PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- The last time Northwestern State squared off with Prairie View A&M, catcher Emma Hawthorne drove in outfielder Kellye Kincannon for the go-ahead run in an 8-7 win in the 2017 ULM Mardi Gras Classic.
 
Kincannon and the old guard are gone, but that doesn't mean the power has left the Lady Demon lineup.
 
Five different players have hit a total of six home runs in NSU's first 14 games as the Lady Demons (8-6) prepare for Wednesday's doubleheader at Prairie View beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Hawthorne is still commanding the NSU pitching staff from behind the plate and is one of seven players with at least five RBIs this season.
 
The Lady Demons are coming off a three-game slide at Texas Tech, but two of those losses were one-run affairs in which the Red Raiders walked off with a win.
 
For a group of starters that can include as many as eight freshmen and sophomores, NSU coach Donald Pickett is optimistic about the potential of the 2018 Lady Demons in due time.
 
"We've proven we can play with a school in the Big 12 or from a bigger conference," said Pickett, who's led NSU to three wins over Power Five members since 2016. "We know we didn't play our best, and we're not worried about who we're playing or what they've done -- it's about what we're trying to do.
 
"This weekend was tough because we didn't make a lot of adjustments at the plate to support two pretty good pitching performances. We're learning as we go, and we're young, but everybody on the team realizes we had a chance to win those games if we do some things that are in our control. Hopefully they stay hungry because of that and we get to work to fix some of those things."
 
One player who whet her appetite this past weekend was freshman third baseman Elyssa Hernandez.
 
Hernandez, who started the final two games of the series, collected two doubles with an RBI on a weekend where hits were scarce (12 in three games).
 
"It was a really good experience, and starting against Texas Tech was a great feeling," Hernandez said. "To be successful in that series, I wanted to show my team that I can do this and make something happen."
 
Hernandez's RBI double in the finale pulled NSU to within 3-2 of Texas Tech before the Red Raiders sprinted to a 12-4 win.
 
But the Spring, Texas, native said she gained confidence from the weekend action and hopes to continue that process when NSU plays at Prairie View A&M, just 45 minutes from her hometown.
 
"My parents can come and watch, and that's great because our other games have been so far away," Hernandez said. "It's an extra push to do great on the field.
 
"Coming off the Texas Tech series and having some success against a Big 12 team, it gives me extra confidence and I'm on a high."
 
Five Lady Demons hail from the Houston area and will play close to family and friends.
 
Prairie View's (1-10) one win did come against a Southland Conference opponent when the Panthers split with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a midweek doubleheader.
 
The majority of Prairie View's losses have been by at least four runs, but one-run losses against North Texas, Missouri State and Kansas prove the Panthers have challenged its opponents.