NATCHITOCHES – Renewed rivalries, exciting tournament weekends with noteworthy competition and the standard Southland Conference gauntlet mark the beginning of the Lacy Prejean era for Northwestern State softball in 2024.
 
Prejean announced her team's schedule on Thursday, one that features four tournament weekends across Texas and Louisiana, four home conference weekends and a handful of midweek matchups with regional and in-state rivals.
 
The loaded non-conference slate begins in San Marcos, Texas, at the Texas State Tournament, Feb. 8-10 where the Demons will play five games in three days to open the season. Opening day will see NSU face host Texas State and UTSA before meeting with Creighton, SIU and Kennesaw State the next two days.
 
For the first time since they were conference foes, NSU and Stephen F. Austin will renew their rivalry on Feb. 13 with the Demons traveling to Nacogdoches for the first of two midweek doubleheader meeting between the two schools.
 
Two more weekends on the road follow that first midweek contest taking the Demons to Houston for five more games as the Houston Classic before their first game in the state of Louisiana coming the following week at ULM's annual Best on the Bayou Tournament.
 
The Demons open that weekend with their first game against ULM since 2021 and just the second since 2017. They will also see former Southland foe Sam Houston for two games that weekend along with former Big East champions and current ACC team Syracuse marking the first all-time meeting with the Orange.
 
After three weeks on the road and 17 total games, fans will get their first chance to see the Demons at home when they host SFA in the back half of the home-and-home doubleheader with the Lumberjacks on Feb. 27.
 
The final preparation before conference play sends the Demons to Austin, Texas, and the Longhorn Invitational. NSU will take on Texas, who finished 2023 ranked No. 11 in the country, in the second game of the day after their meeting with Hofstra. The final non-conference game before the start of SLC play pits the Demons against Penn State that same weekend.
 
NSU opens conference play at home against Nicholls on March 8, the first of four home Southland weekends this year. The Demons also host McNeese (March 28-29), Texas A&M-Commerce (April 19-20) and UIW (May 3-4) at the Demon Diamond this season.
 
Sprinkled throughout the Southland slate are three midweek games against familiar in-state foes and neighbors Louisiana Tech and Grambling. NSU continues its home-and-home meetings with the Bulldogs in Ruston on March 12 and in Natchitoches on April 16. The Demons final non-conference game of the season will be a home game against Grambling on April 30.
 
The Demons travel to Lamar (March 15-16), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (March 22-23), Southeastern (April 12-13) and HCU (April 26-27) for their road conference slate.
 
The Southland Conference Tournament will be held May 7-11 at North Oak Park in Hammond, La.
 
VIP season tickets for NSU softball are available now for $75 (chair backs) and $55 (general admission bleacher). 
 
Single-game tickets will go on sale Feb. 12. For more information, visit www.nsutickets.com or call 318-357-4268.