MONROE, La. - The ULM baseball team plays its Sun Belt Conference home opener as the Warhawks welcome Georgia State to Warhawk Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Friday's and Saturday's games will stream on ESPN+ and air on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with
Mike Hammett on the call for both broadcasts. Links to live stats are available on the baseball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com. There is no video stream for Sunday's contest.
Tuesday's game is the 23rd all-time meeting between the Warhawks and Panthers with ULM leading the series, 13-9. The Warhawks have won eight of the last 10 meetings with Georgia State. The two teams split four meetings last year, with GSU winning the meeting at the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Montgomery, Alabama, 9-6, on May 25. ULM won two out of three games in the regular season series at Warhawk Field. GSU won the first game of the series, 4-3, on March 19, 2021, before ULM took the final two games of the series, 3-1 on March 20 and 9-7 on March 21.
ULM (6-12-1 overall, 1-1-1 Sun Belt Conference) is coming off a 13-6 win over Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday at Warhawk Field. The Warhawks scored eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, including a 3-run home run by senior
Grant Schulz and a grand slam by senior
Mason Holt. ULM split its first series in Sun Belt Conference play last weekend, going 1-1-1 at Coastal Carolina. The Warhawks picked up their first-ever win over the Chanticleers, 3-2, on Friday afternoon at Springs Brooks Stadium. CCU bounced back with a 9-4 win over ULM on Saturday. On Sunday, the two teams played to a 17-17 tie, with the game ending after eight innings and four hours due to a curfew in place to allow for ULM's travel back to Monroe. It was the first tie for ULM since 1993. The Warhawks are hitting .264 as a team with 94 RBIs, while the pitching staff has posted an ERA of 6.15.
ULM head coach
Michael Federico is in his fifth season with the Warhawks. After leading the club to an 11-win improvement in his first year and a two-win improvement in his second year, he led the Warhawks to their first .500-or-better season since 2012 with a 26-26 mark in 2021 as ULM finished third in the Sun Belt Conference West Division. Federico is 8-2 against GSU.
Georgia State (14-7 overall, 3-0 Sun Belt Conference) has won five of its last six games and 10 of its last 12 games. The Panthers lost a neutral site game against Georgia on Tuesday, 10-3, at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, Georgia. GSU swept its first SBC series of the season, beating Little Rock 9-3, 7-4 and 12-8. The Panthers are four wins away from matching last year's win total. GSU is hitting .309 with 136 RBIs, with both marks ranking second in the SBC.
Georgia State head coach Brad Stromdahl is in his third season with the Panthers. After winning nine games in the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he led GSU to 18 wins in 2021. He started the baseball program at Georgia Gwinett College, posting a 328-104 record in seven seasons, with four 50-win seasons. Stromdahl is 2-2 against ULM.
ULM CELEBRATES WARHAWK FIELD RENOVATIONS
ULM's Warhawk Field underwent major renovations in the 2021-22 offseason. The renovations at Warhawk Field included installation of DoublePlay Speed FieldTurf in the infield and DoublePlay Natural FieldTurf in the outfield, the home bullpen moved adjacent to the first base dugout, the visitor bullpen moved off of the field of play in the left field corner, brought fans closer to the action with foul territory walls moved closer to the foul lines and a new premium seating area, The Stadium Club, located behind home plate at field level. The ULM home locker room also saw upgrades in the process. Last season, the Warhawk baseball weight room was completed, immediately adjacent to the team's locker room.
WARHAWKS DISPLAY POWER POTENTIAL
ULM has hit nearly half of its home runs this season in the last four games. The Warhawks have hit eight homers over the last four contests and now has 17 home runs on the season.
On Wednesday vs. Stephen F. Austin, ULM hit three home runs for the second time this season. Senior
Grant Schulz opened the game with a 3-run home run before fellow senior
Mason Holt followed later that inning with a grand slam as the Warhawks claimed an 8-2 lead in the first inning. Sophomore
Caleb Sterling belted his first homer as a Warhawk, a 2-run shot, in the seventh inning. ULM picked up a 13-6 win.
Last Sunday at Coastal Carolina, ULM wrapped up the series with a pair of home runs by sophomore
Michelle Artzberger. His first 3-run home run highlighted a 5-run first inning, and his second 3-run blast in the fifth inning put the Warhawks back on top, 13-12. ULM went on to tie CCU, 17-17.
