Friday, April 24
Natchitoches, LA
6:30 P.M.
Stephen F. Austin
at
Northwestern State
Photo by: Elysa Ripley
Jacks Set for Southland Showdown with Northwestern State
4/23/2026 3:20:00 PM | Baseball
SFA enters weekend in outright fifth in SLC standings, three games back in win column of league-leading Lamar
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin prepares for a high stakes Southland Conference series this weekend at Northwestern State as the Jacks enter the final weekend of April in the thick of a crowded SLC standings with May drawing near. The Jacks and the Demons square off at 6:30 p.m. in game one on Friday. Game two is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday with Sunday's finale slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.
Friday's matchup will be the 55th meeting between the Jacks and Demons since the start of the 2006 campaign. NSU leads the series in that span 29-25 and is 7-3 against SFA in the last 10 matchups. The Demons took two of three from the Jacks in late April last spring and have won five-straight games over SFA at home.
NSU enters the weekend tied for third in the SLC standings at 14-10 sharing the same record with Nicholls. Lamar has 14 league victories in one less series played to lead the league entering the final weekend of April, while Southeastern is a game back of the Cardinals. The Jacks are 11-10 in SLC play with league series remaining against NSU as well as McNeese and UIW who are both also fighting to make the league's postseason tournament with the Cowboys just a single game back of the Jacks.
The Jacks look to snap a three-game losing streak on Friday. SFA has consistently drawn free passes at one of the nation's top rates. The Jacks rank 25th nationally with an SLC-leading 226 walks. Jhett Creel fuels that production ranking second in the SLC with 38; a mark that ranks among the top 25 DI players. His .480 OBP is the best in the Southland.
That effort has aided in the SFA offense producing the league's second-most runs (280) and second highest on-base percentage (.386). Once on base, SFA has not had an issue swiping bags. The Jacks lead the SLC in stolen bases with 68 and average a league-best 1.62 per game. Cermodrick Bland leads the league with 20 stolen bases at nearly a half bag obtained per game.
Julian Swift leads the team and ranks second among all SLC hitters with 55 base hits of which 19 have went for extra bases. Creel leads with a .333 average and 33 runs scored. Swift follows at .325 with 30 runs scored and an SLC-best 48 RBI. He leads SFA with 16 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games. Ethan Peña along with Bland have both reached 40 hits this spring. Mark Henning (.284, 38 H, 27 RBI) currently holds the longest active reached streak among any Jack this spring at 21 games.
On the mound, SFA ranks among the SLC's top three pitching staffs in K-to-BB ratio (2.14), K/9 (9.2) and BB/9 (4.30). Among the projected weekend starters for the Jacks, Cody Templeton leads with 54.0 innings pitched, 55 strikeouts and a 4-1 record. Gabe LeBlanc has tossed 38.1 innings with 22 strikeouts over ten starts and Dylan Mulcahy looks to make his ninth start of the season after tossing 39.2 innings while matching Templeton in punchouts with 55.
Jack James has proven to be one of the league's top relief arms this spring. In 29.0 innings pitched over 13 relief efforts, James owns a 5-to-1 K-to-BB ratio with a 1.24 ERA, a WHIP of .90 and a staff-low .206 batting average against. Reid Bowyer has made 14 relief outings totaling two dozen frames with 17 strikeouts. Kadin Munson leads the bullpen with 15 appearances, all in relief, totaling 11.1 innings.
The Demons counter with the league's top pitching staff which owns SLC-bests in ERA (4.02), K-to-BB ratio (2.80), WHIP (1.31) and BB/9 (3.20); the eighth lowest walks issued rate in the country. NSU's other three marks are all inside the DI top 30.
NSU averages 5.7 runs per game and are led at the plate by current league hits leader Brooks Leonard (56). He rates behind Bland in stolen bases (19).
Kevin Robinson, Dylan Marionneaux and Trent Hillen are the projected starters for the Demons this weekend. All three arms rank inside the top four of the SLC in K-to-BB ratio and are the league's top three arms when it comes to BB/9. Robinson holds the third-highest K-to-BB mark in the country at 11.00 and ranks second in the SLC in ERA at 2.57. Marionneaux's 60 strikeouts lead the staff and rate third in the SLC.
3VAN! 3VAN! 3VAN! --- First-year Jack Evan Aslaksen enjoyed a midweek heater hitting a pair of home runs in the win at PVAMU, before exiting Pilgrim's Park the following day in the home win over Alcorn. In the two games, Aslaksen went 6-for-10 with nine RBI highlighted by three home runs and a triple.
