year at LSU on Tuesday before traveling to Hammond face Southeastern Louisiana in the season finale.  The game against LSU was added to the Cox Sports Television lineup, and is set to be played at 6:30.