ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks conclude the 2021 regular season with a three-game series at Sun Belt Conference foe Arkansas State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday at Tomlinson Stadium in Jonesboro.

All three games of the series will be televised on ESPN+ with Brad Bobo (play-by-play) and Todd Baumgartner (analyst) on the call. The entire series can also be heard on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with Mike Hammett on the call.

Thursday's game is the 75th all-time meeting between ULM and Arkansas State. The Red Wolves lead the series, 41-33. The two teams last met in the 2019 season, with ULM winning two of three games in the series in Jonesboro. ULM won the Friday, April 26 contest, 11-4. Arkansas State rallied for a win on Saturday, April 27 in 12 innings, 4-3. The Warhawks claimed the series in the rubber match on Sunday, April 28, 4-2. ULM has won four of its last six games vs. A-State.

ULM (24-23 overall, 9-12 Sun Belt Conference) is coming off a series win at No. 6 TCU to move back above .500 on the season. The Warhawks narrowly missed picking up the 16th no-hitter in program history on Friday, May 14, holding on for a thrilling 4-3 win over the Horned Frogs. ULM had a combined no-hit bid between Cam Barlow, Trey Lindsay and Carson Orton broken up after 8 2/3 innings with an RBI single, with the play and game ending when Trace Henry threw out the potential tying run at home. On Saturday, May 15, ULM claimed the series in game one of a doubleheader with a 13-9 victory as Mason Holt had a double, triple and four RBIs. The Frogs rallied from a deficit in the series finale to pick up a 6-4 victory. ULM has won five consecutive weekend series dating back to a series win over Little Rock from April 17-19 (Little Rock, Southern, App State, UT Arlington, No. 6 TCU).

Arkansas State (17-27 overall, 9-12 Sun Belt Conference) salvaged a game from the weekend series at Troy, winning 9-5 on Sunday, May 16. The Trojans won the first two games of the series, 12-4 and 3-1. The Red Wolves have been strong at home in conference play this season, going 6-3 in Sun Belt action at Tomlinson Stadium. A-State opened the home SBC schedule with a sweep of Little Rock from April 1-3, salvaged a game from the series vs. UT Arlington from April 16-18 and won two of three against Georgia Southern from May 7-8. The Red Wolves have scored the third most runs in the SBC at 268, trailing only Georgia Southern (292) and Troy (281). On a per game basis, Arkansas State leads the SBC at 6.1 runs per game.

The Sun Belt Conference Championship is slated to begin Tuesday, May 25 at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama. ULM, Arkansas State and Texas State enter the weekend tied for fourth in the West Division standings at 9-12. The trio are just one game behind Little Rock (10-11), two games behind the Ragin' Cajuns (11-10) and three games behind UT Arlington (12-9). Texas State visits Coastal Carolina, Little Rock is at Georgia State, the Ragin' Cajuns host Troy and UTA is at Georgia Southern this weekend, leaving a wide range of seeding possibilities for all six schools entering the final weekend of the season.

LEADING OFF

• Cam Barlow is scheduled to start Thursday's series opener for ULM. He is 7-4 with a 4.03 ERA over 58 innings with 54 strikeouts to 23 walks. The third-year freshman from Halls, Tennessee has not allowed a run over his last two starts and three of his last four starts. He did not allow a hit or a run over five innings with five walks and three strikeouts at No. 6 TCU on Friday, as ULM carried a combined no-hitter bid for 8 2/3 innings. Barlow was named Louisiana Sports Writers Association Pitcher of the Week for his effort. He 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 May 8. Barlow threw a career-high seven shutout innings scattering five hits while recording six strikeouts against Southern on April 25. 

• Steve Owings is slated to make his second consecutive weekend start and fifth start of the season on Friday night. 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 3.00 ERA over 15 innings, allowing seven runs, five earned, on 18 hits with six walks and 11 strikeouts. Overall, Owings is 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA over 18 2/3 innings, allowing 14 runs, 12 earned, on 27 hits with 11 walks and 15 strikeouts. In his last time out, Owings pitched two innings in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at No. 6 TCU, giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

• Tyler Lien is the probable starter for Saturday's series finale. Lien opened the season as ULM's game three weekend starter, making the first seven series-finale starts for the Warhawks. After losing his spot in the rotation and not pitching in a game since April 20, Lien returned to the series finale start in game two of Saturday's doubleheader at No. 6 TCU and turned in a solid performance. He threw five innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits with two walks and a career-high seven strikeouts. Lien is in his final season at ULM after being honored on senior day vs. UT Arlington.

