HAMMOND, La. – Northwestern State takes its hottest stretch of the season on the road this weekend, traveling to Southeastern for a three-game Southland Conference series and the annual Cypress Trophy showdown.
 
The Demons (14-15, 4-2) have won eight of their last 10 games, their best 10-game stretch since winning 11 of 12 during the 2022 season, and enter the weekend having outscored opponents 80-32 over their last 12 contests.
 
This weekend's series once again carries added meaning with the teams playing for the Cypress Trophy, a rivalry award created through the efforts of Marcia and Cameron Barr, who donated a bald cypress, the Louisiana state tree, to both universities to be planted at their respective facilities. 
 
Northwestern State won the trophy in the first two meetings in which it was contested in 2019 and 2021, but Southeastern (23-9, 6-0) has held it the past four seasons after sweeping the Demons each year.
 
The series begins with a Friday doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. and concludes with a single Saturday game at 12 p.m. All three games of the Cypress Trophy series will air on ESPN+, with live stats available at nsudemons.com. Both the series opener on Friday and the series finale on Saturday can also be heard locally in Natchitoches on 100.7 FM KZBL.
 
NSU enters the weekend with momentum on both sides of the ball, led by reigning Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week Mattison Buster.

The junior right-hander earned her second weekly honor of the season after tossing a 10-inning, one-hit shutout against McNeese in last Saturday's series finale.
 
Through two conference series, Buster owns a 2.08 ERA with 21 strikeouts while holding league hitters to a .190 average. She has four wins and four complete games in five conference appearances.
 
"I'm so proud of her because McNeese had some huge wins over the course of the season and nowadays it's harder than ever to pitch the first and third game of a series," head coach Jenny Fuller said. "She did that and came out with two wins and in today's climate that is huge. I'm so proud of her for stepping up and she was at her best when her best was needed."
 
Offensively, the Demons have shown patience at the plate during their recent run of success.

JT Smith, Brynn Daniel and Sister Arnold all have 15 or more walks this season and rank among the top 10 in the conference in the category, helping NSU move into third in the league with 104 walks as a team.
 
Arnold's leadoff walk in the 10th inning last weekend helped set up the game-winning run against McNeese, part of a stretch that has seen Northwestern State reach base consistently throughout the lineup.
 
Smith carries a 13-game reached-base streak into the weekend, while Daniel has reached safely in 11 straight games for the second time this season and Makynlie Jones has reached in nine straight.

Jones has recorded a hit in seven of the last nine games, raising her average more than 20 points during that span, while Smith swung the hottest bat on the team last week, going 5-for-8 with a .706 on-base percentage.
 
The Demons will be tested against one of the league's top teams in Southeastern, which enters the series on a nine-game winning streak, including six straight run-rule victories.
The Lions are coming off a 9-0 midweek win against Jackson State and have produced double-digit hits in nine consecutive games.
 
"We're excited to play a team as good as Southeastern," Fuller said. "They've had some huge wins too and made the NCAA Tournament the past couple of years. So we're preparing for how they play and excited to go down there and compete."
 
Southeastern leads the Southland in six offensive categories and three pitching categories and ranks eighth nationally with a 1.94 team ERA.

Haley Crawford, Cera Blanchard and Hallie Burns each own ERAs of 2.05 or lower while holding opponents under a .200 batting average.
 
Offensively, eight of the Lions' nine regular starters are hitting above .300, led by leadoff hitter Shelby Morris, who carries a .407 average and is 20-for-34 (.588) during her current nine-game hitting streak.
 
"Their pitching is just so solid," Fuller said. "They have multiple pitchers with ones for their ERA. Their hitting is really good too and they play with a lot of energy. For us to go there and compete we're definitely going to have to be dialed in on what we are doing."