Last Saturday at CCU, senior
Colby Deaville hit a solo home run in the second inning to put ULM on top, 1-0. Holt hit a 2-run shot in the seventh inning to cut the Chanticleer lead to 7-4. Coastal held on for a 9-4 win.
Last Friday at CCU, junior
Travis Washburn returned to the starting lineup for the first time in two weeks and hit a solo home run down the left field line to increase ULM's lead to 3-0. The Warhawks went on to win, 3-2.
HOLT LEADS THE WAY
Senior leadoff hitter
Mason Holt leads ULM with 24 hits and 39 total bases while joining fellow senior
Grant Schulz as the only two players to start all 19 games in 2022.
The Coppell, Texas, native improved his average to .300 (24-for-80) on Wednesday night against Stephen F. Austin, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and grand slam, both in the first inning, with four RBIs , three runs scored, a walk and a stolen base.
Overall on the season, Holt is slashing .300/.378/.488 with four doubles, one triple, three home runs, 11 RBIs, 15 runs scored, seven walks and four stolen bases. He is riding a six game hitting streak, and has multiple hits in four of the six games, including three consecutive two-hit outings entering this weekend's series vs. Georgia State.
DEAVILLE PROVIDES OFFENSIVE BOOST
Senior
Colby Deaville entered the starting lineup on Saturday, March 5, against New Orleans and provided an immediate boost to the ULM offense. Deaville, who started 31 games at shortstop in 2021, is leading the team with a .395 (17-of-43) batting average and .628 slugging percentage, adding four doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, 10 runs scored, six walks, five stolen bases, and 11 strikeouts.
He has hit safely in nine of 11 games since rejoining the starting lineup, including five multi-hit games. He had career highs with four hits and three RBIs to go with two doubles, two runs scored, a walk and a steal on March 5 vs. UNO. He added two hits in the series finale vs. the Privateers on March 6. On March 9 vs. Northwestern State, he tacked on two hits with a double, RBI and run scored. He opened the series at Nicholls on March 11 going 1-for-4 with a walk. On March 12, he had two hits, including a home run, with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases. On March 13 at Nicholls, he did not have a hit, but was hit by a pitch and scored from first base on an RBI single by
Caleb Sterling to give ULM a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning. He had three hits, including a solo home run, with a walk and a stolen base at Coastal Carolina on Saturday.
WASHBURN RETURNS TO THE STARTING LINEUP
ULM second baseman
Travis Washburn returned to the starting lineup last Friday at Coastal Carolina. After struggling early in the season, he went 4-for-9 at CCU with a home run, three RBIs, a run scored, two walks, a stolen base and a strikeout. He then went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk vs. SFA on Wednesday.
Washburn was a Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection at second base last year. He had opened the season 3-for-27 at the plate prior to losing his starting spot after the March 4 game vs. New Orleans. He had two hits with a solo home run and walk on Friday at Coastal before adding two more hits with two RBIs, a walk and a stolen base in the series finale on Sunday.
CUPIT CLAIMS STARTING ROLE IN OUTFIELD AS SENIOR
After spending two seasons as one of the first players off the bench for ULM, senior
Ryan Cupit has taken over as the starting left fielder for the Warhawks.
The West Monroe, Louisiana, native leads ULM in on-base percentage (.508), runs scored (17) and walks (15). His 15 bases on balls ranks third in the Sun Belt Conference, one behind SBC co-leaders in Coastal Carolina's Eric Brown and UT Arlington's Zach Henry.
He has hit safely in four of the last five games, including a 3-for-5 day at the plate last Sunday with a walk, was hit by a pitch and scored a career high five runs. Cupit has appeared in 18 of 19 games with 14 starts and has reached base safely 15 times. He had an 11-game reached base streak snapped last Saturday at Coastal Carolina.
SCHULZ NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE BY PERFECT GAME
ULM senior third baseman
Grant Schulz was selected to Perfect Game's Sun Belt Conference Preseason Team at designated hitter.
