ULM Warhawks

ULM (12-3 overall) vs. No. 5 Ole Miss (14-1 overall)
Warhawk Field | Monroe, La.
Tuesday, 6 p.m. | Tyler Lien, LHP (2-0, 1.08 ERA) vs. Ben Gilbert, LHP (0-0, 10.80 ERA) | Watch | Radio: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB or Listen Online | Live Stats
Wednesday, 4 p.m. | Nicholas Judice, RHP (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Jackson Kimbrell (1-0, 3.00 ERA) | Watch | Radio: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB or Listen Online | Live Stats
ULM Game Notes | Ole Miss Game Notes

MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks return to Warhawk Field to open a six-game homestand on Tuesday night, hosting No. 5 Ole Miss for a pair of mid-week games. First pitch is at 6 p.m. Tuesday and 4 p.m. Wednesday.
After winning the first two games of the series at McNeese State over the weekend, ULM sits at 12-3 overall, marking its best start to a season since 1990, when ULM opened 16-2. 

Tuesday's game marks the 47th all-time meeting between ULM and Ole Miss, with the Rebels leading the series 34-11-1. The Warhawks and Rebels have not met since the 2014 season, when Ole Miss swept a pair of games from ULM, 5-4 and 4-3 in Oxford. ULM last defeated Ole Miss in the 2010 season opener, winning 6-5 in Oxford over the No. 19 Rebels on Feb. 19. Ole Miss has won six straight games in the series.

ULM head coach Michael Federico is in his third season with the Warhawks. He led the team to an 11-win improvement in his first season, and then a four-win improvement in his second season. He is 62-65 overall as the head coach at ULM. Federico has yet to meet Ole Miss as a head coach.

No. 5 Ole Miss has won 14 straight games after dropping their season-opener to then No. 1 Louisville, 7-2. Ole Miss is coming off a series sweep of Princeton, winning 15-0, 18-4 and 14-2 in seven innings. The Rebels are 3-0 in mid-week action, beating Alcorn State 9-8 in 10 innings on Feb. 19, Southern Miss 4-3 on Feb. 25 and Memphis 8-1 on March 3. 

Entering the two-game set, Ole Miss leads NCAA Division I with 31 home runs. They rank third in slugging percentage (.527), seventh in scoring (9.1 runs per game) and 10th in bases on balls (94) and shutouts (4).

Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco is in his 20th season with the Rebels with a record of 765-440-1. Bianco has led the Rebels to the NCAA Tournament 16 times with six appearances in Super Regionals and a College World Series berth in 2014. Prior to Ole Miss, Bianco spent three seasons as the head coach at McNeese, and has a career record of 865-511-1. Bianco is 14-6 all-time against the Warhawks and 10-1 vs. ULM while at Ole Miss.

LEADING OFF

Redshirt junior pitcher Tyler Lien is scheduled to make his third start of the season on Tuesday evening against Ole Miss. Lien, a left-hander from Kirkwood, Missouri, has posted a 2-0 record with a 1.08 ERA over 8 1/3 innings in his first two starts, giving up a run on four hits with four walks and eight strikeouts. Lien, who missed all of 2019 due to an injury, threw three innings in a designated short start on Feb. 25 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, giving up a run on no hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Lien extended out to 5 1/3 innings and 83 pitches in last week's start vs. Jackson State, giving up no runs on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

Freshman Nicholas Judice is slated for his second career start on Wednesday afternoon. Judice, a right-hander from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA over 4 2/3 innings, giving up an unearned run with two hits, seven walks and four strikeouts over two appearances. Judice came out of the bullpen on Feb. 22 against Grambling, but struggled with his command, pitching 2/3 of an inning, giving up three walks with one strikeout. In his first career start on March 1 vs. Illinois State, Judice picked up his first win in a designated short start, tossing four innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

Senior outfielder Ryan Humeniuk continues to lead the Warhawks with a .410 batting average, ranking third in the Sun Belt Conference. Humeniuk leads the team and Sun Belt with 20 runs scored on the season. Humeniuk also ranks second in the Sun Belt in hits (25), fourth in total bases (38) and ninth in slugging percentage (.623) and on base percentage (.486). Humeniuk was 3-for-10 in the weekend series at McNeese State, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored on Saturday, and finishing 1-for-3 with ULM's only RBI on Sunday. He walked three times on Friday night.

Senior utility player Andrew Beesley is one of the hottest players in the Sun Belt Conference, riding a nine-game hitting streak. However, Beesley sustained an injury after a first inning single and stolen base in Saturday's game at McNeese and did not play in Sunday's game. Beesley ranks second on the team and fourth in the Sun Belt with a .400 batting average. Beesley leads the Sun Belt in on base percentage (.565) and is tied for fourth in walks (13).Beesley had a pair of doubles with two RBIs in Friday night's win over McNeese, and is 17-for-33 (.515) since opening the season at 1-for-12 (.083).

Junior infielder Grant Schulz is third on the team in batting average at .385 after a productive weekend at McNeese. Schulz picked up an RBI single in Friday night's 8-2 win over the Cowboys, and then added two hits, including the go-ahead two-RBI single on Saturday in the 5-3 win over McNeese. Schulz was 3-for-8 on the weekend with three RBIs, a run scored and two walks. Schulz has played in 11 games with eight starts and has four multi-hit games on the season.

