HOUSTON – Confidence is key in nearly every aspect of life. Following a five-win week, Northwestern State has a brewing confidence that has begun to percolate at just the right time entering the first weekend of Southland Conference play.
 
The Lady Demons (17-12) open league competition with a trip to Houston Baptist (10-12) beginning with a Friday doubleheader at 4 p.m. and finishing with a Saturday matinee at 12 p.m. All games can be seen with subscription on ESPN+ with live stat feeds available a www.nsudemons.com.
 
"We have confidence, but we weren't really showing it," short stop Keely DuBois said about the tough weekend in Houston two weeks ago. "I think now that we're actually showing it on the field things are coming together really nice."
 
DuBois' three home runs and 11 RBIs were just one piece of a confident and dynamic offensive onslaught for the Lady Demons in their five wins this past week. The top three batters in the lineup – Bailie Ragsdale, Taylor Williams and Laney Roos – each had 10 hits in the six games setting the stage for what was a relentless attack throughout the week.
 
"It comes down to one through nine being more consistent and not leaving those runners out there," head coach Donald Pickett said about taking advantage of situations with runners on base. "Being able to score more than one run in an inning is huge for us and if we do make a mistake elsewhere, we're still in the game. I'm confident in our players and our hitters and think they're going to get it done and now it's still about putting all three phases together regularly."
 
With her three home runs this past week DuBois joined Roos and Kat Marshall who also have five Demon Dingers this season, making them the first trio since 2018 with five or more home runs in a season, with still 20 games left.
 
She is also riding a 16-game on-base streak into the weekend, that by no coincidence, has helped produce all nine of NSU's games this year with double-digit hits during that same stretch.
 
"I'm feeling really good," DuBois said. "I know at the beginning of the season I was struggling a lot and it was tough. I didn't think I was ever going to get through it.
 
"I had to remind myself that I know how to hit, I know how to play and just get out there and do what I know how to do."
 
A reminder to DuBois, who is one of seven everyday starters in who are freshmen or sophomores, that the young team with plenty of talent still has growth to make but gradually taking those steps week over week.
 
"We had some tough games there where we made some mistakes, but we kept playing and kept fighting and able to pull those games out," Pickett said about the Memphis weekend. "I think that's a big step in the right direction for us, especially being young and learning how to handle when things don't go our way and to keep playing."
 
With confidence at the plate, continued confidence in the pitching circle and the first week of conference play on the horizon, the Lady Demons will look to bring a sharp focus into the series with the Huskies.
 
"They've beaten some really good teams and are always very competitive," Pickett said. "It's not easy to go and win a series against them, especially on the road on opening weekend. They've got some really good offensive players we're going to have to try and keep off base and in the park."
 
HBU went down to the wire at Texas A&M in its midweek game on Wednesday night, hitting a two-run home run in the sixth to tie the game at four before eventually falling on a walk-off in the seventh.
 
After an 0-for-3 night against the Aggies, the conference's leading hitter and Husky leadoff batter, Shelby Echols saw her average drop to .538 on the season, fourth best in the country. It was the first time this season she was held without a hit, snapping a 20-game hitting streak.
 
With just six conference weekends in 2022 each series and each game takes on an even larger priority to play well for positioning in the seven-team conference tournament.
 
"Every weekend is so important," Pickett said. "Each and every game is so important for seedings at the end and sometimes when you let games get away early it comes back to bite you later. Hopefully we'll get out to a good start and continue to build on us and get rolling at the right time."