AUSTIN, Texas – Northwestern State saved its most challenging non-conference weekend for last with a four-game set at the Longhorn Invitational.
 
The Demons (9-10) begin the weekend with a split doubleheader on Friday against Hofstra at 10 a.m. before facing the No. 2 ranked Texas at 3 p.m. They will play single games on both Saturday and Sunday, facing Tarleton State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and closing the weekend against Penn State on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
 
The games on Friday and Sunday will all be available on the Longhorn Network which can be accessed via the ESPN app.
 
NSU faces the Longhorns in their second meeting against a team ranked second in the NFCA Top 25 in the past three seasons. The Demons took on then No. 2 Alabama during the 2022 season, the most recent contest against a ranked opponent. Texas, along with Penn State who sits just outside of the polls, and Tarleton are a combined 33-9 coming into the weekend.
 
"I'm excited for them to be able to play these kinds of game," first-year head coach Lacy Prejean said about the quality of opponent for the weekend. "Because that's why you do it. You want to play the best. That's why you work so hard because you want to play the best competition and go at it. That's what competitors want to do."
 
"It's going to be a great experience playing in Austin and at that stadium. Every game this weekend is going to be a dogfight. We have to come out every time ready to play. That is what this part of the season is about to get us ready for conference play."
 
The set of four games will be the final before Southland Conference play begins next weekend when NSU hosts Nicholls in the first three-game series of the year. 
 
Quality opposition serves as a prime opportunity for Prejean and the Demons to continue the overall growth and maturation of an offense that, after a roller coaster start to the season, has begun to find much more rhythm and consistency.
 
In the span of two games the Demons have had three innings where they scored four or more runs, including a season-high seven run outburst against Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday leading to the first run-rule win of the season.
 
They have also had seven or more hits in five of the past six games and are 4-1 during that stretch when they record that number of hits. The keen-eyed Demons have also drawn 14 walks in the past three games to leapfrog themselves to the top spot in the category in the conference and 15^th in the nation with 59 on the season. They are averaging just over three walks per game.
 
Getting runners on base of late has not been a problem, getting them around third and back to the plate has come in spurts. Finding more consistency in run-scoring opportunities is where Prejean wants to see the next steps taken.
 
"We left 13 runners on base in game two against SFA and that was the difference in the game," Prejean said. "With that said it does show how we have improved at the plate. We're getting runners on. We're having good at bats and making adjustments that second and third time through the lineup. Now the key is executing and getting the key hit in the crucial moment."
 
Getting those timely hits will go along way helping relieve some of the pressure the NSU pitching staff, which has held opponents to three runs or less in a game 11 times this season, will undoubtedly face on a weekend with three of their opponents batting .280 or better on the season.
 
"I've seen a ton of improvement in what we're doing at the plate from week one to now," Prejean said. "Very proud and very excited about that. And again, our pitchers gave us an opportunity to win and that's all you can ask of them. They've pitched a lot of innings under pressure because it's been a close game. That's hard to do every single inning of every game. We need to be able to help them out and give them some relief."