Junior catcher Logan Wurm had a pair of hits over the weekend at McNeese, going 2-for-9 on the weekend with a double and an RBI. Wurm drew four walks on the weekend and also came through with a successful sacrifice bunt. Wurm has hit safely in eight of the 11 games that he has started on the season. Wurm is fourth on the team with a .342 batting average, while adding two doubles and 11 RBIs.

Junior first baseman Danny DeSimone hit his team-leading fifth home run of the season on Friday night, a solo blast to left field at McNeese. DeSimone is tied for second in the Sun Belt Conference in home runs. He sits third in the Sun Belt with 20 RBIs. DeSimone is one of three Warhawks in the top 12 of the Sun Belt in slugging percentage, coming in at 12th at .604. DeSimone hit safely in the first two games of the series at McNeese, and has now hit safely in nine of his last 11 games.

Junior shortstop Colby Deaville is hitting for power early in the season. Out of Deaville's 11 hits, he has two doubles, two triples and two home runs. Deaville is second on the team and 10th in the Sun Belt Conference with a .622 slugging percentage. Deaville picked up an RBI and a single in Friday's win at McNeese.Deaville is hitting .297 with eight RBIs, 12 runs scored and eight walks.

Junior outfielder Mason Holt slid up to the leadoff spot for ULM over the weekend at McNeese. Holt opened Friday's game against the Cowboys with a triple off the top of the left field wall, just missing a home run. Moments later, he scored on Beesley's first double of the night for a 1-0 lead. Holt added another hit on Saturday night. He is hitting .305 on the season with three doubles, a triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 18 runs scored. He is also 6-for-7 on stolen base attempts.

Junior outfielder Trace Henry led off the first 12 games of the season for ULM before sitting out the first two games of the weekend series at McNeese. Henry returned to Sunday's series finale to pinch hit in the ninth inning. Henry has hit safely in 10 of the 12 games in which he has started, including a 5-for-5 effort with a double, three RBIs, five runs scored, two walks and two stolen bases vs. Illinois State on Feb. 29.

Senior relief pitcher Conner Deeds earned his second save of the season on Friday night, throwing three innings of relief against McNeese, giving up two hits and two walks over three innings. Deeds has thrown three innings in all four of his appearances this season, picking up a pair of saves with a 1.50 ERA, giving up four runs, two earned, on six hits with four walks and 10 strikeouts. He has not allowed a run in three of his four appearances.

Senior relief pitcher Brock Figueroa earned his first save of the season and made two appearances at McNeese. Figueroa threw the ninth inning on Saturday night, retiring the Cowboys in order while picking up a strikeout for his first save of the season in the 5-3 victory. On Sunday, Figueroa was brought in to retire the final McNeese batter of the game in the bottom of the eighth in a 3-1 loss. Figueroa has five appearances with a 1-0 record and a save over 8 1/3 innings, giving up no runs on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.

Senior relief pitcher Justin Barton came out of the bullpen and kept the Warhawks within striking distance in Sunday's 3-1 loss at McNeese. Barton threw 3 2/3 innings, giving up no runs on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Over four appearances, Barton is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA over 10 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits with two walks and 14 strikeouts.

WARHAWK NOTES

BEESLEY NAMED SUN BELT CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ULM senior utility player Andrew Beesley was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week  for the week of Feb. 24-March 1, as announced Monday afternoon by the Sun Belt Conference. Beesley hit safely in all five games in the week for ULM, and had multiple hits in four of the five games. He was 10-for-20 at the plate with two doubles, a grand slam, 12 RBIs, six runs scored, five walks and a steal. He had an on base percentage of .615. Beesley opened the week with a pair of hits, including an RBI, run scored and two walks vs. Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 25. The next day, Beesley added two more hits, including a double and a grand slam, while driving in six runs, scoring four times and walking twice against Southeastern. Over the weekend, Beesley had two hits and an RBI in Friday's series opener against Illinois State. On Saturday, Beesley tallied three more hits and four more RBIs while scoring and walking once. In the series finale on Sunday, Beesley picked up a first-inning double down the left field line to extend his season-best hitting streak to six games.

PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE DEFENSE
ULM is one of the top teams in the Sun Belt Conference and Division I in getting runners on base. ULM leads the Sun Belt Conference and NCAA Division I in on base percentage at .445. Texas Tech leads all Division I teams with a .454 on base percentage.

WALK THIS WAY
ULM has drawn 99 bases on balls this season, which leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks fifth in NCAA Division I. The Warhawks have 19 more walks this season than any other team in the Sun Belt Conference. UT Arlington ranks second with 80 walks. ULM also ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in fewest strikeouts with 115. Andrew Beesley leads ULM with 13 walks, which is tied for fourth in the Sun Belt.

