By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations
NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State baseball team’s battery powered its way to preseason Southland Conference honors.
Junior starting pitcher Chase Prestwich and senior catcher Bo Willis were named second-team Preseason All-Southland Conference on Thursday morning after a vote of league coaches and sports information directors.
Willis repeated as a preseason all-conference selection after entering the 2023 season as the first-team preseason selection. In two seasons with the Demons, Willis has batted .257 with 15 home runs and 69 RBIs.
A Magnolia, Texas, native, Willis enters the 2024 season eight home runs shy of entering the NSU career top 10 and is the Demons’ active career leader in games played, at-bats, hits, RBIs, runs scored, home runs, double and walks.
Prestwich emerged as the Demons’ most versatile pitcher a season ago.
A two-time Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week, Prestwich went 4-4 with a pair of saves across 21 appearances (eight starts). He picked up his second save of the season in the Demons’ first-round Southland Conference Tournament victory against UIW – Northwestern State’s first tournament victory since 2018.
A right-hander from Frederick, Colorado, Prestwich finished the season ranked 95thnationally in fewest hits allowed per nine innings at 7.55. He ranked third in the Southland in fewest hits allowed (52) and tied for second in fewest home runs allowed (4).
The Demons, who were chosen eighth in the preseason poll that also was announced Thursday, open the first season of the Chris Bertrand era at home against Southern Illinois on Feb. 16. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.