FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Northwestern State junior infielder Cayla Jones lays claim to the biggest hit of the young season, a walk-off grand slam against SIU-Edwardsville. Fellow junior Jensen Howell owns a go-ahead, extra-inning home run.

Those are just two examples of the Lady Demons' prowess late in games. That comfortability late, however, has been a result of slow starts. 

NSU head coach Donald Pickett had an extensive talk with his team following a 3-1 victory over ULM on Tuesday. After another sluggish beginning, Pickett implored them about the importance of starting early. 

"We are not being aggressive at the plate," Pickett said. "We are taking too many pitches, and waiting to kind of feel out the pitcher, and seeing what she wants to do. There's a time for that. But you want to be able to challenge the kids to come out aggressive, and I haven't seen it yet."

Pickett is confident in his squad's ability to turn that around this weekend. The Lady Demons will participate in the Woo Pig Classic — a tournament encompassing five games in three days — beginning Friday with a 12:30 p.m. contest against Drake.

"I think the kids are up to the challenge," Pickett said. "We have talked about it, and I think we see a difference this weekend. I think we will, because we are going to need some good starts with the teams we playing."

Friday's matinee against the Bulldogs will be followed by a game against No. 20 Arkansas at 5 p.m. The rest of the weekend entails two games against Kansas and another against the Razorbacks. 

This is the second and final pre-conference tournament in which NSU is playing. Pickett wasn't overly impressed with how his team played during the South Alabama Invitational this past weekend. 

The Lady Demons logged a respectable 3-2 record at the tournament, but consistent focuses and aggressiveness wasn't present at all times.

"We just kind of played flat and tired those last two days," Pickett said. "I'm looking forward to seeing our improvement from last weekend to this weekend, and seeing how we handle that. It's great to get up there and have the chance to play those schools. We get to test and challenge ourselves in different ways."

Howell has been tested in many different ways. She owns a 2-1 overall record in the circle, sporting a 2.75 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched with 22 strikeouts. 

She's also Northwestern State's most threatening bat. She lays claim to a .235 batting average with two home runs, two doubles and eight RBIs. 

Senior outfielder Kaitlyn St. Clair boasts the Lady Demons' highest batting average at .429. She also has a home run. 

Junior E.C. Delafied rounds out the top three in batting average with a .389 average. She has a team-high seven hits this season, matching freshman infielder Kat Marshall's seven base knocks. 

Delafield has also done damage in the circle, having yet to allow a run in eight innings pitched. Sophomore Bronte Rhoden has made a pair of starts, owning a 1-0 record with a 1.95 ERA and 14 strikeouts. 

Drake is 2-6 on the season, and was most recently swept in a three-game set at UMKC. The Lady Demons are 2-0 all-time against the Bulldogs.

Arkansas — which NSU plays Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. — holds an 11-2 overall record and is riding a 10-game winning streak. The Razorbacks have a slight 7-6 all-time edge in their series against NSU.

Kansas — which NSU plays Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. — is 5-4 on the season, winners of its last three. The Jayhawks and Lady Demons have met once and Kansas got the better of the two.

Following the Wooo Pig Classic, Northwestern State begins Southland Conference play on the road. The Lady Demons travel to Nicholls for a three-game set March 12-13.