Nicholls State softball head coach Angel Santiago believes the team needs to create a new identity for themselves. Rather than making multiple mistakes throughout the ball game and barely escaping with a victory, Santiago wants his team to do things “the better way other than the hard way. “
“The good thing is that we’re doing enough to get our w’s, but we’re still making it hard for ourselves,” Santiago said.
After winning one game out of just two games played against Central Arkansas last weekend, the Colonels have a record of 19-21 and are over .500 in conference with a 9-8 record.  The reason the Colonels have been as successful as they have this season is a credit to the team’s ability to overcome its mistakes on the field, Santiago said.
“I will say that they’ve made up for their mistakes and that’s huge,” Santiago added. “If they mess up, they normally fix it with their glove or bat. We’re learning to flip the switch.”
Santiago said whenever the Colonels have a bad at-bat, they immediately go out and play defense. Though this thrills their head coach, he said that they still need to fix a couple of game management issues such as leadoff walks by the pitchers and batters leaving runners on base. He still believes his team has made a breakthrough, as they’ve won six of their last nine games.
“I’ve seen kids get the ‘aha! moments,” Santiago said.
Santiago mentioned freshman outfielder Haley Parkerson taking bases on plays that they worked on in practice. He said that he has also seen players knowing when to take off on first and third rundown plays, as well as players excelling in sacrifice bunt situations.
“Practice does work if you practice correctly, you know?” he said.
The tougher part of the schedule is in front of Santiago, because every conference game shows them exactly where they stand. Santiago admits that can be nerve-racking.
“This is the hardest part of the year,” Santiago said. “(The team) has already felt it this past weekend. It’s a certain grind that it’s going to take, and I think they’ve handled it well. They knew what they’re in for now.”
As far as gaining a newfound respect in conference, Santiago believes it all comes down to winning. He said that Nicholls will always be “little ol’ Nicholls State down in south Louisiana” until the team builds off of success and makes noise in the conference tournament in May.  It is up to the team to go out and execute, or they will easily find themselves sitting around talking about next year, rather than gearing up for postseason play.
“We’re moving closer, but we have to play some ball. You have to represent yourselves or it’s curtains.”
The Colonels get their next opportunity to advance in the conference this weekend when they face one of the top teams in the conference, Sam Houston State.