For Northwestern State University Athletics, last year proved to be a step in the right direction in light of fewer COVID-19 restrictions and Name, Image and Likeness laws providing hope for student athletes who are ready to make waves with their talents and perseverance. Now with the start of the spring semester NSU is looking to what the new season will hold.

Daunte Stuart, sophomore second baseman for the NSU Demon baseball team, hopes to improve his leadership skills in the coming season.

“As an upperclassman, [my goal is to] help the newcomers learn how the Demons play baseball so that we can finish the season with a championship and make a strong push in the NCAA tournament,” Stuart said.

Demon baseball’s last appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s baseball tournament was in 2018 when NSU earned the SLC title by winning each game in the tournament, beating out McNeese, SLU, Nicholls and UNO to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Women’s basketball will be wrapping up its season close to March, but has found early success. Women’s basketball holds a 7-4 record, their best since 2015-2016, heading into Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday, Jan. 15.

“I’m excited to see more women’s basketball,” Lucy Stark, junior business administration major, said. “Personally, I like the fast pace that our team sets and the way they work together on the court.”

Lady Demon softball starts on Feb. 11, kicking the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission Lady Demon Classic against Chattanooga. Head coach Donald Pickett will lead the way, and with a new face in pitching coach Lexi Smith, the Lady Demons are ready for a refurbished and exciting new season.

“Our key focus is just staying I guess just focused on the end-term goal, which is winning the Southland Conference,” junior pitcher Bronte Rhoden said. “New conference, there’s less teams, but we have a bigger preseason, so that’s kind of interesting. I think just even with the new stuff we need to stay true to who we are and focus on what we can control.”

The new stuff, including inking Tyler Junior College transfer pitcher Ryleigh Denton and Many High outfielder Camryn Ford, should glue together as planned, but the team will take it day by day to keep their focus high. It’ll be an interesting semester to watch and a fun one as well, but it’s up to the student athletes to take initiative and seize their moment, no matter the circumstance.