ULM (23-27) vs. Northwestern State (29-21)
6 p.m. Tuesday | Warhawk Field
Cole Martin, LHP (0-4, 6.94 ERA) vs. Tyler Pigott, LHP (5-1, 2.95 ERA)
Watch | Radio: 105.7 KMLB or Listen Live | Stats | ULM Notes | NSU Notes
Monroe, La. - The ULM Warhawks open their final home stand of the 2019 season on Tuesday night by hosting Northwestern State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Warhawk Field.
Setting The Scene
ULM lost two of its three games over the weekend at Troy. The Warhawks lost Friday's series opener 15-4, and also lost the first game of Saturday's doubleheader 10-4. ULM salvaged the weekend and the doubleheader on Saturday with a 14-6 victory. The win keeps the Warhawks in possession of the 10th and final spot in next week's Sun Belt Conference tournament, sitting one-half game ahead of Arkansas State. The Warhawks are 23-27 overall and 11-15 in the Sun Belt.
Northwestern State also dropped two out of three games over the weekend at home against Incarnate Word. The Demons won Friday night's series opener 7-6 before getting swept in a Sunday doubleheader, 6-5 and 12-9. The Demons are 29-21 overall and 14-13 in the Southland Conference, good for a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference with McNeese State and Stephen F. Austin.
The Warhawks and Demons will meet for the 225th time on Tuesday, with NSU leading the series 113-111. The two teams split their first two meetings this year, with the Demons posting a 15-0 win in Natchitoches on Feb. 26, and ULM winning 8-4 in Monroe on April 10. It is the most-played rivalry for ULM, ahead of McNeese State (193 meetings) and Louisiana Tech (182 meetings).
ULM head coach
Michael Federico is in his second season with the Warhawks. He led the team to an 11-win improvement in his first season, as the Warhawks posted a 23-31 record in 2018. He is 46-58 overall as the head coach at ULM.
NSU head coach Bobby Barbier is in his third season with the Demons. The NSU alumnus led the Demons to a Southland Conference tournament championship and NCAA Regional appearance in 2018. Prior to taking over as head coach, Barbier served as pitching coach for the Demons.
Leading Off
Chad Bell continues to put a strong finish on his senior season. Bell is riding a career-high 16 game hitting streak, posting six hits over the weekend at Troy. After going 1-for-4 with an RBI on Friday night, he had a huge day Saturday, going 5-for-10 with two home runs in the second game of the doubleheader. Bell now ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference with 15 home runs, with seven of those coming during the current hitting streak. Bell is also second in the SBC with 126 total bases and is third with a .636 slugging percentage. Bell has 10 multi-hit games during his hitting streak.
Andrew Beesley enters the week with a chance to claim the SBC batting crown. Beesley leads the Warhawks with a .346 batting average, sitting in fifth place in the SBC, but is just four points behind SBC leader Steven Curry of Georgia Southern at .350. Beesley is fifth in the SBC with 66 hits and is tied for seventh with 14 stolen bases.
Masen Prososki is the second Warhawk with a double-digit hitting streak this season, hitting safely in his last 10 games. Prososki picked up four hits in the Troy series, posting his ninth multi-hit game of the season on Friday night with two hits, including a double and an RBI. He also picked up an RBI in Saturday's series finale.
Trent Tingelstad sits in the top 10 of the SBC in several categories. Tingelstad is tied for first with four triples with sitting in fourth in walks with 36. He is fifth in on base percentage at .454 and sixth in doubles with 15.
The Warhawks have won three of their last four mid-week games. ULM beat Northwestern State 8-4 on April 10. After a 5-0 loss to No. 21 Louisiana Tech on April 16, the Warhawks have picked up a 5-4 win at Southern on April 23 and an 11-4 victory against Alcorn State on April 30.