• Andrew Beesley came off the bench to pinch hit in all three games of the series at No. 6 TCU. Beesley came through in a big spot in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader vs. the Horned Frogs, hitting a 2-RBI double to right center in the sixth inning to push the ULM lead back to three after TCU had closed a seven-run gap to just one. He 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 40 games this season. He has started 28 games at designated hitter with seven starts at first base. The Natchez, Mississippi native is hitting .254 (34-for-134) with six doubles, one triple, 17 RBIs, 19 runs scored, 17 walks, 23 strikeouts and six stolen bases. His 17 bases on balls is tied for third on the team and boosts his on base percentage to .351. 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 13 games at designated hitter. He has hit safely in eight of his last 11 starts after collecting his second multi-hit game of his career in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at No. 6 TCU. Cato picked up an RBI single, scored twice and was hit by a pitch in the game. At App State, Cato had two hits on May 2 for his first career multi-hit game while adding his first stolen base. The freshman from Birmingham, Alabama made his ULM debut on March 30 and has since played in 22 games with 14 starts. He made his first appearance at Grambling State, hitting a pair of sacrifice flies. He is hitting .245 (13-for-53) with five RBIs, seven runs scored, five walks and three sacrifice flies.

• Michael Cervantes has started five consecutive games, including his first two career starts at second base in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader at No. 6 TCU. In the first game of the twin bill, he hit an RBI single in the top of the first inning and then added an RBI groundout in the second inning. He has 21 starts at shortstop, six at third base and two at second base. He connected on a 2-RBI double in the three-run third inning in game two of the May 8 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 .269 (25-for-93) with three doubles, one triple, one home run, 13 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, 12 starts at first base, eight starts at second base and one at designated hitter. He has eight games in which he has taken over duties at first base part way through the game. He 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 .231 (31-for-134) 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 31 games with three starts, hitting 6-for-28 with a double, 3 RBIs, seven runs scored and six walks. The West Monroe, Louisiana, native pinch hit in all three games of the series at No. 6 TCU, earning a walk in Friday's 4-3 win. He picked up a pinch-hit RBI single in the second game of the May 8 doubleheader vs. UT Arlington. 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 16 of the last 17 games for ULM at shortstop. The second-year junior from Broomfield, Colorado has 20 hits on the season after hitting safely in all three games of the series at No. 6 TCU. He had a base hit and an RBI in both ends of the May 8 doubleheader vs. UT Arlington, giving him a career-high five-game hitting streak entering the Arkansas State series. 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 15 games, he has 12 hits, three doubles, 10 of his 13 RBIs, eight runs and five 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 .244 (20-for-82) with six doubles, 13 RBIs, 14 runs scored, 11 walks and four stolen bases in 2021.

• Danny DeSimone has battled injuries throughout the 2021 season. He has played in 30 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 17 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 13 of the last 16 games, including six multi-hit games. He is hitting .328 (19-for-46) in that span with five doubles, one triple, three RBIs, 20 runs scored, 10 walks and six stolen bases. He has hit safely in each of the last five games. He had two hits in the second game of the May 8 doubleheader vs. UT Arlington, scored twice, walked once and stole two bases. 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 22 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 37 of 43 games this season. He is hitting .312 (50-for-160) with 13 doubles, two triples, 11 RBIs, 34 runs scored, 17 walks and 14 steals. He leads the team in doubles. He is hitting .333 inside Sun Belt Conference action.

• Mason Holt had a big weekend series at No. 6 TCU. He had two hits, including a two-out, 2-RBI single in the fifth inning on Friday along with a 2-RBI triple and 2-RBI double in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. He finished with four hits, a double, triple, six RBIs, four runs and four walks in the series. He 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, 34 RBIs, 41 runs scored, four triples, 18 steals and 29 walks all lead the team, and he ranks second on the club with 51 hits and 11 doubles. He has 16 multi-hit games and 20 extra-base hits on the season. He is hitting .274 (51-for-186) on the season.

• Ryan Humeniuk continues to be one of ULM's top offensive threats. The Stonewall, Manitoba native had five hits in the TCU series, all in Saturday's doubleheader. He had three hits and three runs scored in the first game of the twin bill vs. the No. 6 Horned Frogs, and added two hits with a double and two RBIs in the nightcap. He 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. 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 eight doubles, one triple, four home runs, 28 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 21 walks and 13 stolen bases. His 28 RBIs rank second on the team.