GRAND THEFT ON THE BASEPATHS
ULM has been aggressive on the basepaths early in 2020. The Warhawks are 36-of-44 on stolen base attempts as a team, but stole just one base in the series vs. McNeese. ULM ranks seventh in the nation in stolen bases with 36 and ninth in stolen bases per game at 2.4. ULM has taken 10 more bases and attempted 14 more steals than any Sun Belt Conference opponent. 11 different Warhawks have at least one stolen base on the season, and eight of those players have multiple stolen bases. Junior outfielder Trace Henry is tied for third in the Sun Belt with seven stolen bases. The Warhawks stole a school-record 10 bases in the Feb. 29 win over Illinois State. ULM swiped 19 bases in the series vs. Grambling, taking eight bases on Feb. 21, four more on Feb. 22, and wrapped up the series on Feb. 23 with seven more steals. 

RUN FACTORY
Despite scoring just 16 runs over the last four games, ULM continues to lead the Sun Belt Conference and ranks third nationally in scoring at 9.7 runs per game. ULM scored over 20 runs three times in a five game span: 23 runs vs. Grambling State on Feb. 23; 23 runs vs. Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 26; and 26 runs vs. Illinois State on March 1. ULM has also topped 10 runs in a game against Southeast Missouri (13 on Feb. 15) and Grambling State (15 on Feb. 21). 

TRIPLE STACK
ULM leads the Sun Belt in triples with six. ULM's triples come from five different players. Colby Deaville is the only Warhawk with two triples, hitting one on each of the first two Saturdays of the season. The Warhawks smacked three of their triples in the Feb. 23 win over Grambling, with Ryan Humeniuk, Trace Henry and Andrew Beesley reaching third base off a hit. Mason Holt added the most recent triple, hitting one off the top of the left field wall to leadoff the game at McNeese on Friday.

BYE, BYE BASEBALL
ULM is second in the Sun Belt Conference and ranks 33rd nationally with 15 home runs. The Warhawks won the March 1 game over Ilinois State on the strength of four solo home runs, with three coming in the third inning, including back-to-back blasts on consecutive pitches by Danny DeSimone and Ryan Humeniuk. Grant Schulz hit his first home run of the season later in the inning, while Mason Holt went deep for the second consecutive day in the fifth inning. DeSimone added another solo home run on Friday vs. McNeese. He is tied for second in the Sun Belt Conference with five home runs, including a pair of grand slams, while Humeniuk is tied for 11th with three home runs.

CLEARING THE BASES
ULM leads the Sun Belt Conference with 121 RBIs on the season, 14 ahead of Coastal Carolina in second place. Danny DeSimone leads the Warhawks, ranks third in the Sun Belt and 33rd nationally with 20 RBIs on the season. Andrew Beesley is tied for fifth in the Sun Belt with 15 RBIs, while Ryan Humeniuk is tied for eighth with 14 RBIs. 

SLUGGING THEIR WAY TO WINS
ULM leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks 20th nationally in slugging percentage at .483. The Warhawks have three individuals ranked in the top 12 of the Sun Belt in slugging percentage: Ryan Humeniuk is ninth at .623; Colby Deaville is 10th at .622; and Danny DeSimone is 12th at .604. 

PUTTING OUT THE FIRES
Over the last seven games, the ULM bullpen has pitched 29 1/3 innings against Illinois State, Jackson State and McNeese State. The pen combined to allow just seven runs on 21 hits with 11 walks and 30 strikeouts. On Feb. 28, Conner Deeds threw three shutout and hitless innings to give the Warhawks a chance to rally in the loss to the Redbirds. On Feb. 29, Bryson Wrobel calmed the waters, throwing two shut out innings with one hit and one strikeout, while Justin Barton took over and followed with 3 2/3 innings with a run, two hits a walk and five strikeouts. Lucas Wepf finished the game with a scoreless ninth inning. On March 1, Brock Figueroa tossed four scoreless innings with two hits, one walk and four strikeouts, and Landon Longsworth earned his third save of the season, giving up just one run on one hit in the ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts. On Tuesday against Jackson State, ULM picked up 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout from Dylan Marsh, and Longsworth picked up his fourth save with three scoreless innings with no walks and two strikeouts. Deeds came back on Friday with three more scoreless innings, giving up two hits with two walks and a strikeout. On Saturday, Longsworth struggled, walking four batters and giving up three runs, but Wrobel backed him up, getting out of the eighth inning before handing the game off to Figueroa for the ninth inning and the save. On Sunday, Barton threw 3 2/3 innings to keep the Warhawk offense within striking distance in the 3-1 loss at McNeese.

LIEN-ING ON PITCHING AND DEFENSE
With all the offensive accolades ULM has achieved early in 2020, the Warhawks had to rely on their pitching and defense in Tuesday's mid-week win over Jackson State. Redshirt junior starting pitcher Tyler Lien, making his second start as a Warhawk, fired 5 1/3 shutout innings, giving up four hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Dylan Marsh followed with 2/3 of an inning and a strikeout to get out of the sixth inning, and Landon Longsworth closed the game with three scoreless and hitless innings with a pair of strikeouts for his fourth save. ULM had just four hits on the night offensively, but Carson Klepzig's second-inning RBI double held up, as the Warhawks added a run in the seventh inning on a wild pitch for the 2-0 win to move to 3-0 in mid-week games.