ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. -  The ULM Warhawks wrap up the non-conference portion of the 2021 schedule with a three-game series at No. 6 TCU. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Lupton Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

All three games of the series will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The entire series can also be heard on ESPN+ and 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with Mike Hammett on the call.

Friday's game is the 13th all-time meeting between ULM and TCU, with the Horned Frogs leading the series 10-2. The two teams last met in 2012 with TCU taking a 9-2 victory in a midweek contest on April 17 in Fort Worth. Eight of the 12 meetings took place in the 1970s, with ULM winning the first meeting, 2-1, on March 10, 1972, before TCU won the final three games of the series, 4-0, 9-0 and 8-0. The Frogs swept a doubleheader from ULM in 1973 before the two split a doubleheader in 1975. TCU swept a three-game series from ULM in 1991. All games in the series have been played in Fort Worth.  

ULM (22-22 overall, 9-12 Sun Belt Conference) swept a doubleheader from UT Arlington on Saturday, 5-1 and 10-8, to move back to .500 on the season and improve to 9-12 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Warhawks have won 11 of their last 15 games to come back from seven games under .500 to even the record on the season. ULM has just six games remaining in the regular season, following the trip to TCU with another road series at Arkansas State to close out the SBC schedule. The Warhawks won their only meeting with a Big 12 school this season, knocking off No. 14 Oklahoma State, 13-6, on March 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

TCU (34-12 overall, 16-5 Big 12) has a one-game lead over Texas to lead the Big 12 entering the final two weeks of the regular season. The Horned Frogs dropped two of three games to Texas over the weekend, with the Longhorns winning the first and final games of the series, 5-4 and 9-3, while TCU won the Saturday contest, 2-1. The Frogs are 6-2 against Sun Belt Conference schools this year, claiming three wins over UT Arlington, two against the Ragin' Cajuns and one over Texas State. The Cajuns and Texas State picked up victories over TCU.

LEADING OFF

• Cam Barlow is scheduled to start Friday's series opener for ULM. He is 6-4 with a 4.42 ERA over 53 innings with 51 strikeouts to 18 walks. The third-year freshman from Halls, Tennessee pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings, allowing four hits with three walks and three strikeouts to pick up his sixth victory in a 5-1 win over UT Arlington on Saturday. In his last home start, Barlow threw a career-high seven shutout innings, scattering five hits while recording six strikeouts against Southern on April 25. He has struggled on the road this season, posting a 1-2 record with a 10.34 ERA over four starts.

• Steve Owings is slated to make his first weekend start of his career and his fourth start of the season. He moved into the starting rotation as the midweek starter vs. Jackson State on April 21. As a starter, he is 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA over 13 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on 14 hits with five walks and eight strikeouts. Overall, Owings is 1-0 with a 5.94 ERA over 16 2/3 innings, allowing 12 runs, 11 earned, on 23 hits with 10 walks and 12 strikeouts. In his last time out, Owings pitched 4 1/3 innings at Jackson State, giving up a run on four hits with two walks and no strikeouts.

• Andrew Beesley has been a mainstay at the top of the order for ULM for three seasons. He has hit in the top third of the order for the Warhawks in 32 of his 37 games this season. He has started 28 games at designated hitter with seven starts at first base. He hit a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth inning in game one of Saturday's doubleheader vs. UT Arlington. He followed it up with a single and a run scored in his final home game Saturday evening. The Natchez, Mississippi native is hitting .250 (33-for-132) with five doubles, one triple, 15 RBIs, 18 runs scored, 16 walks, 23 strikeouts and six stolen bases. His 16 bases on balls is tied for third on the team and boosts his on base percentage to .344. He has eight multi-hit games on the season. A second-year senior, Beesley was selected to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team as a utility player.

• Landon Cato has started 11 games at designated hitter. He has hit safely in seven of his last nine starts after picking up a base hit in game one of Saturday's doubleheader vs. UT Arlington. At App State, Cato had two hits on May 2 for his first career multi-hit game while adding his first stolen base. He singled and walked in the May 1 come-from-behind win. He picked up an RBI single, scored twice and walked twice vs. Jackson State on April 21. The freshman from Birmingham, Alabama made his ULM debut on March 30 and has since played in 19 games with 12 starts. He made his first appearance at Grambling State, hitting a pair of sacrifice flies. He is hitting .234 (11-for-47) with four RBIs, five runs scored, four walks and three sacrifice flies.

• Michael Cervantes started both ends of Saturday's doubleheader vs. UT Arlington at third base. He has made five appearances in the last 15 games. He has 21 starts at shortstop and five at third base and has hit safely in 19 of his 26 starts. He connected on a 2-RBI double in the three-run third inning in game two of Saturday's doubleheader vs. UTA. He hit a key 2-RBI single in the top of the eighth inning on April 7 at Alabama, which proved to be the game-winning hit. He hit his first-career home run, a 3-run blast, on March 27 at Texas State. He is hitting .282 (24-for-85) with three doubles, one triple, one home run, 11 RBIs, 11 runs, seven walks and three stolen bases.

