HOUSTON – The longer the 2021 season goes, the more the Northwestern State baseball team learns about its ability to adjust.
 
That ability is fitting for a season that will give the Demons another unique schedule this weekend as they head to Houston Baptist for a four-game Southland Conference series. This is the lone weekend series with four scheduled day games.
 
The series opens at 2 p.m. Friday and features an 11 a.m. doubleheader Saturday and a 2 p.m. Sunday series finale. All four games can be heard on 95.9 FM Kix Country and through either www.NSUDemons.com or the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
 
This weekend's series follows a four-game set against Lamar that Mother Nature decided would be composed of back-to-back doubleheaders.
 
"That was tough – two doubleheaders," fifth-year head coach Bobby Barbier said. "But you go back to the fact this time last year we weren't able to play games, so give us 100 doubleheaders if it means we get ballgames in."
 
The Demons (15-15, 9-7) have split three of their first four Southland Conference series, including this past weekend's matchup with Lamar. However, the split against the Cardinals came in a different way than the previous splits against Incarnate Word and at Sam Houston.
 
NSU's series against Lamar did include another one run game – the eighth in the Demons' first 16 Southland Conference games – but that was about the only similarity.
 
"We did something we haven't done all year," Barbier said. "Our starting pitching wasn't as good, and I think a lot of that had to do with their hitters. We found a way to win a couple of games with tough starts. Then Donny (Donovan Ohnoutka) starts the last game and throws longer than he has in his career here. We learned about ourselves. I told them, "Good teams find ways to win in different forms.' We've won a lot this year by keeping the score down and getting good starting pitching. We had to find a different way to win."
 
The Demon offense found its stride against a Lamar pitching staff that entered the weekend leading the Southland Conference in earned run average.
 
After a sluggish start to the season, Northwestern State's offense has turned the corner the past two weekends, averaging 5.5 runs per game while going 5-3 against Abilene Christian and Lamar.
 
Barbier inserted junior outfielder Larson Fontenot in the starting lineup after Game 1 of the Abilene Christian series. In the seven ensuing games, Fontenot has gone 6-for-15 at the plate with five walks.
 
A 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, Fontenot was hit by a pitch seven times in four games against Lamar.
 
"Larson had not had an opportunity for most of the year," Barbier said. "He took advantage of it. He can fly. I mean he can really run. If he gets on base, he scores. He fights to get on base whatever way he can. That's something we need to do throughout the whole lineup. The last two weekends, the offense has been better because of that. We've done a better job of taking those pitches down and staying in better counts."
 
Similarly, the offensive turnaround has been based on veteran hitters moving closer to their typical performances.
 
Senior outfielder/designated hitter Lenni Kunert has hit safely in eight of his past nine games, going 11-for-32 (.344) in that stretch, including his first home run of the season in the series finale against Lamar.
 
"Lenni had a tough start, like a lot of our guys had," Barbier said. "We talked about it a lot – the ice storm, being inside for a couple of weeks and facing a really good (Southern Miss) pitching staff to start. That can kill your confidence and get you in a bad way. It took us a while to get out of it. I get it. I was that guy – an older guy who pressed. Hopefully, he's turned the corner along with some of those other guys.
 
"It's not about a lack of work. It's about it not working out. In our game, it's like that sometimes. (Kunert) had the big three-run home run to put Sunday's game away, and he's given better at-bats the last two weeks."
 
Series Probables
Friday: Northwestern State RHP Johnathan Harmon (2-2, 3.86) at Houston Baptist LHP Austin Spinney (0-4, 4.75)
Saturday: Northwestern State LHP Cal Carver (3-3, 3.43) and RHP Levi David (2-3, 3.48) at Houston Baptist TBA and TBA
Sunday: Northwestern State TBA at Houston Baptist TBA