After three heartbreaking losses to McNeese, the last of which ended the chances of postseason play, Nicholls beat a nationally ranked team before ending its season by falling to College World Series participant Tulane.”I felt like we had a good season and a poor finish. We weren’t very good down the stretch.
“We went 1-5 down the stretch in conference,” Colonel head coach B. D. Parker said.
The team ended the season with a 26-30 overall record, losing five of its last seven games.
“We had been good,” Parker said.
“We had played 20 of our last 28 games on the road. We needed to win two of our last six [in conference] and we went 1-5 down the stretch. We were very disappointed.”
The Colonels faced the McNeese Cowboys May 4-6 needing only one victory to secure a berth in the Southland Conference Tournament.
In the last home game of the season Nicholls beat No. 21 South Alabama 9-2 on May 8.
The next day, the Colonels let go of a 5-0 lead, but fell to Tulane at Turchin Stadium ending the 2001 season.
Game 1: MSU 14, Nicholls 7
The Colonels got on top 2-0 in the first inning after senior Doug Gill hit a double that drove in two runs, but fell behind at the bottom of the inning after yielding six runs.
At the start of the sixth inning, McNeese led 12-4.
Another two-RBI double, this time off the bat of Kevin Larpenter, narrowed McNeese’s lead to six, but it would not be enough.
For McNeese, the victory ended its seven-game losing streak.
Game 2: MSU 6, Nicholls 5
In a game that lasted 10 innings, Nicholls once again fell short of securing a Southland Conference Tournament berth.
The game featured many lead changes.
Junior catcher Monte Mitchell, who would end up 2-for-5 on the day, hit an RBI-single to left field to start a three-run spurt that put the Colonels, albeit temporarily, in the lead 4-2 in the sixth inning.
McNeese quickly answered with two runs in its next at-bat, tying the game at four. The Cowboys went ahead 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth.
The Colonels quickly responded as Doug Gill drove in Luke Muller, who went 3-for-5, to knot it up at five.
In the tenth inning, with senior hurler Alex Velazquez on the mound, the Cowboys’ Kevin Mitchell scored on a Jesse Cassard single to end the game.
The loss set up a crucial game three of the series.
Game 3: MSU 9, Nicholls 8
The Colonels again failed to maintain a lead, as the Cowboys emerged from 8-4 deficit in the final innings to win by one run.
No time was wasted as sophomore Brad Dantonio, the lead-off batter, went yard for the third time this season. However, the first inning would end with a 3-2 Cowboys lead.
In the eighth inning with the Colonels leading 8-5, three out of the first five McNeese batters hit home runs. Before the inning ended, McNeese scored one more run giving them a one-run edge.
The Colonels could not score in the ninth. The loss eliminated the Colonels from post-season contention.
“You know, McNeese was a very good club. They were a team that had struggled all year long and got hot down the stretch once they were already done,” Parker said.
“They had 11 seniors back off the team that was a conference championship team that had been to a regional.
“They had just gotten in a funk about two weeks earlier and had eliminated themselves.
“So, once it came time to play us, it was senior day. They were in a situation where they were playing for pride as well.
“Our guys were playing to get into the tournament, and we just didn’t get it done. “
Nicholls 9, 21 South Alabama 2
After losing a heartbreaker to McNeese two days before, the Colonels, who were playing only for pride, defeated a nationally ranked team in the season’s last home game.
In the bottom of the seventh – down 2-1 – the Colonels went on a four-run spurt.
In the next inning the feat was duplicated. Junior Luke Muller hit two RBIs as Nicholls jumped ahead 9-2.
The Colonels ended their home season with a victory, and an attendance of 208.
No. 6 Tulane 6, Nicholls 5
After the fourth inning, the Colonels had a 5-0 lead over the sixth-ranked Green Wave and retained this five-run margin until the bottom of the eighth when the Greenies finally got on the board.
Tulane scored six runs in the eighth inning, putting them in the lead for the first time in the contest.
The last run came courtesy of a Jay Heintz single that sent James Jurries home.
The Colonels failed to score in the top of the ninth.
“The South Alabama game and the Tulane game were really irrelevant,” Parker said.
“They didn’t matter at that point. You play those games for preparation for post season, and we didn’t qualify for post season.”
Parker optimistic for next season
“We’ve got most everybody back, and I feel excited about it,” Parker said.
“We’ve got Luke Muller back, who was our top hitter. We’ve got Rondon Anderson, who broke the school record for home runs. We’ve got Chuck Hickman, Monte Mitchell, Bradley Dantonio back.”
Parker also expressed confidence in his recruiting class.
“We’ve added some new people that will help us.”
