HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Northwestern State baseball team continues its month-long schedule of reunions Wednesday night.
 
Although the personal ties between the Demons and Sam Houston are not as deep as some of the other programs on Northwestern State's March schedule, the two share plenty of memories from their shared time in the Southland Conference. First pitch in the resumption of the rivalry is set for 6:30 p.m. Free streaming audio will be available through www.NSUDemons.com and the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
 
"Just an incredible baseball team, a very well-run and well-coached program," first-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. "People we have the utmost respect for. Again, another challenge for our team, and on our end, a welcomed challenge. We talked about it through the first 20 games – and this will be 21 – we continue to challenge ourselves, and we want to learn from every one of those experiences. Tomorrow concludes the journey of learning that, hopefully, we get to put to use as conference play begins.
 
"By no means are we looking past it, because we're going to go compete, but at the same time, it's another opportunity to grow and learn and figure out some things we can use for the second half of the season and the beginning of Southland play."
 
The Bearkats (13-7 ahead of Tuesday's game against Baylor) and Demons (5-15) entered the Southland together in 1987 and remained conference mates through 2021 when Sam Houston exited the league.
 
Since 1990, the Demons lead the series with their longtime rivals, 53-43.
 
Sam Houston is in its first season in Conference USA, marking the second straight C-USA opponent for Northwestern State, which played its past four games against C-USA member Louisiana Tech. Facing multiple opponents from the same conference has been a theme of the Demons' non-conference schedule as Northwestern State had a six-game stretch from Feb. 27-March 6 against three different Sun Belt Conference foes ULM, UL Lafayette and Troy.
 
The Bearkats also are one of the Demons' three non-conference opponents who reached the 2023 NCAA Tournament, joining defending national champion LSU and Troy.
 
"We talk about that a lot in the fact that you want to be yourselves and put your own stamp on things, but at the same time, you have to learn from every experience," Bertrand said. "The experience of seeing the way those ballclubs are built, the way in which those ballclubs play, the way in which those ballclubs execute baseball at a very high level, there are plenty of things you can learn from it. That's why we call it an experience and an opportunity while understanding the challenge it is."
 
For the third straight week, Northwestern State will send freshman right-hander Kevin Robinson (0-1, 4.00) to the mound for a mid-week start.
 
Robinson's first two starts have provided him with learning experiences, including facing his father's alma mater, Louisiana Tech, a week ago.
 
"Starting against (UL) Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and now Sam Houston, that's throwing that guy into the fire," Bertrand said. "Just by continuing to give him opportunities and him making the most of those opportunities is a learning experience for our club. The things Kevin brings to the table supersede fastball, curveball, change-up. He brings a competitive spirit. He brings an attacking mentality. He brings a set of intangibles. He brings that sense of he's earned everything along the way. Continuing to give Kevin the baseball is a microcosm of what we want this team to be. We hope more people follow the lead of the intangible things Kevin sets in leading by example."
 
The Demons will try to continue to build on a rebound week offensively in which they averaged 7.5 runs per game in the four games against Louisiana Tech, scoring at least five runs in each of the four games with the Bulldogs.
 
A batting order shift moved second baseman Samuel Stephenson to the No. 2 spot in the lineup and the Arkansas Tech transfer responded by going 4-for-10, scoring five runs and drilling his second home run of the season.
 
Daniel Burroway, like Stephenson a first-year Demon, drove in five runs in the series, going 5-for-11 on the weekend. Burroway connected on his first home run and drove in a career-high three runs in Sunday's series finale in Ruston.
 
"You can see that with a lot of our guys," Bertrand said. "A lot of our guys are settling in on the mound. You've got guys settling in at the plate and finding their own game. We continue to search for consistency. Having players begin to settle in helps with the complementary nature of it. Now we have to play complementary baseball more consistently."