THIBODAUX, La. (WGNO) — Last year, Nicholls baseball was 6th in the Southland Conference preseason baseball poll.
The Colonels went on to win 34 games, along with the conference’s regular season and tournament titles.
Their season ended in the Tuscaloosa Regional.
“Preseason rankings are exactly that, they’re preseason, and it’s going to be determined between the lines like it always is,” says Nicholls head baseball coach Mike Silva.
Now, they’re preseason number 1.
An honor they recognize but place little stock in knowing a full 55-game schedule lies ahead.
“You’ve got to reset every year and just, you know, you got to remember how hard it is. It’s hard to win a game at this level, forget about a championship, and you know, we’re going to be the hunted. Now, everybody’s going to be gunning for us. We’re going to get everybody’s best shot and our guys need to embrace that and embrace how difficult that is going to be. But it’s going to make us better,” says Silva.
Nicholls baseball program returns around 25 players from last year’s title team, including six Preseason All-Southland selections.
A roster with a hunger and drive to not only repeat as Southland Conference champions but compete beyond the NCAA regional round.
“It’s a really close-knit group and I trust them and I believe in them. Look, I always say in this program, we have good days and great days and we’re going to go out and enjoy it. What I want these guys to do and I talked to them yesterday about it, I want them to enjoy it, have fun. I think that pressure is a privilege and being put in that predicament as far as being picked to win it, it’s a privilege and it’s going to be harder and it’s going to be fun. So I want them to keep being them and keep having a lot of fun, keep working hard, and really just enjoy the journey like we do every year,” says Silva.
Their journey begins this week with a three-game series against Sacred Heart.
First pitch for Friday’s opener is set for 6 p.m.
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.