NATCHITOCHES -- The focus is a little sharper around the Northwestern State softball program this week as the Lady Demons started fall practice trying to not repeat a disappointing performance this past season.
 
After winning Southland Conference Tournament titles in 2013 and 2014 with a league regular season title in 2015, NSU missed the SLC Tournament in 2016.
 
The Lady Demons play their first intra-squad game Thursday at 3:30 p.m. before hosting LSU-Eunice in a doubleheader beginning at noon at Lady Demon Diamond.
 
NSU plays in away scrimmages the following three weekends at Baylor, LSU and Louisiana Tech.
 
"We're a lot hungrier this fall," said NSU coach Donald Pickett, who will begin his eighth season in Natchitoches this spring. "Everyone knows that the coaches and the players didn't pull their weight last year, and we didn't do the things we need to do to be successful.
 
"We've got our focus back on the process at hand, and we're working hard every day to be the best team we can be."
 
Twelve newcomers dot the 26-player roster, and although eight primary starters return, Pickett said he expects competition for playing time at many different positions.
 
"We're looking for effort, making sure the kids are competing with each other to try to earn a spot," Pickett said. "We want to look at how kids adjust to certain things, and we want to see the kids committed to trying to do what we want them to do and using the processes we want them to use.
 
"We're just trying to make sure everybody is making our team the best it can be every day by pushing each other and trying to earn a spot."
 
Redshirt sophomore pitcher Mikayla Brown is starting to pitch again after tearing her ACL in the opening weekend this past season.
 
Pickett said she likely won't pitch in any of the fall games, but he does expect her to be ready for the upcoming spring season.
 
"Brown is starting to throw walk-throughs and different things, and she looks really good right now," Pickett said of Brown, who won Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year as a freshman. "We're going to make sure that we're patient in bringing her back."