LAKE CHARLES, La. – Before the season began, Northwestern State softball and second-year head coach Jenny Fuller set a goal of earning a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament.
 
On Thursday, that goal will officially be realized.
 
"We're super excited to be in this position to make the tournament, especially after last year where we finished last in the conference," Fuller said. "For us going in as a six seed we have nothing to lose and it's about us having fun and enjoying this moment. This is just another building block to where our program is headed."
 
The No. 6 seed Demons (24-27, 13-14) will make their 24^th appearance in the conference tournament, the first since 2023 and the second most of any program in the league's history, when they take on No. 3 seed Nicholls (29-21, 17-10) at 7 p.m. from Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond.
 
Tickets for the tournament are available through McNeese by visiting the link nsudemons.com/SLCSBTournament2026. Single-event tickets purchased grant fans access to both games on that day. Full weekend tournament passes are also available. All games of the Lake Charles bracket will air on ESPN+ with all NSU game also available on 100.7 FM KZBL.
 
 After wrapping up the regular season this past weekend at home against Nicholls, the Demons have them again in the first game of the tournament. 
 
The Colonels took the first two games of the series in convincing fashion, but NSU responded with a 5-3 victory in the finale on Saturday.
 
Sister Arnold delivered the clutch two-run double that gave NSU the lead and Mattison Buster danced her way around a pair of seventh-inning baserunners to pick up her 21^st win of the season to tie the NSU single-season record.
 
"Beating them in that last game gives us momentum and confidence," Fuller said. "So we know that we are capable of doing it. At the same time we know how good Nicholls is so we have to be locked in, do our prep and let the rest take care of itself."
 
The Demons had back-to-back 10-hit performances in the final two games of the series, including one against Colonel ace Molly Yoo, who threw a shutout in the game one of the weekend. It was just the second time this year NSU had 10 or more hits in consecutive games.
 
Getting those hits at the right time, especially with runners in scoring position, is something that had eluded the Demons over the previous two weeks.
NSU has left seven or more runners on base in each of the past nine conference games. But after going 7-for-30 (.233) in RBI opportunities at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the first game against Nicholls, the Demons were 11-for-26 (.423) in the final two games of the series, despite going 0-for-6 with the bases loaded.
 
"We were fighting through things at the plate seemingly for a little bit there," Fuller said. "Sometimes that happens and you just have to keep going and keep fighting through that adversity. Really felt like we did that in game three and if the hitters can keep that same mentality going into this weekend that we're peaking at the perfect time."
 
The Demons will be looking for not only that productive hitting to continue Thursday, but also for a repeat of their most recent conference tournament opener. 
 
NSU, also the No. 6 seed in 2023, faced No. 3 seed Nicholls its first game in Lake Charles. Behind a six-run eighth inning ignited by a Kat Marshall leadoff home run that still may not have landed, NSU beat Nicholls 8-2.
 
Seven of the freshmen from that Nicholls team will suit up again on Thursday against the Demons, this time as seniors.
 
Claire Sisco, who earned the final SLC Hitter of the Week honor of the year after hitting .714 and reaching base in 10-of-12 plater appearances against NSU, is one of those seniors. She had a pair of multi-hit games against the Demons and added to her league-leading 28 stolen bases.
 
Yoo also appeared in that 2023 matchup, taking the loss after throwing 4.0 innings of relief before allowing Marshall's go-ahead home run, followed by a walk and RBI triple.
 
The Demons got to Yoo in this past Saturday's finale, collecting 10 hits against her, the most she's allowed in a game this season. The five runs were also the second most scored against, behind six put up by UIW.
 
While the Colonels have four years of conference tournament experience under their belts, led by veterans like Sisco and Yoo, the entire NSU roster will be making its SLC Tournament debut on Thursday night.
 
"It's about us enjoying it and having fun right now," Fuller said. "We've worked hard this whole year to get here. We've had ups and downs, but at the end of the day I want them to enjoy this moment and use it to propel this program in the future."
 
Stay connected to NSU softball for updates throughout the tournament by following @NSUDemonsSB on social media and visiting the softball page on nsudemons.com.