ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks conclude a five-game homestand at 6 p.m. Tuesday when they host I-20 foe Louisiana Tech at Warhawk Field. It is the first of two scheduled meetings between ULM and LA Tech in 2021, with the Warhawks set to visit Ruston in two weeks on March 23.

Tuesday's game marks the first meeting between ULM and LA Tech since the Bulldogs, then ranked No. 21, defeated the Warhawks 5-0 at Warhawk Field on April 16, 2019. It is the 183rd meeting between ULM and LA Tech, with the Bulldogs leading the series 105-77.

ULM (5-3) is coming off a series win over Nicholls on the weekend. ULM rebounded from a loss in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, 5-2, to win the nightcap, 5-3 and then take the series on Sunday, 6-4. The ULM bullpen was dynamic on the weekend, combining to toss 13 innings while allowing three runs on seven hits with one walk and 16 strikeouts. Trey Lindsay picked up his first win as a Warhawk with four scoreless innings in relief in game two Saturday, while Carson Orton and Reid Goleman each earned their first saves. Trace Henry and Andrew Beesley hit safely in all three games, with Henry earning five hits on the weekend and Beesley four. 

The Warhawks are 2-0 in midweek games to open 2021 after defeating Northwestern State in the season opener, 5-2, on Feb. 24 and Grambling State, 9-1, on March 3.

Louisiana Tech is 7-3 on the season after sweeping McNeese State over the weekend, 11-0, 4-3 and 14-4 in Ruston. The Bulldogs have dropped their first two midweek games, both against the Ragin' Cajuns, 2-0 and 7-2, both in Lafayette. The Bulldogs swept a weekend series from Southern and beat Air Force in its season opener on Feb. 21. LA Tech has also dropped a game at No. 11 LSU, 16-7.

Tuesday marks the end of a five-game homestand for ULM before opening a four-game swing against ranked opponents away from Monroe. The Warhawks travel to No. 4 Ole Miss for a three-game series Friday, Saturday and Sunday before facing No. 13 Oklahoma State on March 16 at Globe Life Field, the home of the Texas Rangers, in Arlington.

LEADING OFF

• Cole Martin steps in to make a midweek start for the Warhawks on Tuesday. Martin was ULM's regular midweek starter in the 2019 season before missing the 2020 season with an injury. He had an 0-4 record with a 6.97 ERA over 40 innings in 2019, but he consistently improved as the season went along. He closed the season with a no decision in the Sun Belt Conference tournament opener against South Alabama, throwing four innings with five runs, four earned, on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He faced Louisiana Tech twice. On March 26, 2019 at Louisiana Tech, he allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts. In the last meeting between the teams on April 16, 2019, he threw a career-high 6 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

• Trace Henry returned to the leadoff spot for ULM in game two of Saturday's doubleheader with Nicholls. Henry had the top offensive week for ULM, hitting .412 (7-of-17) over four games, picking up a pair of hustle doubles and three RBIs. He had two hits in three out of the four games. His first double of the week came against Grambling on Wednesday. The Tigers intentionally walked Mason Holt to deal with the Mooreville, Mississippi, native. Henry hit a line drive back up the middle, ricocheting off the pitcher and rolling into shallow left field, allowing a pair of runs to score and the speedy Henry to end up on second base. He doubled again in ULM's series opening game against Nicholls, hitting a ball to right center where the wind knocked it down. He sprinted out of the box and beat the throw to second base for the double. He scored both of ULM's runs on RBI singles by Andrew Beesley. After picking up a hit in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader, Henry closed the series with the Colonels with two more hits on Sunday. He raised his batting average on the season from .118 entering the week to .265 after Sunday's game.

• Mason Holt cooled off over the weekend against Nicholls. Holt entered the series hitting .526 (10-for-19) but went 1-for-11 against the Colonels and scored a run in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. He was hit by a pitch twice on the weekend. Holt is still off to a solid start through eight games. He is hitting .367 (11-of-30) with two doubles, a home run, two RBIs, nine runs scored, five walks and six strikeouts.

• Andrew Beesley has held down the third spot in the batting order in the first eight games. A second-year senior, Beesley was selected to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team as a utility player. So far in 2021, he has started at first base and designated hitter. Beesley is hitting .310 (9-of-29) with a double, three RBIs, seven runs scored and three stolen bases. His six bases on balls leads the team and boosts his on base percentage to .444. The Natchez, Mississippi native hit a double in his first at-bat of the season against Northwestern State and added three hits on Feb. 27 at New Orleans. He had a pair of hits and RBIs in the opening game of the series against Nicholls and hit safely in all three games against the Colonels.

