NATCHITOCHES – At 6:30 p.m. Friday, the first base dugout at Brown-Stroud Field will be shared by a full group of Northwestern State Demons for the first time since this past May.
 
Northwestern opens its 2026 season at that time, hosting former Southland Conference rival UT Arlington in the first of a three-game series that also includes a 6:30 p.m. Saturday matchup and a 2 p.m. Sunday series finale. Friday's and Sunday's games will air on ESPN+.
 
"The intrasquad portion has run its course, and now it's time to go compete as one team and as one family in one dugout against someone else," third-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. "It's hard to contain the level of excitement – not only in playing but in opening up at home in front of our fans and continuing to build the baseball program one step at a time, one year at a time. We feel like we have some great momentum going."
 
A season after improving their win total by 13 games, the Demons are seeking balance.
 
Northwestern much replace much of its everyday lineup, but the Demons return a heavy portion of their pitching staff – a group that includes three pitchers (Carter White, Dylan Marionneaux and Chase Prestwich) who own multiple Friday-night starts in their careers.
 
White (4-1, 2.65 in 2025) emerged as the Demons' series-opening starter late in the season while Marionneaux (4-4, 5.01) opened 2025 as the Demons' top starter and Hillen (7-1, 5.54) solidified the back end of the weekend rotation, sharing the team lead with 14 starts.
 
"We want to take advantage of the strengths of the personnel and strike a balance where you can," Bertrand said. "That balance is the level of experience of starting on the weekends. We couldn't be any more excited about those three guys. We're obviously excited to have Carter White back after the way he rehabbed and developed in the fall. We're excited to have Slim (Marionneaux) and Trent back with the level of experience they bring to the table. We're excited to write those three names on those three lineup cards, because it gives us a chance to go out and compete and win ballgames."
 
The weekend rotation is part of a pitching staff that returns 74.4 percent of its innings from a season ago.
 
The Demon position player group, however, will have numerous new faces.
 
Second baseman Hudson Brignac is the lone holdover who started more than 35 games a season ago. Junior right fielder Colin Rains reached that number while catchers Mason Wray (26) and Sebastian Huerta (21) cracked the 20-start mark.
 
Northwestern's newcomer class featured a pair of transfers from NCAA regional participant Western Kentucky – first baseman/outfielder Thomas Marsala III and outfielder Joe Siervo – and two other Division I transfers. In addition to the former Hilltoppers, the Demons added shortstop Sam Ardoin from UL Lafayette and infielder Grant Comeaux from Louisiana Tech.
 
"Every offseason, when you go through your self-evaluation phase and you go into the roster-construction phase, you ask, 'What is it we need?'" Bertrand said. "How do we strike a balance, and what does that balance look like? Whether that balance becomes position players and pitchers or freshman and seniors or right-handed and left-handed, everything we do, we try to strike that balance.
 
"Our coaching staff has done a wonderful job of building this team and developing and preparing this team in a manner where we feel there is balance."
 
The Mavericks enter their second year under skipper Mike Trapasso coming off a 21-33 mark a season ago.
 
UTA returns three of its top eight qualifying hitters and its top starting pitcher, right-hander Caylon Dygert (7-4), who will start the season opener Friday.
 
"There's quite a multitude of new players for them and a coaching staff that is hitting their stride in their first year with the full-time tag," Bertrand said. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for (head) coach Mike Trapasso and coach (Mike) Taylor. Those guys have been in the game for a long time at a really high level.
 
"We're going to prepare as hard as we can, and we're going to tell our team, 'Let's concern ourselves, first, with the way we play – the way we go out and try to execute clean baseball.' When they say play ball, if you throw strikes, put the baseball in play and if you have quality at-bats strung together and play sound defense, the Demons are going to find themselves in position to win."
 
Series Probables (2025 stats):
Friday: UTA RHP Caylon Dygert (7-4, 4.04) at NSU LHP Carter White (4-1, 2.65)
Saturday: UTA LHP Ty Zahradnik (1-3, 5.40) at NSU RHP Dylan Marionneaux (4-4, 5.01)
Sunday: UTA RHP Dylan Skolfield (10-1, 2.70) at NSU RHP Trent Hillen (7-1, 5.54)