READY TO ROLL

The Nicholls baseball team is tired of getting to the dance, then leaving before everyone else.

This year, the Colonels want to be the last team standing – the squad that closes the place down.

Nicholls is hungry for enhanced success in 2016 after two-straight 30-win seasons under coach Seth Thibodeaux.

The goal for the Colonels now is to keep that momentum flowing into the postseason – something that’s eluded Nicholls in years past. The past two seasons, the Colonels entered the Southland Conference Tournament with a high seed, but bowed out of the double elimination tournament after two games.

Nicholls doesn’t want to have that happen again. This year, they want to dogpile on the pitcher’s mound after winning the whole thing.

“We’ve been there, and it just hasn’t worked out for one reason or the next,” Thibodeaux said. “But this season, we want to get back and do better. We want to have that solid regular season and then push forward and do all those little things we didn’t do in some of our other trips there. I think the guys are hungry for it and I think we’re in good position to accomplish our goals. I like where we stand. I think we’re a solid baseball club.”

For Nicholls, pitching has been the key to the team’s success, and it figures to be again in 2016 – even if the team has a few holes that need to be filled in its depth chart.

The big returnee is ace Justin Sinibaldi – the lights-out senior righty who won the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year honors in 2015 after posting a 10-1 record in 12 starts with a glistening 1.40 ERA.

Thibodeaux said he expects Sinibaldi to be lights out again in 2016, adding that the senior had a solid offseason camp.

“He’s our guy,” Thibodeaux said. “He’s the big returnee – that guy you throw in there on Friday nights and expect to go win you a ballgame. We think he’s going to have another very nice year for us, even though we know that teams know all about him and will be trying to tear him apart.”

But the key for how well Nicholls fares on the mound may come down to the other arms in the rotation.

Thibodeaux said the Colonels have a lot of open spots in its rotation, adding that the two other weekend positions will be decided out of a pool of four or five players.

The Nicholls coach said the bullpen situation is about the same, adding that a handful of players are in the mix.

The Colonels had a lights-out closer last season in Stuart Holmes, but he was selected in the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

“We have a couple righties and a couple lefties,” Thibodeaux said. “The roles aren’t defined right now, but we like our depth. We think we have the ability to mix and match some things to keep people off balance. We have a lot of guys who have been in our program for two or three years now who are just going to step up and get their time now.”

And one of the best things about the Nicholls pitching staff just might be the other eight players on the field when the Colonels play defense.

Thibodeaux said he thinks this is “by far” the best defensive club he’s had at Nicholls, adding that he expects the team to consistently be able to make the routine play and avoid errors.

Thibodeaux said he expects senior third baseman Kyle Reese to be a standout defender on the infield, as well as shortstop Joey Morales, who started every game for the team as a true freshman in 2015.

In the outfield, Justin Holt is expected to man one of the three starting positions.

“We will be able to flat-out field the baseball -1 can promise you that,” Thibodeaux said. “That’s something we work on tirelessly, and I think this year’s group is going to be the best defensive group we’ve had here during my time. I think that’s going to help us – especially early in the season when we’re breaking in pitchers and are working to figure things out.”

So now, Thibodeaux said it’s time to just go and win.

The Colonels were picked to finish fifth in the Southland Conference in preseason polls – a number that Thibodeaux said players thought was too modest.

Thibodeaux said he thinks Nicholls has paid its dues and is now ready to soar. The coach said he can’t wait for the season to get started.

“We have a very challenging non-conference schedule and our league is very challenging. There are a lot of good clubs in the league,” Thibodeaux said. “But I think we’re going to rally, play with a chip on our shoulder and show folks how hungry we are.

“We’re ready for the step. We’re ready for the challenge. I think we’re very eager to get going and see where we stand.”

‘I think the guys are hungry for it, and I think we’re in good position to accomplish our goals. I like where we stand. I think we’re a solid baseball club.’

Seth Thibodeaux

Nicholls baseball coach

The Nicholls State University baseball team has won 30-plus games for two-straight seasons. Now, the Colonels are hungry to win the Southland Conference Title in 2016.

COURTESY