HAMMOND – The start of the postseason means a clean slate for every team.
 
That's the mindset for Northwestern State as it enters the Southland Conference Tournament on Tuesday as the No. 4 seed and takes on No. 5 UIW after a disappointing ending to the regular season over the weekend.
 
First pitch for the tournament's opening game is set for 12 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+. An audio broadcast of the game will also be available at www.nsudemons.com/showcase and the NSU Athletics mobile app with Patrick Netherton providing play-by-play.
 
The Lady Demons (28-20, 10-8) were swept by Southeastern this past weekend, the only time NSU lost all three games of a conference series this season, dropping from them contention for the No. 2 spot in the tournament.
 
The only other instance where NSU lost three games in a series came in mid-March in a non-conference set with Houston.
 
Following that weekend head coach Donald Pickett challenged his team. He challenged them to be stronger mentally, play with more savvy and work hard. A similar message was delivered following a series where NSU scored four runs on 12 hits, the fewest against an SLC opponent this season, while allowing 21 on 24 hits, the most against an SLC opponent this season.
 
The Lady Demons responded in a big way after the first challenge, winning the next five games in a row and 11 out of 12. Keely DuBois was in the midst of one of the best offensive stretches of the season where she batted .425 in her 23-game on-base streak and the pitching staff held opponents to four hits or less six different times.
 
NSU hopes to see that type of production once again over the next handful of days in a place where Pickett hopes the team is a bit more comfortable after having just played three games on the tournament field.
 
"There are a lot of kids on our team this year that haven't played there before this past weekend," he said. "Hopefully those few games gave them the opportunity to get comfortable and confident in everything and know what to expect a little. But we're going to have to play our best ball no matter what. That's what you have to do at this time of the year to win."
 
The comfortability on the field, combined with recent success in the opening round, and the opponent could set the Lady Demons up for a good start to a good week. NSU has won its previous three first or opening round games in the conference tournament and have won at least two games in each of those years.
 
The Lady Demons swept the Cardinals in the final home series of the year April 22-23.
 
Sage Hoover threw the 15^th no-hitter in program history in the series opener and Bronte Rhoden twirled a two-hit shutout with a career-high 12 strikeouts.
 
NSU has won eight in a row against the Cardinals and 10 of the last 12 meetings. Tuesday's game is the first meeting between NSU and UIW in the postseason. The winner faces top-seed McNeese in the second round on Wednesday at 11 a.m.