After opening the 2019 season with an impressive 3-1 record, Southern University baseball embarks upon their first road test in Natchitoches to open a 3-game series against Northwestern State on Friday.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. The two teams will reconvene at Brown Stroud Field on Saturday for a 2 p.m. matinee before closing the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Southern went a perfect 3-0 in the Andre Dawson Classic hosted by Major League Baseball last weekend. The Jaguars strung together a trio of close wins over Florida A&M, Grambling, and Alcorn State in the program's 12th appearance in the MLB sponsored event.
Northwestern State enters Friday's series opener 1-2 after a 3-game road series at Houston. The Demons salvaged a win in the series finale edging the Cougars 2-1 in Sunday.
As a team, the Demons are hitting .200 with 21 hits in 109 at bats. Defensively, NSU's team ERA is 3.58.
Despite coming off a 13-0 shutout to Air Force on Monday, the Jaguars are still riding an offensive wave which produced 24 runs and 40 hits in four games.
First Baseman Coby Taylor is off to a blazing start in 2019, leading the team in hits (7), doubles (2), homeruns (2) and RBIs (3).
Taylor's late game heroics punctuated a 6-5 come-from-behind win over Grambling State. On a 1-0 count, Taylor blasted a solo homer in over the left centerfield wall for the walk off win.
Catcher Hunter David and Jayveyan Williams are tied for first batting .462 each and combining for 12 hits and seven RBIs. David's Bat has been clutch when the Jaguars needed it, hitting 4 of 6 with 2 outs.
The Jaguar pitching staff produced 35 punch-outs in collecting three wins to start the season. Senior Justin Freeman leads the team with eight strikeouts.
Southern returns home to make the second appearance at Alex Box Stadium to face No. 1 LSU on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The mid-week game is the first of two scheduled meetings with the Tigers, who return to Lee Hines Field for the first time since 2015 on April 9th.
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