Big Bat Ibe --- Josh Ibe was named the SLC Hitter of the Week on April 6. It was the second weekly SLC honor for the Cypress, Texas native in his SFA career and he became the first Lumberjack this spring to earn the league's weekly plaudit. In four games, Ibe hit .438 with seven hits of which five went for extra bases. He delivered three doubles, a pair of home runs and totaled 16 bases. Ibe drove in a team-leading nine runs and tied for the team lead in runs scored with six.
Nine is Fine --- Junior right hander Dylan Mulcahy recorded a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched to earn the game three victory and give the Jacks the series over HCU. Mulcahy's nine strikeouts matched the most by any SFA arm since the start of the 2023 season. He then followed that up with nine punchouts in the series finale against UTRGV. Between Mulcahy accounting for half of SFA's individual nine-strikeout efforts this spring was such efforts by Cody Templeton in G1 vs. UTRGV and Elian Balmaceda in relief in G1 vs. A&M-CC.
Eleven is Heaven --- SFA erupted for 11 runs in the eighth inning of the series finale against Lamar to erase a 9-3 deficit on their way to a series win with a 14-11 victory. The Jacks have eight innings of 7+ runs in Vanderburg's tenure with six of those coming this season.
All good things --- Cermodrick Bland's active reached safely streak ended at 31 games following game two of the UNO series.
Seven of 10 --- The Jacks won seven of the squad's first ten games of the season for the first time since 2010.
Impressive Streak --- Julian Swift saw a 19-game hitting streak come to an end in Pine Bluff. Swift's impressive stretch of base knocks is the third longest in program history.
Best Start… Ever --- SFA's 5-0 start to the season is the best in program history, while its sweep of MVSU to open the year marked just the second 4-0 start ever by the Jacks.
Not Tonight --- SFA's effort on the mound, using six different arms, against Huston Tillotson marked the first combined nine-inning no-hitter in program history.
Nine is Fine --- The Jacks swiped nine bases in the game three win over MVSU which is tied for the second-most steals in a single game in program history.
Game One, Game Won --- SFA's 17-2 (7) win over Mississippi Valley State was the Jacks' first win in a season opener since knocking off Northwestern State in the first game of the 2022 campaign.
USA InVESTment --- Former Lumberjack Will Vest earned the call to Houston to join up with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic after being placed into the designated pitcher pool for the tournament. Vest pitched the seventh inning of the WBC's Gold Medal game allowing one hit with one strikeout.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for the remaining four SFA baseball home games are available now. Don't miss out on all the exciting action as the Jacks look to close out the regular season strong!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Friday's matchup will be the 55th meeting between the Jacks and Demons since the start of the 2006 campaign. NSU leads the series in that span 29-25 and is 7-3 against SFA in the last 10 matchups. The Demons took two of three from the Jacks in late April last spring and have won five-straight games over SFA at home.
NSU enters the weekend tied for third in the SLC standings at 14-10 sharing the same record with Nicholls. Lamar has 14 league victories in one less series played to lead the league entering the final weekend of April, while Southeastern is a game back of the Cardinals. The Jacks are 11-10 in SLC play with league series remaining against NSU as well as McNeese and UIW who are both also fighting to make the league's postseason tournament with the Cowboys just a single game back of the Jacks.
The Jacks look to snap a three-game losing streak on Friday. SFA has consistently drawn free passes at one of the nation's top rates. The Jacks rank 25th nationally with an SLC-leading 226 walks. Jhett Creel fuels that production ranking second in the SLC with 38; a mark that ranks among the top 25 DI players. His .480 OBP is the best in the Southland.
That effort has aided in the SFA offense producing the league's second-most runs (280) and second highest on-base percentage (.386). Once on base, SFA has not had an issue swiping bags. The Jacks lead the SLC in stolen bases with 68 and average a league-best 1.62 per game. Cermodrick Bland leads the league with 20 stolen bases at nearly a half bag obtained per game.
Julian Swift leads the team and ranks second among all SLC hitters with 55 base hits of which 19 have went for extra bases. Creel leads with a .333 average and 33 runs scored. Swift follows at .325 with 30 runs scored and an SLC-best 48 RBI. He leads SFA with 16 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games. Ethan Peña along with Bland have both reached 40 hits this spring. Mark Henning (.284, 38 H, 27 RBI) currently holds the longest active reached streak among any Jack this spring at 21 games.
On the mound, SFA ranks among the SLC's top three pitching staffs in K-to-BB ratio (2.14), K/9 (9.2) and BB/9 (4.30). Among the projected weekend starters for the Jacks, Cody Templeton leads with 54.0 innings pitched, 55 strikeouts and a 4-1 record. Gabe LeBlanc has tossed 38.1 innings with 22 strikeouts over ten starts and Dylan Mulcahy looks to make his ninth start of the season after tossing 39.2 innings while matching Templeton in punchouts with 55.
