HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Fun.

Northwestern State senior Natalie Landry said her swing was fine as she struggled through a midseason slump, but the fun was missing.

When the leftfielder was benched for two games (March 4-5) at the Mississippi State tournament during a prolonged slump, Landry knew she couldn't let any more of her senior season slip away.

Landry was re-inserted into the lineup, and she's been having fun at the plate ever since. The Denham Springs native hopes that continues as NSU (18-10, 3-3 Southland Conference) tries to break out of a little slump of its own in a three-game series at Sam Houston State (6-19, 1-5 SLC) starting with a Friday doubleheader at 3 p.m. Saturday's finale is also at 3 p.m.

Landry's fun has taken the form of 16 hits, 14 RBIs and three home runs in the 10 games since her return.

"It was an eye-opener. Nobody likes getting pulled, but I didn't see it as a negative," said Landry, who had just two hits over a nine-game stretch in her slump. "It was a crucial moment where I had to get my stuff together. I'm a senior. I want to lead this team. I thought the only way to lead the team was to get better – not back down and die.

"I struggled for a while, and somebody came up to me and said that I wasn't having any fun. I knew my swing was there, but the only thing I had to do was have fun. When I have fun, that's when I play relaxed and my teammates can count on me the most."

Landry slid to the No. 7 spot in the batting order, but since her return, she's taken the majority of her at-bats at the No. 5 and 6 spots and recently climbed to No. 3.

"She's done well, and she did well again last night," said NSU coach Donald Pickett after a 5-4 loss at ULM in which Landry hit a two-run home run. "She's stepped up for us, and I'm really proud of the way she rebounded.

"I thought all of our kids responded well (Wednesday) and it's something to build off of."

NSU's slump consists of losing five of the last seven games after a 16-5 start, which is third-best in program history. Three of those losses have come in conference play over the last two weekends, losing a series at Incarnate Word and one game against Houston Baptist. Those two teams finished at the bottom of the SLC standings in 2015 in a year where NSU won the regular season title with a 22-3 mark.

Wednesday's loss at ULM occurred after NSU led the first five innings only for ULM to score two sixth-inning runs in a 5-4 Lady Demons' loss.

A fielding error by backup second baseman Sarah Huey allowed the go-ahead run to score, blemishing what otherwise was a solid start for Huey (one hit, two putouts and three assists).

Huey, who was starting in place of injured second baseman Micayla Sorosiak, might play this weekend if Sorosiak can't go.

NSU swept Sam Houston State in two games in Natchitoches in 2015, the first time the Lady Demons swept the Bearcats since 2002.

SHSU is in a slump of its own, losing 10 of its last 11 games. But the Bearcats will be determined to turn their season around at home.

SHSU's best win is a split with North Texas, who beat NSU 9-5 in a game earlier this season.

"It's a conference series, and conference games are more competitive," Pickett said. "We've got to focus more on what we're doing than what everybody else is doing against us.

"That's the key to our success. We've got to go out there and have good approaches offensively and have a good pre-pitch routine on defense."