ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. – The ULM softball team plays host to App State this weekend with a three-game series vs. the Mountaineers Friday-Sunday, March 25-27. First pitch Friday is set for 6 p.m. CT at the ULM Softball Complex. Saturday afternoon's game is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and the finale on Sunday will start at noon CT.
 
"We're two weeks into the conference schedule, and anybody can beat anybody in the Sun Belt right now," said ULM softball head coach Molly Fichtner. "It's very competitive and there are upsets left and right. App State is a really good ball team and we have to respect them because they are not getting on that airplane to come and take it easy on us. We are going to try and win as many pitches as possible and score as many runs as we can."
 
The Mountaineers (15-11) split a doubleheader against Western Carolina Tuesday, winning the first contest 9-2 and falling in eight innings in the late game 5-2. App State (15-11) and ULM have not played any common opponents yet as the Mountaineers have Georgia Southern on their docket for next weekend. Last weekend, App State won two games in its series at Texas State, voted No. 2 in the Sun Belt preseason poll.
 
App State sophomore outfielder Kayt Houston is the Sun Belt leader with 35 hits so far this year, a total that ranks 57^th in the country. Pitcher Taylor Nichols is No. 1 in the Sun Belt and 71^st nationally in ERA at 1.70 and tied with Mountaineer teammate Kaylie Northrop in the strikeout-to-walk ratio at 3.78. Delani Buckner is also in the league's top 10 in that category, coming in at seventh (3.47).
 
While the Mountaineer pitching corps is second in ERA (1.70) and tops in the Sun Belt in strikeout-to-walk ratio, (3.52, 32^nd NCAA), three App State players are ranked in the top 10 in walks per game. Baylee Morton is second in the conference and fourth nationally, drawing a walk in almost every game (0.96). McKenzie McCullen (0.65) and Kennedy Upshire (0.58) are fifth and seventh, respectively.
 
ULM is just behind App State in third in team ERA at 2.67 and Kinsey Kackley is second behind Nichols in individual ERA at 1.75 (78^th NCAA). Kackley had a remarkable effort in the circle with a two-hit complete game for the shutout victory Tuesday night.
 
Offensively, the Warhawks are second in the league in scoring average at 5.56 (54^th NCAA) and third in batting average (.286) and on-base percentage (.381). In the 4-0 win over Southeastern Tuesday, ULM delivered a powerful punch at the top of the batting order as Lourdes Bacon and Kennedy Page reached base five times in their six combined appearances at the plate.
 
"Our one-two punch Wednesday was the biggest eye-opener for me; that was the most exciting thing," Fichtner said. "Of course, Kinsey throwing the two-hitter, that's great momentum with pitchers moving into the weekend."
 
Live stats are available for this week's games on the softball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.