Nicholls baseball hoping to push forward in ‘14

When Seth Thibodeaux took over as Nicholls State’s head baseball coach after serving as an associate head coach under his predecessor Chip Durham, his hope was that the Colonels could compete in the Southland Conference if they could overachieve.

Now, entering his fourth season as the school’s skipper, the expectations have elevated. Thibodeaux and his team now expect to compete with the best the conference has to offer after posting 25 or more wins in each of the past three years.

“We’re a little bit tougher, stronger and more athletic now,” Thibodeaux says. “We want to compete for everything because why else would you prepare? It’s fun to have those expectations. Our players feel it and they know it.”

One of the reasons Thibodeaux and his staff have those high expectations entering the season is the amount of balance they feel the team has this year.

At a recent preseason luncheon, Thibodeaux boasted that this year’s team was as balanced and as talented as any he’s had in his four seasons as head coach.

“If we overachieve now, we have a chance to do some special things,” Thibodeaux said. “I expect us, whether it be against UL-Lafayette, LSU, Tulane or Southern that we go out there and handle our business on the highest level possible. I expect us to compete for championships. I expect us to be in the top three or four of the conference competing.”

The Colonels have a pitching staff that should feature some depth, particularly with the accumulation of a few JUCO arms and some set roles throughout the staff.

One of the team’s returnees this year has pulled double duty as both pitcher and player: INF/RHP Brandon Jackson, a senior who came to Nicholls from the JUCO ranks two seasons ago played third base last season and served as the team’s designated hitter when he wasn’t on the mound.

He expects to fill both roles again this season, likely beginning the year as the team’s No. 2 weekend starter behind senior left-hander Taylor Byrd.

“Coming off of last year, we should have won some games that we didn’t,” Jackson said. “I believe we’ll go out there and win those this year. We’ve just got to stay focused. A lot of those games we lost focus toward the end. I just think this year, we’ve (developed) a lot of mental toughness and a lot of kids have been through a lot.”

After Byrd and Jackson, the Colonels’ No. 3 spot is a battle between four and five pitchers, said Thibodeaux. But two pitchers that appear to have the upper hand in that battle are left-hander Grant Borne and right-hander Ryan Deemes.

Borne is a returning southpaw who made appearances as a starter and reliever for the Colonels a season ago, while Deemes is a JUCO transfer and former Holy Cross High School star.

“We’ve got a lot of new JUCO transfers coming in, so this is their first time experiencing Division I baseball,” said Byrd, 5-6 with a 3.18 ERA in 15 appearances a season ago. “We had a great fall. We’re really excited to get out there.”

Outside of the rotation, the Colonels expect senior right-hander Marc Picciola to handle late-inning and closing duties, Thibodeaux said.

As for the lineup, the one thing Colonels players and coaches agree on is that the team features an influx of speed and can run the bases well.

“We have a lot of strengths,” said senior outfielder Keith Cormier. “We have a few guys in the lineup with some pop that can hit some doubles and also some speedy guys that can steal a lot of bags.”

That doesn’t mean Nicholls will be a “small ball” team entirely, even if that’s typically the style of play most conducive to their ballpark.

“We’re going to play fundamental baseball,” said Thibodeaux. “I don’t think you can just play small ball. Our (middle of the order) guys, we’ve got some physical guys in there. Ultimately they’re here to drive in runs and that’s something we struggled with last year. But we do want to be aggressive and put pressure on teams as much as we can.”

Nicholls is scheduled to begin the year with a weekend series at the University of Houston starting Friday, Feb. 14.

Despite the colder temperatures in recent weeks, Thibodeaux said the team’s energy level was strong as it practiced in chilly conditions in preparation for their opener.

“We practiced (last week),” Thibodeaux said. “It was really chilly but it didn’t slow anyone down. The excitement was there and that comes from our seniors who are a really good group of leaders. Our players know that they’re good, that they have a chance to be really good and they know what’s on the schedule.”