The Nicholls State softball team was picked to finish fifth in the Southland Conference SID poll and seventh in the Southland Conference Preseason Coaches’ poll.
Head coach Angel Santiago is pleased with the recognition. In his first season as head coach last season, he put an enormous amount of pressure on himself to make good on all of his promises. Promises like gaining 20 wins over .500 did not ring true, but he feels his promises of generating excitement around the softball program did. But Santiago learned that all he can do is prepare his team, and it’s up to his team to go out there and execute.
“The team is going to have to go out there and concentrate,” Santiago said. “Yeah, the foundation has been laid last year, but it’s time for them to go for it. They need to show proficiency, and that’s something that we have to keep doing.”
Santiago’s club will get its first opportunity to show off efficient play in a tournament at Southeastern University. The Colonels will play against Southern and Saint Louis Friday, Louisiana Tech and Jacksonville State Saturday, and Delaware on Sunday.
Santiago wants his club to go out and play sharp in first tournament of the season.
“I want to come out of the gate flying,” he said. “Seriously, I don’t want to see nerves. I remember when we put everybody out there in our first game last year, and we were really nervous. I really think these kids have learned how to deal with feeling uncomfortable. Come in there loose and ready to go.”
Santiago’s goal this year for his team is to continue to increase batting average and on-base percentage. He said an area of difficulty for the Colonels last year was their defense and runs batted in. He has made an emphasis adding team speed as well.
Santiago feels that he has done that with the additions of freshmen outfielders Haley Parkerson and Danielle Phillips. Santiago said they can “run with the best of them.”
“If we can just steal and eliminate two or three hits a game off of good dives in the outfield, that’s huge,” he said.
As for players returning, the Colonels return senior second baseman Ashley Bertot, who earned All-Louisiana honors last year and was selected to the preseason All-Southland Conference First Team.
But Santiago is excited about his team’s mental toughness more than anything.
“My excitement comes from the growth of the team’s mental makeup,” Santiago said. “We have 13 new bodies on this field now that had to come on board and figure things out, and the other kids did a good job of showing them how it’s done. You need good leadership for that.”
Santiago said he is proud of what his team has accomplished before the season, and the team leadership has been phenomenal. Perhaps, no member of the team has been more valuable to Santiago than junior utility player Alaina Guidry.
“I would say the heart of our team right now and a person who I can talk to as a coach and balance everything is a kid that was planning to quit last year, Alaina Guidry,” Santiago said. “She wanted to quit because she didn’t enjoy the game anymore, and I told her to give me one good semester to get that passion back into you and she worked her butt off. She’s fighting for a spot, but she’s still helping the kid next to her. That’s team leadership.”
As for motivating his team, Santiago likes to send them pictures to fire them up and motivate them.
 “I took a picture of the press box showing the last time they won conference, and I’m about to send it to them so they can look at it,” Santiago said.
The Colonels will take on Southern Friday at 12:30 p.m. in Hammond.