Colonels baseball team has a cool experience preparing for start of Corvallis Regional

At the start of the Nicholls baseball team’s last practice in Thibodaux on Tuesday afternoon before heading out for the Corvallis Regional in Oregon, the estimated temperature on the artificial surface on Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray Didier Field was an estimated 120 degrees.

“You can just feel the heat the moment you step on the surface,” Nicholls coach Mike Silva said at the time.

When the team held its first practice at 11:30 a.m. PDT Thursday afternoon at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in Corvallis it was a wee bit cooler.

“It was probably 65, 70 degrees and it was beautiful weather. It was a good practice. The regional is good. Good vibe and getting work in. It was businesslike. I thought they were locked in. We got good work in and now on to tomorrow,” said Silva.

The practice, which lasted 1:15, allowed the Colonels to get acclimated to the park.

“I wouldn’t say the ball was flying today but it plays true,” Silva said. “You gotta really hit it. I think it carries more from center field to right field than it does out the left, at least today.”

Nicholls (38-20) enters the regional as the No. 3 seed. Oregon State is the No. 1 seed, with UC-Irvine the No. 2 seed, and Tulane the No. 3 seed.

Action in the Corvallis Regional begins on Friday. Nicholls is scheduled to face UC-Irvine at 3 p.m. CDT on ESPN+. Oregon State and Tulane are slated to square off at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. It will be the first-ever meeting between Nicholls and UC-Irvine.

The Colonels departed for Oregon on Wednesday morning, sharing the same charter flight as the Tulane Green Wave.

“We know each other pretty well. It was really businesslike. I get along well with their head coach, Jay Uhlman. The assistants are good people. They run a first-class program,” said Silva.

Nicholls (38-20) garnered the No. 3 seed in the regional. Oregon State is the No. 1 seed, with UC-Irvine the No. 2 seed, and Tulane the No. 3 seed.

Action in the Corvallis Regional begins on Friday. Nicholls is scheduled to face UC-Irvine at 3 p.m. CDT on ESPN+. Oregon State and Tulane are slated to square off at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. It will be the first-ever meeting between Nicholls and UC-Irvine.

With practice concluded, the Colonels has a bit of an opportunity to explore their surroundings other than just a baseball diamond.

“Hopefully they get out, and it’s a really neat town,” Silva said. “It’s beautiful weather out here and they get to have a positive experience and then take their mind off of baseball for a little while.

“I told them today we faced up. It’s a good workout. Stay locked in. We went to lunch and then the weight room finishing up getting a workout in. Then go relax and enjoy yourself. Shut your minds off from baseball and just enjoy being around each other and your families.”

Does Silva have any final messages for his team before play begins?

“Have fun. I mean, that’s it. That’s my message. Everybody wants to know messages to the team. That’s it. You’ll have fun. The work’s done. We’ve done the work,” the Nicholls coach said.