• Carson Jones has mainly served as a late inning defensive substitute. The freshman from West Monroe, Louisiana has played in 19 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 is ULM's only two-way player in 2021. He 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 seventh appearance on the mound this season on Saturday in game one vs. No. 6 TCU, throwing two innings, allowing four unearned runs on five hits with one walk and one strikeout. On May 5 at Jackson State he threw 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 9 1/3 innings, giving up nine runs, five earned, on nine hits with seven walks and 12 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 19 games and started 10 contests at catcher for ULM and has caught three of Cam Barlow's last four starts on the mound.  He had two hits in game two of Saturday's doubleheader at No. 6 TCU, picking up an RBI with his first stolen base. 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. 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 .303 (10-for-33) with two doubles, three RBIs, six runs and seven walks. McKay has a .452 on base percentage and .455 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 .500 (27-for-54) since April 18 with six doubles, one triple, two home runs, 15 RBIs, 15 runs scored, five walks and two stolen bases. He leads the team with a .542 on-base percentage and .759 slugging percentage in that stretch. In that span, Schulz has raised his batting average from .185 to now lead the team at .343. He has a five-game hitting streak entering the Arkansas State series, including four multi-hit games. He hit a double and scored a run in the series opener on Friday at No. 6 TCU before adding two hits in each end of Saturday's doubleheader, including three RBIs. On May 8, 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 .343 (37-for-108) on the season with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs, 25 RBIs, 19 runs scored, 12 walks and four stolen bases.

• Travis Washburn had a streak of 35 consecutive starts snapped when he was a late scratch from the lineup ahead of Saturday's doubleheader at No. 6 TCU. He has 36 starts on the season with 35 starts at second base and one in right field. The sophomore from Conroe, Texas has hit safely in 13 of the last 16 games.  He has picked up 11 of his 15 RBIs on the season since April 21. Since April 18, Washburn is second on the team with a .395 batting average (22-for-56), with four doubles, one home run, 11 RBIs, 14 runs, four walks and four stolen bases. He picked up two hits with a double and a run scored in game two of the May 8 doubleheader vs. UT Arlington. He opened the series with two hits, a walk, a run scored and a stolen base on May 7 vs. UTA. 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 has a .324 batting average (45-for-139) with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, 15 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 10 walks and eight stolen bases.

• Logan Wurm's late season offensive surge continued at TCU. He has collected 16 of his 28 hits since April 21. Since April 18, Wurm is hitting .381 (16-for-42) with five doubles, two home runs, 13 RBIs, nine runs scored and one walk. He hit the second and third home runs of his career against No. 6 TCU. On Friday, Wurm hit a solo home run to give ULM the early lead before adding an RBI double in the sixth inning. On Saturday, Wurm belted a 2-run home run to help the Warhawks pull away in a 13-9 win. 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. Wurm is hitting .269 (28-for-104) with eight doubles, three home runs, 23 RBIs, 11 runs and four walks.

• Three 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 2.76 ERA over 29 1/3 innings. Wepf has allowed just one earned run over his last six appearances and 14 innings. He earned his first collegiate win in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at No. 6 TCU, coming out of the bullpen to throw 2 1/3 innings, allowing a run on one hit with four walks and two strikeouts. 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 30 strikeouts to 12 walks this season.

Carson Orton has compiled a 2.93 ERA over 30 2/3 innings with an 0-1 record and team-high seven saves, which is tied for second in the Sun Belt Conference. He has 22 strikeouts to eight walks on the season. He recorded a save in the third consecutive game for ULM on Friday at No. 6 TCU. He entered the game with one out in the ninth inning with the Warhawks working on a combined no-hitter. While he surrendered the first hit of the game with two outs, ULM earned the final out on the play to give Orton his seventh save. He recorded the save in both ends of the May 8 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 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 2.88 ERA over 40 2/3 innings. He has 27 strikeouts to 12 walks on the season. The sophomore from Beckville, Texas was part of ULM's combined no-hitter attempt at No. 6 TCU on Friday, throwing 3 1/3 hitless innings out of the bullpen in relief of Cam Barlow, allowing three unearned runs on no hits with one walk and three strikeouts. He 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. 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.