Hammond, La. - The ULM baseball team wraps up a six-game road trip Tuesday and Wednesday as they visit Southeastern Louisiana at Alumni Field.
Setting The Scene
Tuesday and Wednesday mark the only two meetings of the season between the Warhawks and the Lions. It will be the 126th and 127th all-time meeting between the two programs, with ULM leading the series 68-56-1. The two teams have not squared off since 2016, when the Lions took two out of three games in an opening weekend series at Southeastern. The last four meetings have been in Hammond. ULM last hosted the Lions in 2014, when the Lions visited Warhawk Field for a three-game series.
ULM won two out of three games at the Cox Diamond Classic in Pensacola, Fla., over the weekend. The Warhawks lost their tournament opener 7-2 to Tennessee on Friday. ULM bounced back Saturday to pick up two wins, holding off Western Kentucky 4-3 and powering past North Florida 7-4.
SLU head coach Matt Riser is in his sixth season with the Lions. Riser has won at least 37 games in all five seasons at SLU, with three NCAA Regional appearances, coming in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Riser also led the Lions to a Southland Conference tournament title in his first season in 2014.
SLU is 3-8 on the season after dropping two out of three games over the weekend at Troy. The two teams wrapped up the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, with the Lions taking the nightcap 19-4. Troy won the first two games 5-2 and 8-3. The Lions won two out of three games in a weekend series with Stony Brook for its other two wins on the season.
Leading Off
Through Sunday's games, ULM ranks sixth in the Sun Belt Conference as a team in batting average at .251. ULM has 79 hits, 11 doubles, two triples and six home runs with 50 runs scored. The Warhawks have also compiled 76 strikeouts to 47 walks. On the mound, ULM ranks ninth in the SBC in team ERA at 5.36. The Warhawks have given up 61 runs, 50 earned, on 82 hits with 89 strikeouts and 49 walks.
The Warhawks opened the Cox Diamond Invitational on Friday with a 7-2 loss to Tennessee. After the Volunteers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, ULM answered with
Nathan Miranda's RBI single scoring
Colin Gordon and
Carson Klepzig's squeeze bunt brought home
Braedon Barrett to tie the game in the top of the second. However, the Volunteers hit a pair of two-out home runs, a two-run shot in the third and a three-run bomb in the eighth to take the win.
In Saturday's opener against Western Kentucky,
Trey Jeans tossed five shutout innings and ULM built a 3-0 lead. However, the Hilltoppers tied the game on a two-run home run in the eighth inning. ULM answerd in the top of the ninth when
Ryan Humeniuk was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on two wild pitches, setting up
Masen Prososki's go-ahead RBI fielder's choice for the 4-3 win.
Trailing 2-0 to North Florida in the first inning of Saturday's nightcap,
Chad Bell,
Cameron Horton and
Andrew Beesley hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to put ULM up for good at 4-2. Miranda added a 2-RBI single in the three-run third inning as ULM went on to the 7-4 win over the Ospreys.
Warhawk Notes
Junior left fielder
Ryan Humeniuk continues to hold down the leadoff spot for ULM. Humeniuk hit safely in all three games over the weekend while also scoring twice. Despite a .179 batting average, Humeniuk has walked five times and been hit by a pitch twice to post an on-base percentage at .304.
Junior right fielder
Trent Tingelstad finished the Cox Diamond Invitational with two hits in 11 at bats. Tingelstad also walked twice and was hit by a pitch against Western Kentucky.
Senior third baseman
Chad Bell had his 11-game hitting streak come to an end in Tuesday's loss at Northwestern State, but bounced back by going 4-for-8 over the weekend with a double, triple and home run while driving in two runs, scoring twice and walking four times. Bell has hit safely in nine out of 10 ULM games this season.
Junior first baseman
Cameron Horton struggled to an 0-for-7 start with three strikeouts in the first two games in Pensacola, but bounced back with a 2-for-3 game against North Florida with a solo home run in the four-run first inning.
Senior
Braedon Barrett has now started eight straight games in center field for ULM. Barrett posted a 2-for-8 weekend in Pensacola with three runs scored, a walk and was hit by a pitch twice. Barrett has hit safely in both of ULM's true road games this season.
Junior
Andrew Beesley picked up his team leading third multi-hit game of the young season on Saturday against North Florida. Beesley hit a solo home run in the first inning, and also scored twice, was hit by a pitch and stole a base, his fourth of the season. Beesley was 3-for-10 over the weekend.
Junior catcher
Carson Klepzig has been behind the plate in all 10 of ULM's games, with nine starts. Klepzig drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt against Tennessee for his second RBI of the season.
Junior
Colin Gordon has now made seven consecutive starts at shortstop after not playing on opening weekend. Gordon has hit safely in five of his seven starts. Gordon had two hits with a run scored against Tennessee, and added another hit, a walk and a run scored vs. North Florida on Saturday.
Junior infielder
Nathan Miranda had a nice weekend in Pensacola. Miranda finished 4-for-11 on the weekend with a double and three RBIs. Miranda had three of his hits against Tennessee, pushing a run across on an RBI groundout in his only trip to the plate where he did not hit safely. His three-hit game against the Volunteers is his first multi-hit game of the season.
Junior
Masen Prososki continues to see action in a limited basis. Prososki came on as a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth inning against Western Kentucky on Saturday, and came through with an RBI on a fielder's choice. He then played second base in the bottom of the ninth as the Warhawks picked up the 4-3 win. Prososki started Tuesday's mid-week game at Northwestern State, going 1-for-3 against the Demons.
Senior right-handed pitcher
Jacob Barton (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season in the 7-2 setback to Tennessee on Friday. Barton threw 4.2 innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits with three walks and a strikeout while also hitting a batter.
Senior right-handed pitcher
Miles Dunn threw three total shutout and hitless innings over the weekend out of the bullpen. Dunn tossed 2.1 innings against Tennessee, giving up just two walks while striking out one. Dunn then inherited a bases-loaded one-out situation against North Florida, and gave up only a sacrifice fly while getting out of the inning without any further damage.
In Saturday's first game, senior left-handed pitcher
Trey Jeans (0-2) rebounded from a bad start a week prior against SIUE. In his start against Western Kentucky, Jeans threw five shutout innings, giving up three hits while walking two and striking out six.
Junior right-handed pitcher
Brock Figueroa earned his first win of the season against Western Kentucky, giving up no runs on a hit with a strikeout while working the final 1.1 innings.
Junior right-handed pitcherÂ
Kayleb Sanderson (2-0) suffered a rough first inning, but responded against North Florida on Saturday, throwing four innings, giving up two runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts for his second win.