• Wiley Cleland has been a true utility player in the ULM infield this season. The Columbia, Mississippi native has made 14 starts at third base, 10 starts at first base, eight starts at second base and one at designated hitter. He has seven games in which he has taken over duties at first base part way through the game. He opened the scoring on May 5 at Jackson State with an RBI double. He tallied two hits on April 27 at the Ragin' Cajuns. He has hit a pair of home runs in the month of April, hitting a 2-run blast vs. the Ragin' Cajuns on April 1 and a solo shot at Georgia Southern on April 11. He had his third three-hit game of the season on April 7 at Alabama. He is hitting .240 (30-for-125) with one double, three home runs, 16 RBIs, 16 runs scored, nine walks and five steals. 

• Ryan Cupit is one of the top reserves for ULM. Cupit has played in 28 games with three starts, hitting 6-for-25 with a double, 3 RBIs, seven runs scored and five walks. The West Monroe, Louisiana, native picked up a pinch-hit RBI single in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader vs. UT Arlington. He hit a pinch-hit leadoff single in the ninth inning at Jackson State on May 5. He hit the game-tying 2-RBI double in the top of the ninth inning on May 1 at App State. Cupit made three consecutive starts when Trace Henry was out with an injury on March 30, April 1 and April 2. He has collected four hits as a pinch hitter this season.

• Colby Deaville has started 13 of the last 14 games for ULM at shortstop. The second-year junior from Broomfield, Colorado has 17 hits on the season after picking up a base hit and an RBI in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader vs. UT Arlington. He had two hits in the May 2 series finale at Appalachian State. He earned an RBI in all three games of the App State series, despite coming off the bench in the second game of the series. Over the last 12 games, he has nine hits, three doubles, 10 of his 13 RBIs, five runs and three walks. He was a key contributor in the walk-off win over Little Rock on April 19, hitting a sacrifice fly in the second inning and battling back from an 0-2 count against Little Rock closer Aaron Barkley for a two-out walk in the 10th inning, setting up Ryan Humeniuk's game-winning RBI double. He is hitting .239 (17-for-71) with six doubles, 13 RBIs, 11 runs scored, nine walks and four stolen bases in 2021.

• Danny DeSimone has battled injuries throughout the 2021 season. He has played in 28 games with 22 starts. He has hit three 3-run home runs, connecting on the first pitch of his at bat in the first inning at Alabama on April 7. He also hit 3-run home runs at No. 23 Louisiana Tech on March 23 and in the series finale vs. Georgia State on March 21. He had his third multi-hit game of the season in the second game of the April 25 doubleheader vs. Southern, coming through with two hits, including a double, while driving in a run and scoring once. He broke out of an early season slump March 16 against his former team in Oklahoma State. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native went 2-for-5 at the plate against the Cowboys, picking up an RBI double down the left field line in the third inning and adding a 2-run home run to right field in the seventh inning. DeSimone has started four times in the last 14 games. DeSimone was second in the Sun Belt in 2020 with six home runs and 22 RBIs.

• Trace Henry has been on a tear since April 20. The junior from Mooreville, Mississippi, has hit safely in 10 of the last 13 games, including six multi-hit games. He is hitting .413 (19-for-46) in that span with four doubles, one triple, three RBIs, 16 runs scored, eight walks and four stolen bases. He had two hits in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader vs. UT Arlington, scored twice, walked once and stole two bases. In the first game of the doubleheader, Henry hit a double and scored. He was the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week and Louisiana Sports Writers Association Hitter of the Week for April 26-May 2 after going 10-for-16 at the plate with three doubles, one triple, two RBIs, seven runs scored, three walks and two sacrifice bunts in four games. He has started 19 consecutive games after returning from an injury at Alabama on April 7. He has 13 multi-hit games on the season. He has reached base safely in 34 of 40 games this season. He is hitting .322 (47-for-146) with 12 doubles, two triples, 11 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 16 walks and 13 steals. He leads the team in doubles.

• Mason Holt connected on his fifth home run of the season, a 2-run shot to right field, in the top of the ninth inning on April 27 at the Ragin' Cajuns, giving ULM a 7-5 lead as they went on to the 7-6 win. Holt finished with two hits and four RBIs after hitting a 2-RBI bloop single to left in the four-run fifth inning. His five homers, 28 RBIs, 37 runs scored, three triples, 18 steals and 25 walks all lead the team and he ranks second on the club with 47 hits and 10 doubles. He has 14 multi-hit games and 18 extra-base hits on the season. He is hitting .269 (47-for-175) on the season.

