NATCHITOCHES – Series openers in college baseball typically match the best pitchers from each staff against one another.
 
Two of the best in the eyes of talent evaluators at the next level will square off when Northwestern State opens its third straight home weekend series against Eastern Illinois at 6:30 p.m. Friday, which stands as the first game of NSU Baseball Alumni Weekend.
 
Both Demon right-hander Logan Hofmann and Panther right-hander Will Klein, the probable starters for each team, have lived up to the billing as staff aces, a label that could lead both to a future in professional baseball as soon as June's draft.
 
"If you want to see a couple of guys who have a chance to pitch for a long time, come to the park on Friday night," fourth-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "When you get these matchups against these arms – Wichita State had guys with some pedigree – you get a little more amped up. When that happens, it's nice knowing you have one of those guys, too. I'm sure they'll be a good team. They'll be competitive, come out and play hard, especially when their guy goes on Friday night."
 
Hofmann (2-0, 0.00) has been stellar in his first two starts as a Demon, striking out 18 against just one walk. A right-hander from Muenster, Saskatchewan, Canada, Hofmann is one of three Division I pitchers who have thrown at least 15 innings and have not allowed an earned run. Hofmann was named a Cape Cod League All-Star this summer while pitching for the Falmouth Commodores and ranked as the Southland Conference's 10^th-best draft prospect by D1Baseball.com.
 
Klein (1-1, 2,31), meanwhile, entered the season as D1Baseball.com's No. 131 college draft prospect after spending the summer in the Northwoods League. Klein's fastball topped out at 99 mph in the Northwoods League All-Star Game, giving him some draft heft.
 
Klein will face an NSU offense that is coming off a season-high 16 hits in a 10-8 win at UL Lafayette on Wednesday.
 
Six Demons had multi-hit games, led by Tyler Smith's three hits. Across its six-game win streak, Northwestern State (7-1) is hitting .301 as a team, averaging 6.3 runs per game.
 
Facing Klein on Friday will challenge the Demons offense to maintain the same approach it has managed during the win streak.
 
"We should be the same way all the time no matter who you're facing on the mound," Barbier said. "What you need to do against every pitcher, and what we preach, is to take away the thing he wants to do best. Sometimes, that thing is really good, and it's hard to do. We want to make the pitcher change and prove he can do something other than what he's comfortable doing. If we take away his really good fastball or show we are going to be on time against it early in the game and he starts throwing 88 mph sliders, it's going to be tough, and we're going to have to fight. That's why those guys make a lot of money."
 
In addition to the Friday matchup, the series against the Panthers (3-3) features a 2 p.m. Saturday game and a 1 p.m. Sunday matchup. Saturday and Sunday are designated as USSSA Baseball Days. Any child who arrives at Brown-Stroud Field in uniform will receive free admission to the game. Accompanying parents will be admitted for $5 each.
 
Streaming audio and video of all three games will be available on www.NSUDemons.com and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free through Google Play or the Apple Store.

Series Probables
Friday: Eastern Illinois RHP Will Klein (1-1, 2.31) at Northwestern State RHP Logan Hofmann (2-0, 0.00)
Saturday: Eastern Illinois RHP Blake Malatestinic (1-0, 3.97) at Northwestern State LHP Cal Carver (1-0, 1.50)
Sunday: Eastern Illinois RHP Jesse Wainscott (1-0, 1.04) at Northwestern State RHP Johnathan Harmon (1-0, 1.50)