NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State softball opens its 2015 home slate Saturday as the squad hosts No. 9 Baylor and Jackson State as part of the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission Lady Demon Classic.

NSU (0-6) begins play at the Lady Demon Diamond at 11:30 a.m., taking on Jackson State (2-4) before closing the day with a 4:30 p.m. matchup against Baylor (5-0).

The squad resumes action on Sunday with the first game at 10 a.m. against the Tigers and the finale slated for 3 o'clock against the Lady Bears.

"We've got a lot of respect for both teams," seventh-year head coach Donald Pickett said. "Jackson State went to the NCAAs a couple years ago and are always one of the better teams in their conference. We faced Baylor in the NCAA Regionals last season. It's definitely going to be a competitive weekend. Hopefully we can get back on the right track and play good ball and come out with some wins this weekend."

The team makes its first appearance of the season on DemonTV as subscribers will have the opportunity to watch the Lady Demons' four weekend games by visiting NSUDemons.com and clicking the video streaming link on the softball schedule page.

NSU is 9-3 all-time against Jackson State. The meeting is the first since 2013 when the Lady Demons took both games from the Tigers, winning 5-2 at the JSU Softball Field on Feb. 27 and 3-0 at the Lady Demon Diamond on March 20. In those outings, current senior Cassandra Barefield went a combined 3-for-7 with two RBIs and scored one run.

NSU's all-time series with Baylor has not been a kind one. The Lady Bears have won 21 of 22 all-time matchups including last season's NCAA Regional matchup, 6-1 in Waco, Texas. In that game, current starting pitcher Baylee Gray toss four innings of relief, giving up two earned runs and five hits while allowing one walk.

Northwestern State also faced Baylor in a fall exhibition; something Pickett said could be beneficial to the squad.

 "The girls are a little more comfortable facing a team they've been on the field with before," Pickett said. "I think that works both ways. Baylor has a really good team. They're real versatile. We've got to play our best game to compete with them this weekend."

The two squads also share some connections in the dugouts. Baylor head coach Glenn Moore was a 1993 graduate of Northwestern State and played tight end for the Demons before moving on to play fastpitch softball.  NSU softball assistant coach Kathy Shelton played four seasons at Baylor (2010-2013), leaving as the program's all-time leader in stolen bases (120) while finishing as a .340 career hitter.

"I think it will be fun," Shelton said. "You get to coach against your coaches and my team. I played with some of those girls so that's always fun. We're all really competitive so it will bring out the best."

Micayla Sorosiak and Natalie Landry lead Northwestern State with a .400 batting average after the duo secured eight hits and six hits respectively while each hit their first home run of the season at last weekend's SoCal Collegiate Classic. Within the Southland Conference, Sorosiak ranks first in doubles (5) and is tied for first with eight hits. In the circle, Micaela Bouvier leads the way with a 3.27 ERA in 15 innings pitched.

Following the weekend, NSU concludes its five-game homestand by welcoming ULM on Wednesday. The first pitch is slated for 5 o'clock.