The Nicholls State University Colonels baseball team returns home after a road series victory against the Abeline Christian University Wildcats and will play the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Islanders this weekend.

Head baseball Coach Seth Thibodeaux said they won the series against the Wildcats because the defense played well. Junior right hand pitcher Justin Sinbaldi pitched a three-hit shutout, but Thibodeaux said it was a defensive effort.

“Our defense played lights out, and it is something we have worked hard with. We were prepared, and our players knew that they have to take care of business in the first game,” Thibodeaux said. “When that doesn’t happen, they know to be ready in game two, three and especially the last game of the series. I guarantee our players will always be ready and play as hard as they can to win.”

The Colonels will be up against a 6-5 Islanders team tomorrow. Thibodeaux said the new focus this week is to try and win as many as games as they can.

“We are going to approach each game like it is a huge game. We know we are up against a tough opponent, and they have a good pitching staff,” Thibodaux said. “Every game will be intense and I am excited about it. I want to see our guys play championship ball this week.”

The Islanders have a .289 batting average and a 3.51 earned run average. They are coming off a 2-1 road loss against Louisiana Technical University. In order to get a win this weekend, junior right hand pitcher Marc Frazier said they need to continue to work hard.

“In order for us to get a win this weekend, we have to keep working hard. We have been putting together good at bats and are pitching well. I think we are confident heading in to this weekend’s series,” Frazier said.

The Colonels had two runs in games one and three, and they had five runs in game two last weekend. According to Thibodeaux, the Colonels are still tweaking their line up at bat. He believes this is why mid-week games are important.

“You are always going to want hitting to be improved, and that is part of the game. We have had a couple of guys that have been injured. We are still working our lineup out, so we have had a lot of guys playing,” Thibodeaux said. “Their chemistry as a team builds as the season progresses. It is important to play mid-week games. When you go a whole week without playing, you are only starting a week-to-week basis.”

Senior right hand pitcher Jason McDonald said the team needs to approach each game and do the things they learn in practice.

“If we play our game and we execute the things we are taught in practice, then we should not have a problem,” McDonald said. “We are not really playing against Corpus Christi, we are playing against ourselves, the game and things we do.”