Going into the spring semester, two of Northwestern State University of Louisiana’s sports teams finally get to return to the diamonds. The Lady Demons softball team will kick off their season on Friday, Feb. 6 against Mississippi State University, while the Demons baseball team will play their first game against the University of Texas at Arlington on Friday, Feb. 13.
This softball season will be the second for head coach Jenny Fuller, who had the youngest team in the country last year, with 17 underclassmen and only one senior on the roster. However, she led the young Lady Demons to key victories and through historic milestones.
Although the Lady Demons ended last year with a 7-43 record, the team showed a lot of promise. Having lost 18 of those games by two runs or less, the Lady Demons hope to focus on improving their record this year.
Nonetheless, the team had a victorious offseason, going undefeated in their fall schedule, including wins against Trinity Valley Community College, Northeast Texas Community College, Tyler Junior College, Baton Rouge Community College and Galveston College.
Aly Delafield, a junior outfielder, shared her excitement for the 2026 season. “We won every game in the fall, which is different from last year. We’re all just competitive and get along so well,” Delafield said.
Delafield is one of the top hitters for NSU, with a batting average of .398 and an On Base Plus Slugging score一how often a player gets on base combined with how well they hit一of 1.047 in Southland Conference (SLC) play last year.
To go along with the young talent of the Lady Demons softball team, Fuller has recruited a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) record holder from the transfer portal.
JT Smith is a graduate senior outfielder originally from the University of Texas at Tyler. Smith is the NCAA single season record holder with 107 runs scored last year, and she has won two national championships and is a four times National Fastpitch Coaches Association All American.
Smith said that Fuller coached her as a child, which is one of the reasons that motivated her to transfer to NSU. “I love it! She’s definitely brought back the fun for me in playing softball. Just to get out there one more time, and to enjoy it is worth it,” Smith said.
The fall season offered transfers and new freshmen alike the chance to adapt to Lady Demons softball before the main season.
“I think our transfers have adjusted very well, and then our freshmen seem to have adjusted as well. They all had very good falls, so I think they’re ready to see what spring will be and what real college softball is like,” Fuller said.
Fuller’s expectations for the upcoming season are high, and she hopes that this season will be more successful than the last. “I think we have great players, and our expectations are very high. This team has really high standards, and they’re really excited for their first tournament and to really set the tone that weekend,” Fuller explained.
The Lady Demons’ first tournament will be the Getterman Classic in Waco, Texas, where they will face the Mississippi State University Bulldogs on Friday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. Last year, the Lady Demons faced the Bulldogs and scored their first win against a ranked team since 2004, upsetting the No. 20 ranked Bulldogs and leaving them hopeful that they can start their season with a victory this year.
Another sport looking forward to its rapidly approaching season is NSU’s baseball team. Last year brought a historic season, with the team going 35-21 in their regular season and 19-11 in SLC play, even managing to defeat the No. 4 ranked Louisiana State University Tigers.
Going into the 2026 season with even more talent, the team’s expectations are high. Head coach Chris Bertrand is looking to build on the success of last year and take another massive step forward as a team and a program.
“We feel like what was accomplished in all phases of the program on the baseball field and within the facilities is leading us in the direction we want to be headed,” he said. “We feel like we are poised to take a massive step forward. We’ve built a baseball team and a baseball program that is poised to take another huge step forward, and to build on the success that last year was.”
Dylan Belanger, recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, and Bertrand dedicated the fall season to bringing in a lot of freshmen and transfer students, all of whom have been working every day in preparation for the season opener.
“It’s been a great offseason for everyone. It’s been competitive from a pitching standpoint, from the hitters and from the defense. We have a lot of great players, a lot of new freshmen and a lot of transfers. Everyone’s great, but fall is over, so now it’s what we do after the break in the spring that matters most,” Trent Hillen, a senior right-handed pitcher, said.
Hillen is coming off a great season last year. He led the Demons in wins and innings pitched. He has strived, along with his fellow upperclassmen, to make the transitions of their new team members smooth, and his best advice for the freshmen coming in is to “just trust the process.”
Sophomore second baseman Hudson Brignac joined the baseball team last year and has seen the growth in his new teammates. “They have really stepped already, and the team has been very competitive. Throughout intersquads, throughout practice, we just compete, and I really think the competitive nature of this team is going to translate when we all come together in the spring and help us find ways to win,” Brignac said.
The team is very close and winning the SLC is one of their biggest goals. “Last year we came short in a heartbreaking way, but I think this team can do it. We can step up and win a conference tournament with this team,” Brignac said.
With both NSU spring teams underway, coaches, players and fans look forward to what the 2026 season will bring.
