The Nicholls State University baseball team will seek a road victory as they take on Sam Houston State University this weekend.

The Colonels dropped their doubleheader last Saturday against the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders. In the series finale, Nicholls defeated the Islanders 3-2 with junior outfielder Alex Shermer’s walk-off bunt single.

According to Head Coach Seth Thibodeaux, the Colonels faced arguably the best team in the Southland Conference.

“We played against two of the best arms in our league, and they got the best of us. It was one bad day, but that doesn’t define our team. We didn’t play the game we are capable of playing,” Thibodeaux said. “Sunday we played well, but we had a chance to shut them out and we didn’t do it. We gave up a couple of runs in the eighth inning, but we came back in the ninth and found a way to win. I am proud of the character and commitment from our players.”

In the first inning, junior infielder Kyle Reese’s double play allowed the Colonels to get an early lead. He thinks the win gave the team motivation that will carry them through this week.

“It was good to take the last game from them, especially after having two tough ones Saturday. I feel like we got it started this past game, so I feel like we will get rolling now,” Reese said.
Senior outfielder and first baseman David Zorn thinks he needs to improve as a leader and motivator. He wants the team to continue with the fire and intensity like they did last Sunday.

“I want to become a better leader and motivator to get the team ready to win. I want everybody to receive that fire and urge that was shown Sunday. I would like to improve on my defense and offense, because we are struggling with our hitting. Our pitching staff is doing well, and they are the reason we win a lot of games,” Zorn said. “We need to get better at hitting as a team. Our pitching is putting us in good situations to win even though we are making errors. They still put us in winning situations that allow us to do better.”

If there is one player that Thibodeaux felt made an impact for the Colonels last weekend, it was Zorn and his leadership.

“I feel like David Zorn made an impact on our team with his leadership ability. He continues to do things for our program behind the scenes like talking to the players in the dugout and teaching the freshman what they are suppose to do,” Thibodeaux said. “He does everything correctly. He may not be the most talented player in the Southland Conference, but that doesn’t matter. He is the most talented leader we have, and that is important. I am proud of him, and he was a big part of our win Sunday.”

Nicholls has not defeated the Islanders prior to Sunday’s game in almost three years. Thibodeaux said he saw something in his team that he had not seen all year, and that was the team coming together.

“They have a desire and determination to win and I am really proud of those guys. I saw something I haven’t seen all year and it was our team coming together,” Thibodeaux said. “They are still learning about each other, and good teams learn about each other. That is a part of baseball. That win can change our team the entire year.”

The Colonels will face another conference foe in Huntsville, Texas. The Bearkats are 9-11 overall and 4-2 conference play. They are coming off a 9-3 home victory over Northwestern State University.
“They have really good starting pitchers, but I think our bullpen is better than theirs. However, they are at home. We have to be better than everything. We have to be better than the umpires and players in their park,” Thibodeaux said. They are tough to beat at their place, and it is not a place we traditionally play well. That doesn’t mean anything and I feel like we have a better club. If we want to win the Southland Conference, we have to win games on the road. We have to overcome. That’s why we work as hard as we do; to overcome the big moments and win.”