ULM Warhawks

Monroe, La. - The ULM Warhawks continue their seven-game home stand on Tuesday by hosting Southern at Warhawk Field. First pitch is at 4 p.m.

Setting the Scene

The two teams will meet twice this season, with ULM returning the trip to Baton Rouge on April 23. Tuesday's game between the Warhawks and Jaguars marks the first meeting between the two teams since 1999, when Southern defeated ULM 8-7 in the NCAA Regional at Baton Rouge. It is the first regular season meeting since Southern knocked off ULM 12-11 in Baton Rouge on April 26, 1989. The Warhawks have not hosted Southern since March 17, 1983, a 4-1 Warhawk victory. Tuesday's game is the 16th all-time meeting between the Warhawks and the Jaguars, with ULM leading the series 9-6.

ULM dropped two out of three games on the weekend to McNeese State, falling 13-12 on Friday before picking up a 10-5 win on Sunday in a game that was suspended on Saturday night. McNeese took the series finale 10-2 over the Warhawks on Sunday afternoon.

Southern head coach Kerrick Jackson is in his second season with the Jaguars. Jackson is 18-39 over his two seasons with the Jaguars after posting a 9-33 mark in 2018. Jackson has previous college coaching stints as an assistant at Missouri, Nicholls State, Jefferson College, Fairfield, Emporia State and Coffeyville Community College. Jackson most recently served as a MLB Certified Player Agent for the Boras Corporation and has also worked as a scout for the Washington Nationals.

Southern is 9-6 to open the season, already matching their win total from the 2018 season. The Jaguars swept Arkansas-Pine Bluff over the weekend to open SWAC play 3-0, winning 16-4, 9-4 and 16-13.

Leading Off

Through Sunday's games, ULM ranks 11th in the Sun Belt Conference as a team in batting average at .245. ULM has 115 hits, 15 doubles, two triples and eight home runs with 78 runs scored. The Warhawks have also compiled 114 strikeouts to 81 walks. On the mound, ULM ranks 11th in the SBC in team ERA at 6.24. The Warhawks have given up 106 runs, 88 earned, on 139 hits with 132 strikeouts and 75 walks.

The Warhawks lost Friday night's series opener against McNeese State 13-12. The Cowboys built a 12-2 lead through the top of the seventh inning before the Warhawks rallied. ULM scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on four walks and two hit batters. The Warhawks then added five runs on seven hits in the bottom of the eighth to pull within three at 12-9. After McNeese added a run in the top of the ninth, the Warhawks loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth when Chad Bell launched what appeared to be the game-tying grand slam over the right-center field wall. However, McNeese appealed to home following the hit, and a runner was ruled to have not touched home plate, taking a run off the board. A fly out in the next at bat ended the game.

Game two of the series started on Saturday but ended on Sunday. The start of the game was delayed by a half hour due to rain, and endured another rain delay before the start of the bottom of the second inning. After the teams traded runs in the first inning, ULM took the lead in the bottom of the second. Braedon Barrett tied the game at 2 on a solo home run, and Trent Tingelstad gave the Warhawks the lead on an RBI single. The Warhawks broke the game open with a five-run seventh inning that was split over two days after the game was suspended due to fog. Andrew Beesley had four hits in the win.

In the series finale on Sunday, McNeese scored three runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back in a 10-2 win. Logan Wurm had an RBI single in the loss, while Braedon Barrett picked up an RBI on a groundout.

Warhawk Notes

Junior left fielder Ryan Humeniuk returned to the top spot in the lineup on Friday and held down the leadoff spot throughout the weekend. Humeniuk hit safely in all three games on the weekend, with his best game coming in Friday's series opener. Humeniuk had three hits with a pair of doubles, an RBI and three runs scored. In game two, Humeniuk was 1-for-3 with a run scored. Humeniuk capped the series with two hits on Sunday, and was the only Warhawk with multiple hits in the loss.

Junior right fielder Trent Tingelstad has now reached base safely in all 15 games to open the season. Tingelstad picked up a two-RBI single in the eighth inning on Friday while also walking three times and was hit by a pitch. Tingelstad had two hits, including a double, with two RBIs in game two. He added a hit and a walk in Sunday's series finale.

Senior third baseman Chad Bell continued to struggle at the plate over the weekend, connecting for the three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth on Friday for his only hit on the weekend. Bell also picked up five walks in the series, reaching safely in each game.

Junior first baseman Cameron Horton missed the series against McNeese with an arm injury suffered in the mid-week series with Southeastern Louisiana. Horton is out indefinitely.

Junior Andrew Beesley earned the first chance to take over for Horton in the cleanup spot in the order. Beesley had three hits and two RBIs in Friday's series opener, and then added four hits with two RBIs and two runs in game two. In Sunday's finale, Beesley was 1-for-4.

Junior catcher Logan Wurm made his started three of the last four games, hitting in the fifth spot in the order each time. On Friday, Wurm was 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Wurm also walked with the bases loaded in game two of the series after coming into the game in the seventh inning. Wurm added an RBI single in the series finale on Sunday.

Junior Colin Gordon struggled on the weekend, going 1-for-11 with an infield single in the five-run seventh inning in game two.

Senior first baseman Brendan Jordan picked up his first three starts of the season over the weekend with Horton's injury. Jordan was 2-for-7 in his first weekend as a full-time starter this season. Both of Jordan's hits led directly to runs, with one on Friday and one in game two on Saturday.

Senior Braedon Barrett started all three games on the weekend in center field. Barrett had two hits with two runs scored on Friday, before adding a solo home run on Saturday night with two more runs and going 0-for-1 with an RBI on Sunday.

Junior infielder Nathan Miranda continues to hold down second base for ULM. Miranda started all three games vs. McNeese at second base, collecting two hits and three RBIs on the weekend.

Junior catcher Carson Klepzig had his first day off of the season on Wednesday at SLU. Klepzig appeared in the first 11 games of the season for ULM with 10 starts. Klepzig was 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout on Tuesday.

Junior Masen Prososki appeared in all three games over the weekend, and was used as a pinch runner in two of the three games. Prososki continues to be ULM's "10th man," seeing action in late inning pinch running and defensive situations.

Junior infielder Blake Buckman picked up two pinch hitting appearances in the series with McNeese. Buckman picked up an RBI single in the five-run eighth inning on Friday night.

Junior left-handed pitcher Cole Martin (0-2) will make his third mid-week start on Tuesday against Southern. Martin appeared in relief on Saturday night, throwing two-thirds of an inning, giving up an unearned run on a hit with two walks and a strikeout. Martin threw 3.1 innings with four runs, three earned, on three hits with two walks and a strikeout in his last start at Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday.

Right-handed pitcher Brock Figueroa earned his second save of the season in game two against McNeese, giving up two runs over the final three innings.