MONROE, La. – After making a run to the Sun Belt Conference tournament semifinals last season, the ULM softball team is looking to continue the momentum this weekend as the Warhawks host Stephen F. Austin and Southern University in the Mardi Gras Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
"We're so excited," head coach Molly Fichtner said. "The returners really know how much of a difference it makes to open up at home. We've got some great competition coming in this weekend and we're going to come out guns blazing."
ULM finished last season with a record of 14-42 and 7-17 in the Sun Belt in Fichtner's first season. This will be the first time the Warhawks have opened up at home since 2018. ULM has won two of their last three season-opening games.
The Warhawks will matchup with the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks on Friday at 2:30 p.m. and again on Saturday at 4 p.m. to close out the invitational. The two matchups will mark the 95th and 96th times the two teams have faced off with the Ladyjacks leading the series 48-46.
ULM matched up with SFA twice last season. The Ladyjacks shut out the Warhawks 4-0 in February and again bested ULM 8-2 in April. SFA went on to finish the season with a record of 36-23 and 18-9 in the Southland Conference. The Ladyjacks have been picked first in the Southland Conference Preseason Poll.
"SFA got us a couple of times last year," Fichtner said. "There was so much growth that had to happen for our team last year and we still went toe-to-toe with them. With our experience and the newcomers that came in, we'll hope to avoid those missteps and really come out ready to go."
SFA lost their leading hitter to graduation last year, but return four very good hitters and are led by junior Bryana Novegil, who was a 2020 Southland Conference Second Team preseason selection. Novegil ended last season with a .305 batting average, 58 hits and 18 RBIs.
Junior Brittany Crawford ended the season hitting a .283 with a .416 slugging percentage and five home runs along with 28 RBIs. Sophomore Mackenzie Bennett hit a .286 with a .471 slugging percentage. Bennett also hit three home runs and had 15 RBIs.
On the mound, the Ladyjacks return two 2020 Southland Conference Preseason Team selections. Sophomore Kassidy Wilbur was a First Team selection and started 30 games for SFA last season. Wilbur ended the season with a 1.80 ERA over 229.2 innings pitched. She struck out 256 batters and threw five shutouts with a record of 20-16.
Wilbur is joined by Second Team selection, senior Ashley Kriesel. Kriesel started in 24 games with a record of 14-6. She had a 2.43 ERA over 146.2 innings pitched and struck out 169 batters and threw three shutouts. The two pitchers are known to cause trouble for defenses.
"We have a different staff this year," Fichtner said. "We'll have some newcomers on the mound along with some experience and I think that will really set the tone for our defense. I feel comfortable where we are defensively going into this weekend. Offensively, it's really going to come down to the fact that we have to swing at good pitches and avoid bad pitches."
The second team the Warhawks will face is Southern. The two teams will battle it out on Friday at 5 p.m. and again on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The two matchups will mark the seventh and eighth times the two Louisiana teams have faced off. ULM is undefeated in the series, 6-0. The Warhawks won the last matchup with a 12-2 win in April of 2017.
The Jaguars finished last season with a record of 9-25 and 6-12 in the SWAC. Southern has been picked near the bottom of the SWAC Preseason Poll.
"We've got to come out and respect every team that we face this weekend and take care of business," Fichtner said. "We're not shifting our mentality. It's going to be ULM ball all weekend."
The Jaguars are led by returning senior Kameri Mott. Mott finished last season with a .253 batting average with three home runs, seven doubles and 17 RBIs. Southern also employs Roxy Segura, a transfer from Trinity Valley Community College and a 2020 SWAC Preseason Second-Team selection. Segura hit .208 last season and had six doubles, one triple and 11 RBIs.
In the pitcher's circle, the Jaguars welcome back senior Aubrion Jones, who was also a 2020 SWAC Preseason Second-Team selection. Jones started in 18 games last season and finished with a 6-12 record. She had a 2.70 ERA over 119.1 innings pitched while striking out 59 batters.
"The sun should be out this weekend and it's going to be a great couple of days of ball," Fichtner said. "We can't wait to get out there and show everybody what we've got."
For season tickets, call 318-342-HAWK or visit ULMWarhawks.com. Links to live video and stats are available at ULMWarhawks.com
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