NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State will look to keep the bats warm on a cool night when it hosts Texas Southern in the first of a home-and-home series with the Tigers this year on Tuesday night.
 
The Demons (12-18, 1-5) totaled 27 hits in their three-game series this past weekend at Lamar including consecutive games with double-digit hits for the first time this year. In their only midweek game across the next four weeks of the season, they hope to keep the good vibes at the plate going when they return to the Demon Diamond.
 
First pitch for the midweek contest is set for 5 p.m., moved up from the original 6 p.m. start due to a forecasted dip in temperatures Tuesday evening. The game will air on ESPN+ and also serve as a Bark at the Park presented by BOM, where fans are encouraged to bring their leashed dogs to the ballpark.
 
"I challenged them at practice last week about our execution and the lack of over the games prior," head coach Lacy Prejean said. "And just about selling out on the adjustments we need to make at the plate. We did that extremely well this past weekend. We had timely hitting. Hits with two outs. Our role players came off the bench and started rallies for us. As an offense that is so good to see at this time of year."
 
The 27 hits against Lamar were the second most of any three-game span this season for the Demons. They collected 31 over the final two game of the weekend at the Longhorn Invitational, including the season-high 13 against Tarleton State, and the first game of the series against Nicholls.
 
Three players, Tristin Court, Ashlyn Walker and Taylor Williams, all had five hits on the weekend but just one of their 15 combined went for extra bases, Court's team-leading 12^th double in the series finale. She continues to lead the Southland and ranks fourth nationally in doubles this season.
 
The Demons had just three hits go for extra bases for the week, the lowest total this season, with a pair of double from Court and a clutch two-run triple, the first of her career, from Cameron Curtis. The crop of base hits the Demons picked up however played directly into their more aggressive style on the base paths under Prejean.
 
In 30 games this year the Demons have already surpassed the total number of steals from a year ago with 31 on 40 total attempts. They stole four in one game against the Cardinals and five total in the series. The 31 steals and counting is the most in a season for the Demons since swiping 59 in 2019.
 
"We have the opportunity to play and home and put some offensive numbers on the board that we're capable of doing to continue what we did over the weekend," Prejean said. "If we can do that, we give our team the chance to win. As long as we score one more run than them it'll reflect how we want it to in the wins and losses."
Even with the production at the plate on the upswing, the Demon pitching staff looks for more of a return to form from earlier in the season after an up and down weekend at Southeast Texas.
 
The Cardinals scored 12 runs in two games with 13 hits in those games getting a fair amount of help with some free passes along the way creating run-scoring chances.
 
 "When we score the other team doesn't," Prejean said. "When we get offensive momentum, we need those shutdown innings in order to keep it. We struggled a little bit with that this weekend and gave up too many free bases and let them put the ball in play with less than two outs and runner's in scoring position where we needed a strikeout or a pop up instead. 
 
"We didn't execute pitches well in those crunch time situations. So we want some clean innings tomorrow. Some 12 to 15 pitch innings. Some three up, three down innings more frequently. Pitch execution and getting hitters out with that execution is what I want to see from them in this game and going forward."
 
NSU pitchers gave up 13 total free passes to Cardinal hitters over the weekend. Three of those walks came around to score with a fourth bringing in a run with the bases loaded, the only run Lamar scored in NSU's 6-1 win.
 
The Demons look to see that number come way down against a Texas Southern team that had their SWAC series with UAPB postponed this past weekend. The Tigers have walked 42 times this year in 13 total games including five in two games against Lamar a month ago where they split a pair of one-run games with the Cardinals.