Elphege Bergeron
June 13, 2018
Locals say Alberto was a successful "dry run"
June 13, 2018
The 2017-18 athletic year at Nicholls State University was wonderful – possibly the best year in the history of the school.
The Colonels competed for championships across their athletic department and the team slayed Southland giants at every, single turn.
Summer is here and it’s currently the calm before the storm of when we pick up the pieces and do it all over again in August when soccer, football and volleyball begin.
So with a little time to spare before competitions are played again, we look back at the Top 5 moments in the 2017-18 athletic year at Nicholls.
No. 5 – Baseball ends season with flurries– The Nicholls State University baseball team was dead in the water. After being swept by the University of New Orleans in the one before final weekend of the season, the Colonels sat outside of the Top 8 in the Southland Conference. That meant that the Colonels needed to sweep Central Arkansas in the final weekend of the season AND also get help in several other series around the South – just to make the field at all. It all fell perfectly. Nicholls got the sweep, got the help and earned their place in the Southland Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed. The Colonels lost their first game, then battled all the way to the Semifinals before falling to Northwestern State, the eventual champion. Coach Seth Thibodeaux said he was proud of the fight his team showed in the weekend and the Colonels now have momentum going into next year.
No. 4 – Men’s basketball makes a run– The Colonels’ men’s basketball team was stuck in a rut for several years before the 2017-18 ride. In coach Richie Riley’s second season in Thibodaux, all of Riley’s hard work in recruiting paid off and the Colonels had a huge senior group, which overwhelmed the Southland Conference, winning 20 games and earning the regular season conference title. A stroke of bad luck ended up stopping the Colonels’ ride short of the title and the NCAA Tournament. Just before the regular season ended, Tevon Saddler suffered a severe knee injury and the Colonels were never the same after the injury, losing the regular season finale and then also their first – and only – game in the Southland Conference Tournament. After the year, Riley took the same job at South Alabama. The Colonels eventually replaced him with assistant coach Austin Claunch.
No. 3 – Softball almost wins it all– The Nicholls State University softball team has the Southland Conference pretty much figured out. But those pesky McNeese State Cowgirls continue to give them just enough problems to spoil the party. Nicholls was young in 2018, but dominant. The Colonels won 40 games on the season, including a 21-6 record in the Southland Conference, which was enough to earn the regular season title. In the Southland Conference Tournament, Nicholls defended the No. 1 seed in style, winning their first game and pushing into the winner’s bracket. But the Cowgirls weren’t ready to relinquish their title, beating Nicholls in close, hard-fought games in both the winner’s bracket and then also in the championship round. The Cowgirls went on to the NCAA Tournament – the place where Nicholls hopes to be next season with a loaded roster returning. The Colonels are, barring something unexpected happening, definitely going to be among the teams to beat next year.
No. 2 – Football makes the FCS Playoffs, loses heartbreaker at home– The renovation project that Colonels’ football coach Tim Rebowe has spearheaded took a massive leap forward this past season. The Colonels made the FCS Playoffs and hosted a game, falling literally in the final seconds to South Dakota because of a fumble at the goal line. The Colonels were a force in 2017. They had a dominant defense and an offense which was efficient, despite quarterback Chase Fourcade dealing with nagging injuries throughout the year. The Colonels opened the season in style, beating McNeese State on a last-second field goal at home – part of an undefeated home regular season slate for the Colonels. Nicholls then went to College Station, Texas and challenged Texas A&M tooth and nail before losing a hard-fought game in the fourth quarter. In all, Nicholls finished 8-4 overall and earned an at-large bid in the tournament. The Colonels were young, losing just a handful of starters. Rebowe and the Colonels have been working hard throughout the spring and will continue working in the summer to try and get back to that spot.
No. 1 – Women’s basketball makes the NCAA Tournament– Football’s accomplishments were awesome and it truly would take a great accomplishment to top that from the No. 1 spot on this list. But we think the Nicholls State University women’s basketball team did enough to work their way to the top of the list. The Colonels entered February in a rut. They were 3-6 in Southland Conference play and making the Southland Conference Tournament at all looked like it was uncertain. But coach DoBee Plaisance and players started pushing the right buttons in the final month of the season and the team made history. Nicholls finished the regular season winning eight of their final nine games. They then went to the Southland Conference Tournament and beat literally all of the league powers – Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, Lamar and then Stephen F. Austin – to win the tournament title and the league’s bid into the NCAA Tournament. Nicholls faced No. 1 Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament and the final result wasn’t what the team hoped, but this team made history – something they hope to do again next year with Southland Conference Player of the Year Cassidy Barrios back for another year.
The past athletic year was awesome for Moments State University – maybe a wrong the best in the history of the school. Here are the Top 5 moments from all of the action.