• Ryan Humeniuk continues to be one of ULM's top offensive threats. The Stonewall, Manitoba native hit a pair of home runs in the App State series, hitting a 2-run shot in the May 2 series finale and a 3-run blast in the April 30 series-opener. He had his third three-hit game of the month and sixth of the season on April 21 vs. Jackson State, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored, a walk and two steals. Humeniuk was the hero for the Warhawks on April 19, hitting a two-out RBI double to right center in the 10th inning to score Colby Deaville and give ULM its first walk-off win of the season as ULM beat Little Rock, 5-4. He has seven doubles, one triple, four home runs, 26 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 21 walks and 13 stolen bases. His 26 RBIs rank second on the team.

• Carson Jones has mainly served as a late inning defensive substitute. The freshman from West Monroe, Louisiana, made a sterling defensive play behind the second base bag after coming on in place of Travis Washburn. Jones has played in 17 games with two starts, at New Orleans and vs. Grambling State, while picking up two hits with two walks and three runs scored.

• Justin King made his fifth start in the field on April 21, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored while playing first base vs. Jackson State. King made his sixth appearance on the mound this season on May 5 at Jackson State, throwing a season-high 2 1/3 shutout innings with one hit, one walk and a season-best four strikeouts. The graduate transfer from Okotoks, Alberta has pitched 7 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on four hits with six walks and 11 strikeouts. He pitched 1 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings at LSU, giving up a walk with two strikeouts. On April 10 at Georgia Southern, the southpaw pitched through the rain in the eighth inning to retire the Eagles in order with a pair of strikeouts. He started the final two games of the weekend series at Texas State, filling Danny DeSimone's spot in the order. King had his first hit of the season on March 27 with a single to left field.

• Matthew Lee has played in 14 games as a backup catcher. He earned his second career hit with a solid single to center against JSU. He started the final two games of the Texas State series after an injury to Logan Wurm on March 26. Lee picked up his first career hit with a single to right field on March 27. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native started the April 1 game vs. the Ragin' Cajuns before Britt McKay started the final two games of the series. He made his ULM debut with a midweek start behind the plate against Grambling State on March 3.

• Britt McKay has appeared in 18 games and started nine contests at catcher for ULM and has caught Cam Barlow's last three starts on the mound. He hit his first career home run on April 18 vs. Little Rock, a solo shot to right field, in the bottom of the second inning, sparking ULM's comeback in a 5-3 win. McKay started the April 11 series finale at Georgia Southern and hit in the cleanup spot, going two-for-three at the plate. He started three of four games behind the plate following an injury to starting catcher Logan Wurm at Texas State, making a start at Grambling State and two more vs. the Ragin' Cajuns. The McHenry, Mississippi native is hitting .276 (8-for-29) with two doubles, two RBIs, six runs and seven walks. McKay has a .447 on base percentage and .448 slugging percentage.

• Grant Schulz has been on fire since returning to the lineup after a 17-day hiatus on April 20. Schulz is hitting a team-best .524 (22-for-42) since April 20 with five doubles, one triple, two home runs, 12 RBIs, 14 runs scored, five walks and two stolen bases. In that span, Schulz has raised his batting average from .185 to tie for the team lead with Travis Washburn at .333. On Saturday, Schulz had a monstrous doubleheader vs. UT Arlington. Schulz had seven hits on the day, including three doubles and one home run while driving in three runs and scoring five times. He had three hits with a double and two-run home run in the first game before posting his second four-hit day of the stretch with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored in the nightcap. He earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week and Louisiana Sports Writers Association Hitter of the Week honors for April 20-25. He won the pair of awards by hitting 8-for-11 with a double, grand slam, seven RBIs, five runs scored, four walks and a stolen base over five games from April 20-25. In game two of the April 25 doubleheader against Southern, Schulz went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk. In the April 23 series opener against Southern, Schulz set a career-high with four hits, a double, an RBI, two runs scored and a steal. On April 21 against Jackson State, Schulz hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to extend ULM's lead to 16-3. He is hitting .333 (32-for-96) on the season with seven doubles, one triple, three home runs, 22 RBIs, 18 runs scored, 12 walks and four stolen bases.