• Danny DeSimone made his 2021 debut on Saturday against Nicholls. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native missed the first five games of the season as he was working through an injury. He hit 1-for-10 in the series against Nicholls, picking up a double in the series finale. DeSimone also hit a drive to left field where Nicholls' Wes Toups made a leaping catch and hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in dead centerfield in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader. DeSimone was second in the Sun Belt in 2020 with six home runs and 22 RBIs.

• Wiley Cleland had a tough weekend against Nicholls, going 1-for-10, but closed strong with a single and a pair of runs scored in Sunday's series finale. Cleland, who has split his time between first and second base defensively, is hitting .273 (9-of-33) with a home run, a team-high nine RBIs, six runs scored and two stolen bases. He had three RBIs in Wednesday's game against Grambling State. Cleland hit 4-of-14 (.286) in the three-game series at New Orleans, including three of his six RBIs and a solo home run on Feb. 28. The Columbia, Mississippi, native collected three hits and three RBIs in the Feb. 24 season-opener vs. Northwestern State.

• Ryan Humeniuk is another of six seniors returning in 2021 thanks to the blanket eligibility waiver passed by the NCAA for the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. The Stonewall, Manitoba native has responded with a .355 (11-of-31) batting average through five games with a team-best two home runs, three RBIs, six runs scored, a walk and two steals. After opening the season 0-of-3 against Northwestern State, he responded with a 6-of-14 (.429) weekend at New Orleans, following up Cleland's home run on Feb. 28 with one of his own. He had two hits with an RBI on a sacrifice fly as well as a stolen base on Wednesday vs. Grambling. He was 3-of-11 at the plate against Nicholls, including two hits with a solo home run in the series finale on Sunday.

• Grant Schulz has gone from a platoon player to a full-time starter early in 2021. The Mereaux, Louisiana native has a .250 (6-of-24) average through eight games, including a double, home run, six RBIs, four runs scored and five walks. After opening the season 0-for-7, Schulz went 4-of-7 over the final two games of the New Orleans series, picking up his double and homer as well as three of his six RBIs. He picked up two hits against Nicholls, both on bunts. He added two RBIs on Sunday with one on his safety squeeze bunt single and the other on another safety squeeze an inning later.

• Logan Wurm had a strong finish to the UNO series. The second-year senior from Marysville, California is hitting .240 (6-of-25) in seven games but had three of his hits in the series finale vs. the Privateers on Feb. 28. Wurm has a pair of doubles to his credit this season with two RBIs. Against Nicholls, Wurm laid down a safety squeeze bunt for an RBI in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader and laced a two-RBI single to left in Sunday's series finale. Coach Mike Federico said Wurm is considered the best bunter on the team.

• Matthew Lee made his ULM debut with a midweek start behind the plate against Grambling State on Wednesday. The freshman from Baton Rouge did not pick up his first career hit, but worked his way on base twice and scored twice. Lee, along with Britt McKay and Chris Noble, is expected to back up Wurm at catcher and allow him to have some games off.

• Colby Deaville and Michael Cervantes also return from the 2020 squad and have split time at shortstop. Deaville is hitting .200 (4-of-20). He has three doubles, with one in three consecutive games from Feb. 27 to March 3. Cervantes started the final two games of the Nicholls series. The League City, Texas native picked up a hit in each game and earned his first RBI of the season in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader against Nicholls.

• Justin King, Carson Jones and Travis Washburn have also drawn starts early in the season. King started the first two games at designated hitter before Jones started Feb. 27 at second base and Washburn started Feb. 28 at second base. King is also expected to be used out of the bullpen this season. Jones returned to the starting lineup Wednesday vs. Grambling and had his first-career hit. Washburn had two hits, including a triple, and scored twice in the Feb. 28 win over New Orleans and picked up another hit as a pinch hitter on Wednesday.

• In the bullpen, 10 different pitchers have an ERA under 4.00 in the early portion of the season. Reid Goleman (4 innings), Cole Martin (1 1/3), Cole Cressend (1), Nicholas Judice (1), Lucas Wepf (1) and Eric Heiman (1) have each thrown at least one inning without allowing an earned run. Trey Lindsay earned his first win on Saturday night, throwing four shutout innings with one hit and four strikeouts against Nicholls. Lindsay has tossed 8 1/3 innings with two runs, one earned, on five hits, three walks and six strikeouts for a 1.08 ERA. Carson Orton earned his first save on Saturday night and has a 1.50 ERA in six innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Landon Longsworth has a 3.00 ERA over six innings with five strikeouts and one walk, while Bryson Wrobel has a 3.38 ERA over 2 2/3 innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.