NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State baseball team faces a couple of familiar faces in midweek action this week.
However, the setting for one of the matchups is rather unusual.
NSU (17-13) opens its two games in two states in days trek at Sam Houston State (15-19) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday before heading to No. 3 LSU on Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
The Demons and Bearkats are Southland Conference rivals who square off in a non-conference matchup at Don Sanders Stadium.
"Scheduling's getting harder and harder," third-year head coach
Lane Burroughs said. "It's tough to find quality opponents in the middle of the week, especially this deep in the season. Matt (Deggs) took over that program, and he's a friend of mine. He needed a game. I needed a game. They came over here for a conference series, so we told them we'd go over there."
NSU won the first two games of the series, sweeping a doubleheader on March 14 at Brown-Stroud Field before Sam Houston took the final game of the series the next day.
Despite the unusual circumstances, Burroughs doesn't expect either team to change much, except for who starts the game on the mound.
"It doesn't change a lot to me and I'm sure coach Deggs," Burroughs said. "It's just another opponent. We're not going in there thinking, 'Wow, this is a Southland opponent.' We're going in there to try to win the game, just like we always do. It will be different arms. You'll run a midweek guy out there. It doesn't change your approach. It's a road midweek game, and I know our guys will be ready to get back on the horse."
The Demons plan to give sophomore left-hander
Devin Bear (0-0, 0.00) the first start of his career while Sam Houston will counter with Dylan Ebbs (3-1, 4.41).
Both Bear and Ebbs saw work in the teams' series in Natchitoches. Bear threw a scoreless inning, while Ebbs gave up three runs in two innings in the series finale, a 9-3 Bearkats victory.
After facing the Bearkats, NSU heads to Baton Rouge to face the nationally ranked Tigers.
The trip to Alex Box Stadium marks the second time this season the Demons will face a nationally ranked team. Then-No. 25 Baylor defeated Northwestern State, 8-4, on Feb. 25 in Waco, Texas.
"I've seen LSU play three or four times on TV this year, and I think it's the best team they've had in a long time," Burroughs said. "I think they're the best team in the country. I don't see many weaknesses. It's one of the best LSU teams I've seen in a very long time."
Burroughs has coached against the Tigers on a yearly basis for most of his career, making him familiar with Alex Box Stadium and LSU as a whole.
The same familiarity can be applied to numerous NSU players who are Louisiana natives.
"It's big for our guys who grew up in this state to go play LSU," Burroughs said. "We'll go down there and go play the game and get after them. I know they'll be excited. I think they're the best team in the country and what an opportunity to go in there and do what not a lot of teams have done."
Both games will be broadcast on the Demon Sports Network. Flagshipped by 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches. Free audio is available on NSUDemons.com. Patrick Netherton will provide the play by play of both games. The Demons game against LSU also will be televised on SEC Network Plus, the first of two Demons appearances on the SEC's newest digital venture.