• Travis Washburn has started 34 consecutive games with 33 starts at second base and one in right field. The sophomore from Conroe, Texas has hit safely in 13 of the last 15 games after having a season-high eight-game hitting streak broken up on April 30 at App State.  He has picked up 11 of his 15 RBIs on the season since April 21. Since April 20, Washburn is second on the team with a .455 batting average (20-for-44), with four doubles, one home run, 11 RBIs, 13 runs, four walks and four stolen bases. He picked up two hits with a double and a run scored in game two of Saturday's doubleheader vs. UT Arlington. He opened the series with two hits, a walk, a run scored and a stolen base on Friday vs. UT Arlington. He collected a career-high four hits, including a home run, with a career-high three RBIs and three runs scored on May 2 at App State. Washburn has seven of his 12 multi-hit games since April 21. He is tied with Grant Schulz for the team lead with a .333 batting average (45-for-135) with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, 15 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 10 walks and eight stolen bases.

• Logan Wurm continues to increase his offensive output. He has collected 12 of his 24 hits since April 21. Since April 20, Wurm is hitting .400 (12-for-30) with four doubles, nine RBIs, seven runs scored and one walk. He had two of ULM's four hits on May 5 at Jackson State. He came off the bench on May 1 at App State to go 2-for-2 at the plate with a double, two RBIs and scored the game-tying run on Ryan Cupit's 2-RBI double in the ninth inning to complete a six-run come back. He closed out the series on May 2 with another double and three RBIs. It's the third time this season Wurm has picked up three RBIs in a game. The second-year senior from Marysville, California had a big game on March 16 vs. Oklahoma State at Globe Life Field, as he dropped in a bloop RBI double down the right field line in the third inning and added a 2-run home run, the first of his career, in the seventh inning. Coach Michael Federico says Wurm is considered the best bunter on the team. Wurm is hitting .253 (24-for-95) with seven doubles, one home run, 19 RBIs, nine runs and four walks.

• Four bullpen pitchers have compiled a sub-4.00 ERA this season, giving head coach Michael Federico plenty of options.

Lucas Wepf has become one of the more dependable arms in the ULM bullpen. The junior from Georgetown, Ontario, leads bullpen pitchers with a 2.67 ERA over 27 innings. He has not allowed an earned run over his last five appearances and 11 2/3 innings. He played a key role in the May 1 10-7 win at App State. With ULM trailing 7-1, Wepf entered the game in relief of starting pitcher Cam Barlow and proceeded to quiet the Mountaineer offense. Wepf threw 3 2/3 shutout innings, giving up just three hits with no walks and three strikeouts. He picked up his third save of the season and second consecutive save by recording the final two outs of the April 27 game at the Ragin' Cajuns, walking one batter and striking out two. He tossed two shutout innings with three strikeouts in the second game of the April 25 doubleheader vs. Southern. He has 28 strikeouts to eight walks this season.

Carson Orton has compiled a 3.00 ERA over 30 innings with an 0-1 record and team-high six saves. He has 22 strikeouts to seven walks on the season. He recorded the save in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader vs. UT Arlington. In game one, he threw two shutout innings, allowing two hits to secure the victory. In game two, he came on to record the final out, needing four pitches to notch his second save of the day and sixth of the season. He earned his fourth save of the season on May 1 at App State, pitching a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout. He played a key role in the April 19 walk-off win over Little Rock, throwing four shutout innings out of the bullpen, giving up just two hits with no walks and three strikeouts. On April 11 at Georgia Southern, he threw 3 2/3 shutout innings out of the bullpen, giving up three hits with two strikeouts. 

Trey Lindsay has a 2-2 record with three saves and a 3.13 ERA over 37 1/3 innings. He has 24 strikeouts to 11 walks on the season. The sophomore from Beckville, Texas tossed 1 2/3 shutout innings on May 2 at App State, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts. He posted his third save of the season in the first game of the April 25 doubleheader vs. Southern, throwing two scoreless innings with three hits and a strikeout to preserve the 2-0 shutout. He came out of the bullpen to record his second save of the season on April 18 against Little Rock, tossing the final 3 2/3 innings without allowing a run on two hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Lindsay threw three shutout innings on April 7 at Alabama, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts. He pitched 2 2/3 innings over two appearances at Georgia Southern, allowing one run on three hits with a strikeout. He pitched four total innings over three outings on the week of March 8-14 and allowed just one of six inherited base runners to score, earning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week honors.

Landon Longsworth has earned wins in two of his last four appearances out of the bullpen. He tossed two shutout innings with two hits, one walk and one strikeout for the win on May 2 at App State. He came out of the bullpen in the seventh inning and threw 2 1/3 innings, allowing a run on one hit with three walks and two strikeouts for the win on April 27 at the Ragin' Cajuns. He matched the longest outing of his career on March 27 at Texas State, throwing four scoreless innings with three hits, two walks and two strikeouts. He threw the final two innings of the game on April 17 vs. Little Rock and did not allow a run with just one hit, no walks and two strikeouts. Longsworth has made 16 appearances with a 2-2 record and a 3.90 ERA over 32 1/3 innings, posting 24 strikeouts to 16 walks.