LAKE CHARLES – One look at the Southland Conference baseball standings tells the story of what is on the line for the Northwestern State baseball team this weekend.
 
As the Demons prepare to open their final three-game, regular-season series at McNeese on 6 p.m. Thursday, they are perfectly fine with knowing what's ahead of them – until the game starts.
 
"The scenarios need to be discussed and need to be recognized, but once they say, 'Play ball,' you have to throw all of those numbers and scenarios and records out the window," third-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. "We're preparing for what we know is a very well-balanced team, a very hot team right now. A team that is coming off having the pitcher and the hitter of the week in our conference. They're hot right now. We know they're very well coached and will be very well prepared. We are preparing ourselves for what we know is, once you recognize what the scenarios are and what is out in front of you, you have to do a good job of saying yes (to it), but putting that away and preparing yourself for a well-prepared, well-coached, very balanced and hot baseball team. We have to answer the bell in that regard."
 
In addition to Thursday's opener, the series also includes a 6 p.m. Friday night matchup and a 2 p.m. Saturday series finale. All three games will air on ESPN+ with radio coverage on 100.7 FM KZBL for the first two games of the series. The third game of the series will have free streaming audio available through www.NSUDemons.com and the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
 
For the Demons (25-21, 16-11) everything is in front of them.
 
Northwestern enters the weekend with a mathematical chance to become outright Southland Conference champions. The Demons also could find themselves in the lower half of the bracket for the Southland Conference Tournament, which begins May 14 at the campuses of the top two finishers in the conference.
 
Northwestern sits two games behind conference-leading Southeastern Louisiana and one game behind second-place Lamar. The Demons do not own the tiebreaker with either team they are chasing.
 
"It seems like we find ourselves in these types of situation year after year," Bertrand said. "It's a matter of balancing it out. I'm proud of the situation we've put ourselves in to be in contention. I'm proud that there is still so much to play for. At the same time, we have to balance that with the idea that it still becomes, to some degree, about us in the way we go out and play, the way we respond to things that happen, the way we go out and know there is everything we want out in front of us. We still have to not allow that to be a distraction or to force us into a pressing situation. We still have to go out and play Demon baseball."
 
Much of that success starts on the mound where the Demons lead the Southland Conference in ERA (4.38) and rank second in that category in league play (4.55).
 
Northwestern will send right-handers Dylan Marionneaux (4-2, 3.64) and Kevin Robinson (0-3, 3.45) to the mound with the game three start to be determined. McNeese will counter with left-hander Cooper Golden (2-4, 6.04), right-hander Eric Nachtsheim (6-3, 3.63) and right-hander Carlos Garcia (0-1, 3.21) in its rotation.
 
"There's that element of balance," Bertrand said. "We're proud of the guys who have toed the rubber and had good performances and given us chances to win. Regardless of the results, I'm proud of the next-man-up attitude as we've battled some things. I'm proud of the fact that when our guys toe the rubber they fight and compete. Good performances and results come from pitching clean. When we pitch clean, when we execute pitches, when we get off the field with two outs, when we put the at-bat away when we get to two strikes, obviously, good things happen. We want those guys to have success and taste success, but what we also recognize is our responsibility in other phases of the game to complement them.
 
"We want the defense and the offense and the way we play to complement the great performance and the great jobs our pitchers have done throughout the course of this season."
 
Series probables
Thursday: Northwestern State RHP Dylan Marionneaux (4-2, 3.64) at McNeese LHP Cooper Golden (2-4, 6.04)
Friday: Northwestern State RHP Kevin Robinson (0-3, 3.45) at McNeese RHP Eric Nachtsheim (6-3, 3.63)
Saturday: Northwestern State TBA at McNeese RHP Carlos Garcia (0-1, 3.21)