MONROE, La. -- The ULM softball program faces one of its toughest non-confrence stretches of the season as it heads to Austin, Texas, for the Texas Classic and battles Texas Southern, Texas and Southern Miss before returning home Mar. 3 for a bout with No. 22 LSU.
The Warhawks (12-4) enter the weekend leading the Sun Belt Conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, stolen bases, doubles and total bases.
For ticket information on the LSU contest, please contact the ULM ticket office at 318-342-3ULM.
On the Web
Live stats for all Texas Classic games are available through TexasSports.com. Stats and a free webstream of the LSU contest is available on ULMWarhawks.com and you can follow @ULM_Softball on Twitter for in-game updates.
On the Air
All five Texas Classic games are available on the Longhorn Network. Alex Loeb (PXP) & Amanda Scarborough (analyst) as well as Tyler Denning (PXP) & Megan Willis (analyst) will have the call. Contact your cable or satellite provider for access.
Softball Around the Horn
ULM Grabs Warhawk Classic Crown
The Warhawks went 5-1 in the inaugural Warhawk Classic over the weekend. ULM set the tone with an 8-0 win over Louisiana Tech in six innings but the Warhawks were surprised in a 4-3 loss to Alcorn State. ULM rallied after the set back and won the next four by at least five runs. In all, ULM went 9-2 in its 11-game home stand.
Fast Starters
At 12-4, ULM is off to its best start since 2007, when it was 10-6 through the first 16 games.
Round Trippers
The Warhawks are averaging just over one home run per contest this season. This is thanks, in part, to Hollie Letourneau's team-high four jacks while Alexis Cacioppo, Vanessa Garcia and Faith Bohack all have three.
Movin' On Up
Two ULM juniors have moved up in the ULM career rankings already this season. Miyuki Navarrete's 21 stolen bases put her in sole possession of fifth while Alexis Cacioppo's three homers have moved her into eighth.
Scouting the Warhawks
Vanessa Garcia leads the team with an impressive .462 batting average through the first 10 contests while Hollie Letourneau, Alexis Cacioppo and Faith Bohack each have double-digit RBI totals and three homers apiece. In the circle, Samantha Hamby's pitched the majority of the innings and she has a team-best 25 strikeouts, but Melanie Coyne has a blistering 1.85 ERA in limited action so far.
The Holloway-Hill File
Head coach Rosemary Holloway-Hill enters her 30th season at the helm of the Warhawks. She is joined on staff by first year assistants Ashlyn Williams and Garrett Furnal. Williams serves as pitching coach while Furnal assists with hitting and the infield.
Scouting Texas Southern
The Tigers took commanding wins over Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana to start the season at the Lady Lion Invitational two weeks ago. Since then, the team has garnered a 5-6 record. Chelsea Guenther is swinging a hot bat right now and is 11-for-20 (.550 avg.) at the plate. Thomasina Garza has provided much of the offensive support this year, driving in nine. In the circle, Samantha Jimenez has a team-best 3.13 ERA and is a 2-0 in 15.2 innings. Madison Staton has tossed a squad-high 18 frames and has fanned nine. Staton is holding opponents to a .242 avg.
Series History: ULM leads 4-0
First Meeting: 3/23/00 (ULM won, 4-0)
Last Meeting: 2/25/07, ULM 6, TSU 0 in Huntsville, Texas
Scouting Texas
The 8-9 Longhorns have struggled to get anything going after making it to the national semi-finals a season ago, but that hasn't stopped the Texas offense. Brejae Washington is tied for a team-best 21 hits, but Lindsey Stephens has a majority of the pop. She already has seven homers and 24 RBI on the season. Meanwhile, Gabby Smith leads the pitching staff with a 2.47 ERA and a 5-1 record in 39.0 innings pitched. Tiarra Davis has struck out a team-high 37 hitters in 38 innings.
Series History: Texas leads 2-0
First Meeting: 2/26/09 (Texas won, 5-0)
Last Meeting: 2/26/09, Texas 10, ULM 2
Scouting Southern Miss
The Eagles are 4-10 going into play Friday and have faced some very tough competition along the way. Morgan McKeever has a team-best 11 hits while Michelle Stringer and Katie Cleary pace the offense with seven RBI apiece. Meanwhile, Samantha Robles and Shelbee Rodgers have gotten the bulk of the work in the circle. Robles has the edge on ERA with a 4.64 in 28.2 innings while Rodgers has 39 strikeouts. This is the first meeting between ULM and Southern Miss in nearly seven years.
Series History: ULM leads 24-12
First Meeting: 3/12/83 (ULM won, 7-4)
Last Meeting: 4/4/07, at ULM 6, USM 2
Scouting LSU
The Tigers enter the weekend ranked 22nd in the latest polls. Led by Jacee Blades' blistering .420 average and four players with 14 RBI, the LSU offense is outscoring opponents 105-39 to start the year. Baylee Corbello has also been lights out in the circle with a 0.93 ERA and 51 strikeouts across 45.0 innings. These stats are before LSU hosts Harvard, Jackson State, Iowa State and Lamar over the weekend. This is LSU's first trip to Monroe since the 2008 season.
Series History: LSU leads 7-0
First Meeting: 1980 (LSU won, 7-1)
Last Meeting: 2/17/10, at LSU 6, ULM 1
