NATCHITOCHES – With a little bit of everything happening on the Northwestern State campus this weekend, the final regular season softball series is following suit at the Demon Diamond.
 
For the Demons (23-25, 12-12), it's a chance to resharpen its edge heading into the postseason, celebrate three important seniors and potentially shake up the top of the Southland Conference standings.
 
NSU welcomes Nicholls (27-20, 15-9) for a three-game set beginning with a Friday doubleheader at 4 p.m. and concluding Saturday at noon. All three games will stream on ESPN+, with Friday's opener and Saturday's finale also airing on 100.7 FM KZBL. Game times throughout the weekend remain weather dependent.
 
Friday will serve as Bad Tunes night where fans have the opportunity to purchase and choose walk-up songs for the Nicholls players. Visit nsudemons.com/softballbadtunes for more details. Saturday will serve as senior day for three NSU players – Britt Bourgoyne (2B), Erin Kirkland (P) and JT Smith (CF) – with senior presentation following the game.
 
There will be prizes, games and giveaways for fans on both days.
 
No matter what unfolds on the field, one thing is already secured: Northwestern State is headed back to the Southland Conference Tournament for the first time since 2023. That reality has shifted the tone entering the weekend, especially after a frustrating finish to the road portion of the conference schedule a week ago.
 
"We're already in the tournament and we basically have nothing to lose this weekend," head coach Jenny Fuller said. "We've already surpassed a lot of people's expectations and tripled our wins from last year and overall having a great season. So I think it's go out there, have fun and play hard for the seniors. Don't let the moment get too big or too bright and just have fun out there. We played Nicholls well last year so looking forward to doing that again."
 
Despite being swept last weekend at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Demons found positives in the underlying numbers. NSU piled up 26 hits across the three games, tied for its third-highest total in a conference series this season, and struck out just twice the entire weekend, matching its lowest total in any three-game stretch this year. Defensively, the Demons were equally active, throwing out five runners on the basepaths in the extra-inning opener.
 
Picking up those hits in more timely situations, with runners on base, will again be the key for the Demons this weekend and beyond. NSU left an average of eight runners on base per game across the three-game series on the island.
 
The bats and the defense will be tested against one of the league's most experienced and balanced teams this weekend.
 
Nicholls enters the series with its sights set on a potential No. 2 seed and hosting position in the upcoming conference tournament, leaning heavily on a veteran core that has grown together over multiple seasons.
 
"They have a bunch of seniors on their team with a lot of experience," Fuller said. "They've grown together over the years and that's something you can't replicate. Beyond that what sticks out to me is how good their pitching is. Two lefties that can bring it and other pitchers around them that complement them. It's going to be up to our hitters this weekend to come through."
 
The Colonels' pitching staff has been among the conference's best all season, ranking second in the Southland with a 3.40 team ERA. Two-time Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week Molly Yoo leads the group with a 15-9 record and 10 conference wins, ranking among the league leaders in innings pitched (141.1) and complete games (11). She is joined by fellow senior arms Sierra Ouellette and Averi Paden, giving Nicholls a deep and experienced rotation.
 
That experience continues offensively. Each of the Colonels' top four hitters are seniors, headlined by Claire Sisco, who is batting .377 on the year. Sisco leads the conference with 26 stolen bases and ranks among the top five in runs scored, making her a catalyst at the top of the lineup.
 
While Nicholls leans on a large senior class, Northwestern State will honor three players making their final appearances at Demon Diamond on Saturday — Britt Bourgoyne, Erin Kirkland and JT Smith. All three arrived in Natchitoches as senior or graduate transfers that chose to play their collegiate seasons as a Demon and quickly became central figures in the program's resurgence.
 
"I'm so grateful for all three of them because they all took a chance on a program that didn't have a ton of wins and wanted to be a part of getting it going in the right direction," Fuller said. "All three of them have helped us do that. 
 
"JT has shown her leadership in the outfield and the team how to play hard. Britt has been phenomenal on defense for us this year and Erin has brought in a lot of knowledge and been a strong leader in the bullpen. I'm so grateful for them and lucky that they wanted to come here when they easily could have gone anywhere else. Fortunate that they took a chance on the Demons."
 
The Demons' destination for the bracket-play round of the SLC Tournament will be determined on Saturday afternoon. NSU could finish the season anywhere from the five-seed to the seven-seed.
 
A five seed would send them to Hammond, La., while any other finish will send them to one of four possible locations that will be determined this weekend.