NATCHITOCHES – Three games against College World Series participants, including defending national champion LSU, and 24 against state rivals highlight the 2026 Northwestern State baseball schedule.
 
Coach Chris Bertrand announced the 53-game slate Wednesday. The Demons will open the season at home with a three-game series against UT Arlington from Feb. 13-15, marking the third straight season for Northwestern to begin a season at home.
 
"We are sparked with excitement in accepting the challenge that this schedule brings," said Bertrand, who will begin his third season as the Demon skipper. "We can't wait to be in the same dugout with this team competing against such quality opponents day after day.  We feel as though we have built a team ready for this grind, and we welcome all that comes with it."
 
The opening series against the Mavericks is one of two non-conference series for the Demons – both of which come against former Southland Conference rivals. After the season-opening series with UTA, Northwestern will travel to Central Arkansas for a four-game series with the Bears from Feb. 20-22.
 
Those two series lead into the start of Southland Conference play when the Demons host Southeastern Louisiana in a three-game set from Feb. 27-March 1.
 
The matchup with the defending conference regular-season champions is one of five home conference series for the Demons.
 
Northwestern will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (March 13-15), New Orleans (March 20-22), HCU (April 10-12) and Stephen F. Austin (April 24-26) in Southland play. The Demons' five SLC road trips take them to UIW (March 6-8), Nicholls (March 27-29), UTRGV (April 4-6), Lamar (April 17-19) and McNeese (May 7-9).
 
NSU's 10 series carry into the eight-team, two-week Southland Conference Tournament, which begins May 14 at the home field of the top two finishers in the regular-season standings. The winners of the two four-team brackets will play in a best-of-three series next weekend for the Southland's automatic berth in the NCAA Regionals.
 
"Southland Conference baseball will test you week in and week out," Bertrand said. "We have so much respect for the programs in the league that we compete against because it requires you to be at your best. It requires you to be deep, tough, and consistent, and the Demons want to be about those characteristics. The blend of your non-conference and conference schedule is critical, in order that you are prepared, and we feel as though this blend will bring out the best in us."
 
Northwestern's midweek schedule features a trip to face defending national champion LSU on April 14 – one season after the Demons scored a seven-inning, run-rule victory in Baton Rouge. Also highlighting the road midweek schedule are a pair of games at CWS participant Arkansas on April 28-29. Those two games mark the first meeting between Northwestern and former head coach Dave Van Horn since the 2019 season when the teams split two games in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
 
In addition to LSU, Northwestern's midweek schedule includes home dates with ULM (Feb. 17, April 21), Grambling (March 3), Alcorn State (March 10), Louisiana Tech (April 7) and Southern (April 8). Midweek road trips for the Demons take them to UAPB (Feb. 18), Louisiana Tech (Feb. 24, May 5), Grambling (March 11), Southern (March 17), Tulane (March 18) and ULM (March 24).
 
"Baseball in Louisiana is in a really good place with so many quality programs that give us the ability to compete at the highest level," Bertrand said. "It's great for the programs, great for the fans, great for everyone involved. We look forward to those competitions for all the right reasons, but especially because of how it prepares us each day."
 
Season tickets for Northwestern State baseball are on sale on NSUTickets.com or through the NSU Athletics Ticket Office by calling 318-357-4268 or visiting in person in the Donald G. Kelly Athletic Complex Fieldhouse.