Photo by: Shaii Gatlin
Nicholls baseball team looks to the field as their teammates take the field in offensive play against Alcorn State University on March 29.
Baseball seeks improvement as season comes to an end
April 27, 2017
The Nicholls State University baseball team has struggled in recent weeks, dropping ten out of their last 14 games dating back to April 2. However, they look to turn things around as the Southland Conference Tournament is just under a month away.
Twelve of the team’s final 13 games will be against other Southland Conference teams, where the Colonels have gone 8-10 this year.
They currently sit in eighth place in the Conference standings, five games back from second place.
“I think everybody just has to do their jobs and do it well,” junior infielder Gage Teer said. “Right now, I think we’re trying to press a little bit because we’ve been back and forth trying to battle over .500. If everybody comes together and does their job as a team, we’ll be fine.”
Teer racked up four hits over the weekend to raise his team-leading batting average throughout conference play to .383.
Teer has also led the team in RBI and extra base hits over conference play, with five doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI.
The Colonels’ record sits at 21-21 after dropping two out of three this past weekend to Southeastern Louisiana University [24-15].
Nicholls’ pounded out eight hits in each of the final two games, but a seven run seventh inning outburst by SELU on Sunday kept the Colonels from taking the series.
“We played pretty good defense and pitched well,” Teer said. “We actually swung it well [this weekend] too, but it just didn’t happen for us.”
Junior outfielder Chet Niehaus currently ranks 17th in the Southland Conference in batting average, hitting at a .341 clip out of the leadoff spot.
He has been a bright spot at the top of a lineup that has struggled to produce runs late.
“My goal is to see as many pitches as I can and ultimately get on base,” Niehaus said. “We really need to come out with four wins because it’s a big week coming up.”
The Colonels achieved a 17-7 record at home, but they have struggled away from Didier Field this year going 3-11. Teer said the team will aim to change that this week as their next four games are on the road.
“It’s probably just a comfort thing, but we just haven’t done a really good job of overcoming obstacles on the road,” Teer said. “We’re really close though, so I think it’s all going to click together the last couple weeks, and we’re going make a run at it.”
Nicholls’ next three-game series will begin at Lamar University [24-17] in Beaumont, Texas at 6 p.m. tomorrow.