MONROE – For the first time in more than a decade, Northwestern State and ULM will meet more than twice in a baseball season – and it will come a few hours earlier than expected.
 
The third of three meetings between the former Southland Conference rivals arrives at 2 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN+ at ULM's Lou St. Amant Field. The start time has been moved up because of expected inclement weather in the Monroe area later Tuesday and into Wednesday.
 
The last time the Demons (11-22) and Warhawks (15-17) played more than twice in a season was in 2013 when they met four times.
 
"We're excited any time we get to play the type of games that are so meaningful to the program and to everybody around it," first-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. "That was a wonderful idea Fed (ULM head coach Mike Federico) came up with, and we're going to do it next year and for years to come. From a scheduling standpoint, it allows everyone to get involved. The fanbases are able to travel well and see quality baseball. I think it's a great thing anytime you get to play in-state opponents and former Southland rivals. Those games mean something to the fans."
 
While the Demons have dropped each of the first two meetings this season, the series finale comes with a sense of normalcy that the first two meetings have not produced for NSU.
 
Both meetings with the Warhawks have been part of double midweek sets for the Demons. The first, a 9-2 ULM win on Feb. 27, was the Demons' first midweek game of the year while last week's 10-6 ULM win came on the back end of consecutive midweek game for the Demons.
 
The third and final regular-season meeting for the former Southland rivals, who shared conference membership from 1987-2006, is the Demons' lone midweek matchup of the week ahead of a three-game Southland Conference series at Nicholls.
 
It also means the Demons are able to throw freshman right-hander Kevin Robinson (1-1, 3.00), who has become NSU's typical midweek starter and picked up his first career win in the Demons' April 2 victory at Grambling. ULM, meanwhile, counters with left-hander Brandt Corley (2-1, 8.44), who has started both games against the Demons this season.
 
"He's settled into that role," Bertrand said. "At the end of the day, whenever you remove the circumstances – a double midweek or an earlier start time – it's our next chance to game plan and to prepare. It's the next logical step for our team. It's the next start for Kevin. It's the next game for us to carve out some bullpen roles, to try some things offensively – a way to do so many things within the program."
 
That includes the continuing education program the Demons have been on for the first 33 games of the season.
 
"Playing them for the third time, especially with us coming out on the short end of it the first two times, it's another opportunity for us to grow, to learn and to compete," Bertrand said. "It's another opportunity for us to say, 'What did we learn that we can take with us? How can we come out of it with a win? How can we learn from our mistakes and sharpen our strengths?' We've talked about it all year, and we won't stop talking about our team growing, learning and using all of our experiences. Regardless of the setup or if it's a road game or if it's a third game of a series, none of that stuff matters as long as we use the lessons to grow and develop the program."
 
Probable Pitchers
Northwestern State RHP Kevin Robinson (1-1, 3.00) at ULM LHP Brandt Corley (2-1, 8.44)