Demon Baseball | 2/22/2018 1:53:00 PM

NATCHITOCHES – What is becoming an unfortunate familiarity for the Northwestern State baseball team meets something completely unfamiliar this weekend.
 
For the second straight weekend, the Demons will try to dodge a rain-heavy forecast as they welcome Ivy League member Penn to Brown-Stroud Field for a three-game series that begins with a 3 p.m. Friday doubleheader.
 
The series concludes with a noon Saturday matinee, which will lead into the Northwestern State basketball doubleheader against Southeastern Louisiana that begins at 4 p.m.
 
Streaming audio and video will be available throughout the series at www.nsudemons.com/watch.
 
The series marks the first meeting between the Demons (2-2) and the Quakers, who are playing their first games of the season.
 
"I would always rather play than not play," second-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "In baseball, it is very hard to mimic the game in practice. We won't have much (information) on them, but our focus is how we attack the game this weekend."
 
Friday's doubleheader will be the first time Northwestern State has faced an Ivy League team since 1991 when the Demons defeated Dartmouth, 6-2.
 
The Demons' roster features 18 newcomers, and through four games, 13 have made their Northwestern State debuts, including two starting pitchers who are expected to make their second starts this weekend.
 
Left-hander Ridge Heisler (1-0, 0.00), a junior transfer from LSU-Eunice, worked five scoreless innings in a 9-1 win against Binghamton in the middle game of the series while freshman right-hander Robert Burke (0-1, 11.57) had a tough start in Binghamton's 10-3 win in the series finale.
 
Burke lasted 2 1-3 innings, giving up three runs and six hits to the Bearcats.
 
"Robert's young," Barbier said. "He's a very, very, very talented kid who just needs innings. He needs to get out there and just get experience. There's only one way to do that, and that's to go out there and do it."
 
Barbier said he will keep the same starting rotation, beginning with junior right-hander Nathan Jones (1-0, 1.80), who will make his 16^th straight start atop the Demons' rotation.
 
Dating to March 21, 2014, Northwestern State has used two pitchers – 2016 All-American Adam Oller and Jones – as starters in the opening game of a series or tournament, a span of 54 starts.
 
Offensively, a newcomer and an old hand have been the sparks for the Demons.
 
Junior transfer Austin Stegall has hit safely in all three games in which he has appeared, going 5-for-9 over that stretch. Stegall went 3-for-5 and scored three runs in Tuesday night's 11-6 loss at ULM.
 
Senior David Fry matched Stegall with three hits, tying Barbier for 10^th place on the Demons' career list with 181.
 
Fry, who was unable to swing a bat in fall workouts after recovering from offseason arm surgery, is 5-for-8 in his past two games and collected his 49^th double Tuesday.
 
"I thought Austin and David swung the bat well," Barbier said. "David wasn't able to swing the bat in the fall, so we knew it would take some time for him to get back to being himself."
 
Series probable pitchers
Friday, Game 1: Penn LHP Gabe Kleiman (3-0, 4.23) at Northwestern State RHP Nathan Jones (1-0, 1.80)
Friday, Game 2: Penn RHP Christian Scafidi (0-1, 6.92) at Northwestern State LHP Ridge Heisler (1-0, 0.00)
Saturday: Penn LHP Jack Hartman (1-0, 8.22) vs. Northwestern State RHP Robert Burke (0-1, 11.57)