NEW ORLEANS, La. – The ULM softball team has earned a record four spots on the Sun Belt All-Conference teams, announced by the conference office on Tuesday (May 8). Head coach
Corey Lyon and his number 8 seeded Warhawks are headed to the Sun Belt Tournament, scheduled to play no. 5 Troy in the first round tomorrow (May 9) at 10 a.m. at Lamson Park in Lafayette.
The four honors are the most for ULM since joining the Sun Belt and only second to the 2001 season when ULM placed five on the first and second All-Southland teams.
Sydney McKay led the Warhawks with first-team honors for her all-around success at the plate and in the outfield. Currently 6th in Division I with 75 hits, McKay is second in the Sun Belt conference with a .393 batting average.
McKay can be thanked for ULM's NCAA top-50 ranking in both battering average and scoring. The junior out of Pearland, Texas has improved her performance at the plate each of the past three seasons. She leads the Sun Belt in runs scored (47), hits (75), and at bats (191). McKay's 75 hits puts her on track to repeat as the season hits leader after posting a ULM record-high of 83 hits in 2017.
Sydney McKay is ranked in Division I's top-25 for not only total hits, but also runs per game (1.00) tying her season high of three runs scored, thrice this season. McKay has earned a hit in 42 of 52 contests this year, and is on track to break Roberts' career hit record during her senior season as well.
Earning second-team honors were seniors
Hunter Hogan and
Rochelle Roberts, and sophomore
Jayden Mount.
As just a sophomore, Mount is already leaving a mark on ULM softball. Ranked 2
nd in the NCAA for hit by pitch per game, Mount without doubt, has a get on base at all costs mentality. Mount is only one hit by pitch calls from breaking the ULM single season record (25) and only nine calls from breaking the career record (38).
Mount is 9
th in the nation in on base percentage (.577) and carries that title into a first place Sun Belt ranking in the same category, her OBP is also the best in a single season in ULM program history.
Mount's .387 average at the plate puts her 4
th among Sun Belt batters, with a .556 slugging percentage and 55 hits. She has tallied 76 total bases this season and has started in all 49 games played at short stop. Mount also ranks in the Top 50 Division I players in walks (43
rd) and hardest to strike out (40
th).
At shortstop, Mount has completed 61 putouts and a team and conference-high, 132 assists. Her agility in the dirt has helped ULM complete 21 double-plays this season, 48
th best in Division I.
Next on the awards list in senior
Hunter Hogan. Hogan has been one of the most efficient outfielders to wear the maroon and gold. The senior transferred from Wichita State her sophomore year and has since then been the starting center fielder for the Warhawks.
Through 144 games played, Hogan has committed only two miscues and zero this season, for a combined 99.1% career fielding efficiency. On the season, Hogan has made 88 catches in the outfield- 85 putouts and three assists.
At the plate, Hogan is known to come up big for the Hawks, leading ULM with three triples and 11 doubles. Hogan's history of multi-base hits has put the Warhawks third in the Sun Belt for doubles per game.
Rochelle Roberts, the one that seems to hold it all together for the Hawks, wraps up her final season at ULM with a second-team all-conference honor en route to becoming one of the most prolific players in ULM history.
She is currently in the running for all-time best career batting average (.393) and has already broken the career record for hits (245) and sacrifice flies (8).
Earlier this season, Roberts completed what is the longest hit streak in program history, with a whopping 18 straight games with a hit.
With a career stolen base percentage of nearly 87%, Roberts' 111 stolen career bases ranks her 2nd in ULM program history and 3rd in the Sun Belt record books. Rochelle's aggressive base-running style has helped ULM rank 30
th among Division I teams for stolen bases per game this season, boosted with her 23 stolen bases and 19 from teammate
Sydney McKay.
This weekend, ULM will face number five seeded Troy in the first-round of the Sun Belt Tournament. Against Troy earlier this season, the Warhawks dropped two of three in the home series. Junior catcher
Brie Wrobel stepped up going two-for-three at the plate with four RBI in ULM's 6-4 win in game three.
Troy is headed to the tournament after experiencing their first sweep of the season to South Alabama on Sunday (May 6). Just the weekend before, the Trojans managed to steal the series from conference champions, Texas State by beating the Bobcats in both double-header contests on Saturday (Apr 28).
Troy's freshman starting pitcher, Annie Willis was named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, with a compiled 2.44 ERA and a 16-7 overall record. Willis is 4
th among Sun Belt pitchers, striking out 112 batters in 149 innings pitched.
Links to live state and video for Wednesday's tournament game can be found at ULMWarhawks.com and all other tournament information can be found at SunBeltSports.org. All questions regarding tournament operations and ticket sales should be directed to ULL's Ticket Office at
(337) 265-2104. Fans are reminded that a strict clear bag policy is enforced at Lamson Park in Lafayette and to plan appropriately. Fans are encouraged to follow along with the action on Twitter at @ULM_Softball as well. Tickets for single game.
