SAN ANTONIO – Every Southland Conference weekend baseball series brings with it a different set of challenges.
 
This weekend, Northwestern State's challenge is playing in arguably the most offensive-friendly ballpark it has seen in the 2026 season.
 
The Demons hit the road for their first of five conference road trips this season, heading to San Antonio to face UIW at Sullivan Field presented by H-E-B. Friday's series opener is set for 2:05 p.m. with Saturday's game starting at the same time. Sunday's series finale will begin at 1:05 p.m.
 
The bookend games of the weekend will air on ESPN+ with free streaming audio available through www.NSUDemons.com and the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app.
 
"Another opportunity to discover, another opportunity to learn, another opportunity, honestly, to strike balance," third-year head coach Chris Bertran said. "In addition to the facility itself, you look at how good the Demons have been at home and what has taken place on the road in the five road games we have played so far. So it's us learning how to be a better road team, a better away team, learning how to play in different ballparks against different styles of baseball.
 
"It's an extremely difficult place to win, an extremely difficult place to go in and compete, but we have to find a way to strike that balance and find a way, with everything going on, to make it about us. How can we improve? How can we continue to overcome some of the adversity and the things we've been dealt."
 
Northwestern (7-6, 1-2) enters the weekend set following a pair of victories to close out a four-game homestand.
 
In Tuesday's 13-1, seven-inning victory against Grambling, the Demons solved a conundrum that had built through their first 12 games of the season.
 
In those first 12 games, Northwestern scored a single first-inning run – in Game 1 of a Feb. 21 doubleheader at Central Arkansas. The Demons erased that issue with an 11-run first inning to set the tone for the win against the Tigers.
 
"We want to continue to be of the mind-set that we are going to use those lessons – as we check those boxes and file them away as lessons learned and value pulled from that knowledge – and how we can turn around and use that to execute moving forward," Bertrand said. "I'm really proud of the guys for what it is in the last two games that we've been able to learn about ourselves and what we've been able to check. It really only is as good as if you put it to use moving forward."
 
Northwestern's first SLC road trip serves as the first home conference series for the Cardinals (7-6, 1-2), who dropped two of three on the road to Houston Christian a week ago.
 
UIW enters the weekend leading the Southland Conference in home runs (23), home runs per game (1.77) and slugging percentage (.513). All three of those totals rank in the top 32 nationally.
 
The Cardinals' strength will match up with what has been a strength for Northwestern. The Demons' 3.98 team ERA leads the Southland as does their 7.97 hits per nine innings allowed and 3.43 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
In the past five games, Northwestern pitchers have scattered 26 hits across 42 innings.
 
In the Demons' first Southland series against Southeastern Louisiana, the bullpen delivered 11 1-3 innings of four-hit, two-run relief while striking out 12.
 
Northwestern will send out the same starting rotation it has used in the first three weeks this weekend as left-hander Carter White (0-2, 7.80) starts the opener and is followed by right-handers Dylan Marionneaux (0-2, 4.41) and Trent Hillen (1-1, 5.93) on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
 
"Incredible job by (pitching coach) Dan (Hlad) and the entire pitching staff," Bertrand said. "Incredible job by our bullpen, specifically in the moments where we have been great. (Tuesday night) we spoke about how it's belief, conviction and work ethic – all of those elements. It's blue-collar around here. It's gritty around here. Those guys put in some dirty, dirty work on a daily basis.
 
"They have conviction, which is a word that comes out of our dugout a lot. You have to have conviction that the preparation is correct, conviction in the pitch you want to throw, conviction in executing that pitch and driving the baseball. It's that belief and conviction and work ethic that has led to their success."