RUSTON – The Diamond 'Dogs (28-21, 15-9) are set for their final midweek game and the first of their last four home contests in 2026, hosting Northwestern State (25-20, 16-11) at the Love Shack on Tuesday, May 5 at 6 p.m. CT.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: May 5 (6 p.m. CT)
Location: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park (Ruston, La.)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 97.7 FM / LA Tech Athletics app / Varsity Network app
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Series History: LA Tech leads 88-55 (since 1970)
 
Tuesday's contest marks the third time the two sides face off this season, with Tech coming out victorious in the previous two matchups. The 'Dogs took a 5-2 win at home over NSU on February 24 before blanking the Demons, 7-0, in Natchitoches on April 7.
 
The Bulldogs fell to fifth in the Conference USA standings after dropping the weekend series to Dallas Baptist on the road. The Patriots took a 4-1 win in the series opener before Tech evened it with a 5-4 victory on Saturday. Yet, the home side prevailed and held off a late comeback attempt with DBU taking the rubber match, 9-7.
 
Tech posted three-straight error-free games over the weekend in Dallas, marking the first time with no errors through three games since the 'Dogs hosted DBU at the Love Shack in 2025 (Apr. 25-27).
 
Colton Coates picked up his fifth career three-hit game and fourth of the season on Saturday, starting off with a first-inning homer to provide some offensive spark for Tech. The junior second baseman has also drawn at least 40 walks for the second-straight season and sits at 83 career walks at LA Tech, just 11 shy of tying for the 10th-most in a career in Bulldog program history.
 
Trey Hawsey and Coates each have at least 100 hits as a Bulldog, with Sebastian Mexico needing just four more knocks to reach the century mark. Hawsey's 13 homers this season are six shy of tying for the ninth-most in a single season in Tech history, and his 22 career homers are 14 shy of tying for the 10th-most all-time homers hit by a Bulldog.
 
NSU is coming off a toughly contested 5-2 loss at No. 22 Arkansas in Fayetteville on April 29. After Tuesday's contest with the Razorbacks was canceled, the Demons kept pace with a ranked opponent on the road until the seventh inning.
 
NSU was off to an early 2-0 start thanks to a two-run homer in the opening frame. A sacrifice fly in the second and an RBI knock in the fourth tied the game at 2-2 before Arkansas tallied a pair in the seventh and one in the eighth to avoid an upset in front of the home crowd.
 
Prior to their road trip to Arkansas, the Demons hosted Stephen F. Austin for a three-game slate in Southland play and clinched the series taking the first two games. A combined 36 hits were recorded in an 11-8 victory in the series opener before a combined total of three runs and 11 hits were posted in a 2-1 win to clinch the weekend over the Lumberjacks.
 
NSU sits in third in the SLC standings just two games behind Southeastern, who sits at the top of the conference table with just one conference weekend left in the regular season. The Demons close out their regular season and conference slate with a three-game series at McNeese following Tuesday's matchup in Ruston.
 
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