CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Northwestern State baseball team and its Texas A&M-Corpus Christi counterpart find themselves headed in opposite directions overall.
 
When it comes to Southland Conference play, however, the Demons and Islanders are in similar situations.
 
Neither team opened conference play the way it wanted to, but each has a chance to grab some momentum as they open a three-game conference series Friday night at 6 p.m. at Chapman Field.
 
The series continues with a 4 p.m. Saturday first pitch and a 12 p.m. Sunday finale, which has been moved up an hour from its original start time to accommodate the Islanders' men's basketball game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
 
For the Demons (5-14, 1-2), there is one clear focus.
 
"It's really not about them at all," first-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "It's about our team getting better. It's about getting better at practice Thursday in Corpus. That's what our team needs now. Our team needs to practice and get better. They need to understand there is a lot that lies ahead of us. We can't let this past weekend or the first 19 games of the season affect us in any way other than learning. It can't affect our attitude and our effort in the next 35 games or so."
 
Northwestern State has dropped six straight games after falling to Lamar, 12-6, on Wednesday night. The Islanders (7-14, 0-3) grabbed a 10-8 win against Incarnate Word on Tuesday and have won five of their past eight games.
 
In Wednesday's game, David Fry extended his hitting streak to a season-best five straight games, collecting his first three-hit game of the year, falling a triple shy of the cycle. Fry hit his sixth home run of the season in the first inning Wednesday, giving him a home run in four of Northwestern State's past five games. Fry's two-run home run against Lamar moved him into a three-way tie for the conference lead with McNeese's Matt Gallier and Southeastern Louisiana's Taylor Schwaner.
 
The Islanders are led offensively by Cullen Jozwiak, whose .400 average ranks third in the Southland Conference.
 
"I really enjoy playing against (Islanders coach Scott Malone's) teams," Barbier said. "They play the game the right way, the way we think it's supposed to be played. Hard-nosed with some grit, the way a lot of teams in the Southland Conference play."
 
The series wraps up a season-long, seven-game road trip for the Demons, who return home Tuesday to start a five-game homestand against Lamar and Central Arkansas.
 
"We're used to this long road trip thing, which is fine," Barbier said. "We talk about it as a team – you can use it as an opportunity or you can use it as an excuse. We use it as an opportunity. We're going to ride down and play baseball. Our guys are excited about it, because that's how we look at things."
 
The Demons will send right-hander Nathan Jones (1-3, 6.48) to the mound in the series opener. He will be opposed by Islanders right-hander Devin Skapura (1-2, 6.21).
 
All three games of the series can be heard on 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches as well as through streaming audio on www.NSUDemons.com.
 
Series probables
Friday: Northwestern State RHP Nathan Jones (1-3, 6.48) at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi RHP Devin Skapura (1-2, 6.21)
Saturday: Northwestern State RHP John Carter Sanner (1-1, 6.00) at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi RHP Chris Cooper (2-3, 6.00)
Sunday: Northwestern State RHP Evan Tidwell (1-2, 7.36) at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi RHP Chris Glover (0-0, 3.86)