Schulz led the Warhawks with a .333 batting average in 2021, which ranked fifth in the Sun Belt Conference. He had 10 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 30 RBIs, 22 runs scored and 12 walks while playing in 42 games with 35 starts on the season. Schulz was a big part of ULM's late-season surge. Schulz hit a team-best .440 (33-for-75) from April 18 to May 28 with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 18 runs scored, five walks and two stolen bases. In that span, Schulz raised his batting average from .185 to lead the team at .333. He hit safely in nine of the last 10 games with six multi-hit games in that stretch.
Schulz has hit safely in eight of the last nine games, including five multi-hit games. He has two hits in a game eight times this season. He leads the team in doubles (four) and RBIs (13).
STARTING ROTATION STAYS THE SAME FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEKEND
ULM head coach
Michael Federico has announced the Warhawks plan to use the same starting pitching rotation vs. Georgia State that he utilized at Coastal Carolina.
Redshirt sophomore left-hander
Cam Barlow is slated for his sixth Friday night start of the season. The Halls, Tennessee, native is 2-1 this season with a 2.63 ERA over 27 1/3 innings, allowing nine runs, eight earned, on 20 hits with 22 strikeouts and 14 walks. He has earned back-to-back wins, throwing 5 2/3 innings last Friday at Coastal Carolina, allowing an unearned run on one hit with two strikeouts and a career-high six walks, but he induced three double play balls behind him to help get out of trouble.
Sophomore right-hander
Cole Cressend will make his second consecutive Saturday start. The Mandeville, Louisiana, native is 1-2 with a 9.18 ERA over 16 2/3 innings, allowing 17 runs on 18 hits with nine strikeouts and 10 walks. In his first career weekend start last Saturday, he suffered the loss after working 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits with one strikeout and two walks. He allowed three runs in the first four innings before giving up three more runs in the fifth inning after he exited the game.
Redshirt senior left-hander
Tyler Lien is set for his fifth Sunday start in 2022. The Kirkwood, Missouri, native is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA over 17 innings, allowing 17 runs, nine earned, on 23 hits with eight strikeouts and four walks. A week after the best outing of his career, he struggled last Sunday at Coastal Carolina, allowing six runs, five earned, on seven hits with no walks and no strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings. The prior week, on March 13, he took a shutout into the eighth inning, working seven innings, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts and one walk in a 2-1 win at Nicholls.
WE'RE GOING STREAKING
ULM enters the Georgia State series with two active hitting streaks of five or more games and four active reached base streaks of five or more games.
Seniors
Mason Holt and
Trace Henry enter the GSU series with six-game hitting streaks. Holt has multiple hits in four of the last six games, while Henry had his first three-hit game of the season Wednesday night vs. SFA.
Fellow seniors
Grant Schulz and
Colby Deaville are on career-best reached base streaks entering the GSU series. Schulz has reached base safely in 18 of 19 games this season, including 17 consecutive games. Deaville has reached base safely in 12 games, coinciding with his return to the starting lineup on March 5 vs. New Orleans.
P-40 SUNDAYS
ULM unveiled its P-40 Warhawk series uniforms on March 7, 2021, vs. Nicholls. The Warhawks will wear the P-40 uniforms on every Sunday, home or away, and for select midweek games. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawks constituted the principal armament of the U.S. Army Air Force (USAFF) fighter squadrons in the early 1940s. In the summer of 1941, Maj. Gen. Claire Lee Chennault, who grew up in Louisiana, began recruiting and training pilots for the American Volunteer Group, who became known as the "Flying Tigers" in China during World War II. The P-40 Warhawk served as inspiration for ULM's new nickname/mascot, adopted in 2006. The P-40 uniform series incorporates details of the fighter into its design. The ULM baseball team is the third Warhawk team to wear a P-40 Warhawk alternate uniform, joining football and men's basketball.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
The 2022 ULM roster features seven players from inside Ouachita Parish. The Warhawks have four players who attended West Monroe High School (senior
Ryan Cupit, sophomore
Chase DeJean and
Carson Jones and freshman
Lane Little), two from Sterlington High School (redshirt freshman
Adam Tubbs and true freshman
William Perkins) and one from Ouachita Parish High School (true freshman
Zach Shaw). Overall, the Warhawks have 17 players hailing from the state of Louisiana.
O CANADA!
The 2021 ULM baseball roster features two players from Canada: pitcher
Tylor Jans (Edmonton, Alberta) and pitcher
Lucas Wepf (Brampton, Ontario).