Jack James has proven to be one of the league's top relief arms this spring. In 29.0 innings pitched over 13 relief efforts, James owns a 5-to-1 K-to-BB ratio with a 1.24 ERA, a WHIP of .90 and a staff-low .206 batting average against. Reid Bowyer has made 14 relief outings totaling two dozen frames with 17 strikeouts. Kadin Munson leads the bullpen with 15 appearances, all in relief, totaling 11.1 innings.
The Demons counter with the league's top pitching staff which owns SLC-bests in ERA (4.02), K-to-BB ratio (2.80), WHIP (1.31) and BB/9 (3.20); the eighth lowest walks issued rate in the country. NSU's other three marks are all inside the DI top 30.
NSU averages 5.7 runs per game and are led at the plate by current league hits leader Brooks Leonard (56). He rates behind Bland in stolen bases (19).
Kevin Robinson, Dylan Marionneaux and Trent Hillen are the projected starters for the Demons this weekend. All three arms rank inside the top four of the SLC in K-to-BB ratio and are the league's top three arms when it comes to BB/9. Robinson holds the third-highest K-to-BB mark in the country at 11.00 and ranks second in the SLC in ERA at 2.57. Marionneaux's 60 strikeouts lead the staff and rate third in the SLC.
3VAN! 3VAN! 3VAN! --- First-year Jack Evan Aslaksen enjoyed a midweek heater hitting a pair of home runs in the win at PVAMU, before exiting Pilgrim's Park the following day in the home win over Alcorn. In the two games, Aslaksen went 6-for-10 with nine RBI highlighted by three home runs and a triple.
Big Bat Ibe --- Josh Ibe was named the SLC Hitter of the Week on April 6. It was the second weekly SLC honor for the Cypress, Texas native in his SFA career and he became the first Lumberjack this spring to earn the league's weekly plaudit. In four games, Ibe hit .438 with seven hits of which five went for extra bases. He delivered three doubles, a pair of home runs and totaled 16 bases. Ibe drove in a team-leading nine runs and tied for the team lead in runs scored with six.
Nine is Fine --- Junior right hander Dylan Mulcahy recorded a career-high nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings pitched to earn the game three victory and give the Jacks the series over HCU. Mulcahy's nine strikeouts matched the most by any SFA arm since the start of the 2023 season. He then followed that up with nine punchouts in the series finale against UTRGV. Between Mulcahy accounting for half of SFA's individual nine-strikeout efforts this spring was such efforts by Cody Templeton in G1 vs. UTRGV and Elian Balmaceda in relief in G1 vs. A&M-CC.
Eleven is Heaven --- SFA erupted for 11 runs in the eighth inning of the series finale against Lamar to erase a 9-3 deficit on their way to a series win with a 14-11 victory. The Jacks have eight innings of 7+ runs in Vanderburg's tenure with six of those coming this season.
All good things --- Cermodrick Bland's active reached safely streak ended at 31 games following game two of the UNO series.
Seven of 10 --- The Jacks won seven of the squad's first ten games of the season for the first time since 2010.
Impressive Streak --- Julian Swift saw a 19-game hitting streak come to an end in Pine Bluff. Swift's impressive stretch of base knocks is the third longest in program history.
Best Start… Ever --- SFA's 5-0 start to the season is the best in program history, while its sweep of MVSU to open the year marked just the second 4-0 start ever by the Jacks.
Not Tonight --- SFA's effort on the mound, using six different arms, against Huston Tillotson marked the first combined nine-inning no-hitter in program history.
Nine is Fine --- The Jacks swiped nine bases in the game three win over MVSU which is tied for the second-most steals in a single game in program history.
Game One, Game Won --- SFA's 17-2 (7) win over Mississippi Valley State was the Jacks' first win in a season opener since knocking off Northwestern State in the first game of the 2022 campaign.
USA InVESTment --- Former Lumberjack Will Vest earned the call to Houston to join up with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic after being placed into the designated pitcher pool for the tournament. Vest pitched the seventh inning of the WBC's Gold Medal game allowing one hit with one strikeout.
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for the remaining four SFA baseball home games are available now. Don't miss out on all the exciting action as the Jacks look to close out the regular season strong!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE JACKS
For all the latest information on SFA baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
#LogByLog
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball3.29.26 | BSB v HCU Series Press Conference
Monday, March 30
3.8.26 | BSB v Lamar Series Press Conference
Monday, March 09
2.17.26 | Baseball Opening Week Postgame Press Conference
Wednesday, February 18
5.10.25 | BSB v UIW Series Press Conference
Monday, May 12
