NATCHITOCHES – Both Southland Conference baseball coaches and sports information directors expected Northwestern State and Sam Houston State to be upper-echelon conference teams when the season began.
 
During the opening weekend of conference play, neither did much to dispel those notions.
 
Starting Friday at Brown-Stroud Field, the Demons (9-8, 3-0) and Bearkats (8-9, 3-0) meet in an early-season Southland Conference series that pits two of the league's three unbeaten teams against one another. First pitch of the series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) will be afternoon starts.
 
"It's early, but it's a big series," third-year head coach Lane Burroughs said. "They all are. I told our guys after the game Saturday at Lamar, (Sam Houston State) is the champions. They're the king of the hill until someone knocks them off."
 
The series features the second straight Demons opponent with whom there is a deep tie on the coaching staff.
 
First-year Sam Houston State coach Matt Deggs is a former Northwestern State assistant. In the Demons' midweek matchup against Louisiana Tech on Wednesday, Burroughs faced off against first-year Tech head coach Greg Goff, a former college opponent of Burroughs while the two played in the Gulf South Conference.
 
"I have so much respect for their program and for Matt," Burroughs said. "I've known Matt for a long time. We've got a lot of history. He was an assistant here, and I took his place in 1997. We're good friends. He's a great coach."
 
The Bearkats travel to Natchitoches as winners of the last three Southland Conference regular season championships. The Demons took three of four meetings from Sam Houston State last season, including two of three in Huntsville, Texas.
 
Northwestern State enters the series having swept its last two weekend series, including a Southland-opening series at Lamar last weekend. The Demons expect to start the same rotation that carried them to those sweeps – right-handers Adam Oller, Josh Oller and Jeffrey Stovall.
 
In the past six starts, the trio has posted a 5-0 record with a 1.75 ERA and has recorded five quality starts. Both Ollers are 2-0 while Stovall is 1-0 with a nine-inning no-decision in a 16-inning win against Sacred Heart.
 
"The thing our starting pitchers are doing is absolutely attacking the strike zone," Burroughs said. "That keeps your defense engaged. When you're throwing strikes and pitching to contact, guys are going to make plays behind you. Adam is a legitimate Friday-night ace. Josh is trying to outdo his brother, and he's such a competitor. He gives you everything he has every time out. Stovall, he just puts it in the zone. When you do that and engage your defense, you've got a chance to win ballgames."
 Friday: LHP Andrew Godail (SHSU) 1-2, 3.00 vs. RHP Adam Oller (NSU) 2-1, 1.93
Saturday: LHP Logan Boyd (SHSU) 2-1, 2.25 vs. RHP Josh Oller (NSU) 3-0, 3.38
Sunday: RHP Ryan Brinley (SHSU) 1-2, 7.00 vs. RHP Jeffrey Stovall (SHSU) 2-1, 3.00