Colonels add 2 coaches
April 2, 2014
Klann moves from QB to LB for Nicholls
April 2, 2014
The Nicholls baseball team is enjoying the best start of any team in the Southland Conference, and much of it is owed to the shutdown performance of the team’s pitching staff.
Entering the week, the Colonels’ overall 2.55 staff ERA led all Southland Conference schools, as did the team’s 233 strikeouts. Moreover, Nicholls has held opponents to a .244 average against (second best in the conference) and has surrendered just three home runs on the entire season.
Since Southland play began, the team has posted a 3.31 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost 3:1.
Combined, those numbers have helped vault the Colonels into first place in the Southland standings with a 7-2 conference record. The team took two of three games from Oral Roberts over the past weekend for their third consecutive series victory to begin Southland play.
With contributions from the starting rotation and the bullpen alike, the Colonels have one of their strongest all-around pitching staffs in recent memory.
It is also one of their deepest staffs, as Colonels coach Seth Thibodeaux knew coming into the season.
“Depth is huge because you can piece some things together,” Thibodeaux said. “You can shorten games, you can shorten innings, and you can keep going to the next guy. You have bullets, and when you have bullets, you can use them. You don’t have to sit and wait and hope that we can get to someone. You can just load up the gun and shoot.”
Thibodeaux said he attributes the success of the pitching staff to everyone involved knowing what their roles are and buying into them.
“Whether it be mid-relief, an eighth-inning guy, or (any situational) matchup, they understand what they’re doing and what they’re in the game for,” said Thibodeaux. “They’re not just out there to throw. Everyone knows what our ERA is and everyone understands how good we can be on the mound, so we’re going to get some quality swings. They’ve got to be aggressive in that other dugout.”
As it stands now, the Colonels’ weekend rotation poses as tough a challenge as any around. Senior left-hander Taylor Byrd is 4-2 with a 1.40 ERA after seven starts and only recently suffered his first conference loss of the season.
Fellow southpaw Grant Borne has been strong as well, winning four games and posting a 4.05 ERA in seven starts overall. And versatile right-hander Brandon Jackson, who also plays the infield and outfield, has averaged just one earned run allowed per outing for a 1.59 ERA in six starts.
The Colonels’ relief corps has been impressive, too.
Senior right-hander Marc Picciola, tied for the team lead in appearances with 16, had a 1.35 ERA, five saves and 19 strikeouts through 20 innings as the team’s closer.
Right-hander John Satriano (0.95 ERA/16 appearances) hadn’t allowed a run in his first six outings in conference play, and Cole Stapler (one earned run in 15 innings) and Stuart Holmes (21 strikeouts in 18 innings) have both excelled as well.
Because of the strong performances out of the bullpen, Nicholls is 12-1 this season when leading after six innings.
“Our bullpen has thrown the ball well all year,” said Byrd, the ace of the staff. “As a starter, you feel like you don’t have to go out every time and throw eight innings because you’ve got good arms coming in behind you that are going to put up zeroes. They work hard and I like our staff as a whole. We’ve got really good starters and our bullpen has done a really good job this year.
“I would feel confident that we could go and compete against any team in the nation.”
And as with many good staffs, the Colonels benefit from having a solid defense behind them. Entering the week, the team’s .966 fielding percentage was the second highest mark in the conference, and Nicholls has turned a conference-best 31 double plays on the season.
“We can play a little defense,” Thibodeaux said. “We’re really good on the infield. Turning the double plays that we have, all of it really attests to us locating fastballs and attacking people with that because that’s the most important pitch of the game.”
“How we’ve had success is by letting the defense work and just letting (opponents) put the ball in play and get themselves out,” added Byrd.
Nicholls will look to maintain its hold on first place in the Southland when it resumes conference play Friday with a three-game series at Northwestern State. The Demons are 6-3 in SLC play.
Nicholls sophomore lefty Grant Borne fires a pitch during a game this season. The Colonels are first in the Southland Conference in team ERA – a stat that has powered the Colonels to first place in the conference through the first three weekends of play.
