ULM Warhawks

ULM (8-14-1 overall, 3-2-1 Sun Belt Conference) at UT Arlington (8-16 overall, 2-4 Sun Belt Conference)
Clay Gould Ball Park | Arlington, Texas
6:30 p.m. Friday, April 1 | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS
2 p.m. Saturday, April 2 | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS
1 p.m. Sunday, April 3 | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The ULM baseball team continues a five-game road swing with a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at UT Arlington. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Clay Gould Ball Park in Arlington, Texas. It marks ULM's first trip to UTA in baseball since 2018. It is ULM's final time to meet UTA for a regular season conference series with UTA's announcement to leave the SBC for the Western Athletic Conference on July 1.

All three games of the series will air on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with Mike Hammett on the call. Links to live stats can be found on the baseball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com. There is no video stream available for the three contests due to the Sun Belt Conference's exclusive contract with ESPN+.

Friday's game is the 90th all-time meeting between ULM and UT Arlington with the Mavericks leading the series, 52-37. ULM has won the season series in each of the last two opportunities, sweeping two games in a Saturday doubleheader last year at Warhawk Field, 5-1 and 10-8, after UTA won the Friday night game, 6-1. ULM took two of three contests from UTA in 2019 with the Mavericks winning the first game of a doubleheader, 10-2, on May 3 before the Warhawks won the nightcap, 8-0. ULM then won the rubber match of the series, 6-3, on May 5. The two teams met again in the third round of the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championship in Conway, South Carolina, with ULM winning 18-5 in seven innings. The two teams have not played in Arlington since the 2018 season, with UTA taking two out of three games. ULM won the series finale that year, 2-0, on March 31.

ULM (8-14-1 overall, 3-2-1 Sun Belt Conference) lost Tuesday's game at No. 11 LSU, 15-4. The Warhawks took two out of three games on the weekend series from Georgia State last week. The Warhawks opened the series vs. GSU with a come-from-behind walk-off win in 11 innings as junior Travis Washburn hit the game-winning 2-run home run. Last Saturday, ULM built a 3-0 lead and held off the Panthers, 5-3. Last Sunday, GSU took an early 4-0 lead. ULM rallied to tie the game at four, but then GSU pulled back away and held on for the 8-5 win. The Warhawks are hitting .260 as a team with 109 RBIs, while the pitching staff has posted an ERA of 6.04.

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 6-4 against UTA.

UTA (8-16 overall, 2-4 Sun Belt Conference) won two out of three games against Troy last weekend to get in the win column in SBC action. The Mavericks won the first two games of the series, 8-5 and 7-6, before Troy won the series finale, 7-3. UTA lost its midweek game at Baylor on Tuesday, 15-9. The Mavericks are hitting .259 on the season while posting a team ERA of 6.35.

UTA head coach Darin Thomas is in his 15th year as head coach of the Mavericks. He took over prior to the start of the 2008 season. He led UTA to a Southland Conference championship in 2012 and a Western Athletic Conference title in 2013. He has had eight winning records at UTA. Thomas is 11-12 vs. ULM.

WARHAWKS DISPLAY POWER POTENTIAL
Since the start of Sun Belt Conference play two weeks ago, on March 18 at Coastal Carolina, ULM has hit 14 of its 23 home runs on the season in a span of eight games. The Warhawks have hit at least one home run in eight consecutive games and 12 of the last 13 contests.

Senior Mason Holt hit a leadoff home run in the first inning for the second consecutive game Tuesday night at LSU. Holt's blast to left center glanced off the video board to put the Warhawks out to the quick 1-0 lead. He later added a 2-run home run in the fourth inning, giving him six homers in the last 10 games. However, LSU controlled the contest as the No. 11 Tigers cruised to the 15-4 victory at Alex Box Stadium.

Over the weekend series against Georgia State, Holt and senior Colby Deaville hit solo home runs in Sunday's 8-5 loss. Sophomore Michelle Artzberger blasted a 2-run home run in the third inning on Saturday against the Panthers to extend ULM's lead to 3-0 en route to a 5-2 win. On Friday night, junior Travis Washburn belted a 2-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give ULM a 5-3 win.

On March 23 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 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.

In the series at Coastal Carolina, Artzberger hit a pair of 3-run home runs on Sunday, March 20. 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.

On March 19 at CCU, 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.

On March 18 at CCU, 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 31 hits and 57 total bases while joining fellow senior Grant Schulz as the only two players to start all 23 games in 2022.

The Coppell, Texas, native is slashing .316/.391/.582 at the plate, which all rank in the top three on the team. He leads the club in doubles (six), home runs (6), RBIs (15), runs scored (20) and total bases (57). He has added one triple, nine walks and five stolen bases.

He has hit safely in nine of the last 10 games, including six multi-hit games in that span. He has hit all six of his home runs and four of his six doubles in the last 10 games. He had a four-RBI game against Stephen F. Austin on March 23, going 2-for-4 with a double and grand slam, all in the first inning. He had a career-high four hits last Sunday vs. Georgia State, going 4-for-5 with a double, home run, RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. He belted a pair of home runs on Tuesday at No. 11 LSU, driving in three of ULM's four runs. He has hit leadoff home runs in the first inning in consecutive games entering Friday's contest at UTA.

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 .357 (20-of-56) batting average and .589 slugging percentage, adding four doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs, 12 runs scored, eight walks and five stolen bases.

He has hit safely in 11 of 15 games since rejoining the starting lineup, including six 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 March 19. He had two hits with an RBI single last Friday vs. Georgia State before adding a solo home run on Sunday.

WALK-OFF WASHBURN
ULM second baseman Travis Washburn brought an end to last Friday night's 5-3 ULM win over Georgia State, hitting a 2-run walk-off home run to right field in the bottom of the 11th inning. It was his third home run of the season and capped a two-hit, three-RBI night for the junior.

The Conroe, Texas, native returned to the starting lineup on March 18 at Coastal Carolina after being benched for two weeks. 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 had two hits with a solo home run and walk on March 18 at Coastal before adding two more hits with two RBIs, a walk and a stolen base in the series finale on March 20. He has hit safely in five of the last six games.

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. 

CHANCES ARE THAT CUPIT IS ON BASE
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 ranks 25th nationally while leading ULM and the Sun Belt Conference with a .524 on-base percentage. He also ranks 27th nationally and leads ULM and the SBC in base on balls (23), while ranking 15th nationally and leading the SBC in base on balls per game (1.05). He has drawn two walks in each of the last five games and has drawn at least one walk in 10 of the last 11 games. He had a season-high four walks vs. New Orleans on March 5. In addition, he is hitting .310 at the plate (18-for-58) with four doubles, one triple, and a team-best 20 runs scored.

He has hit safely in four of the last six games, including a 3-for-5 day at the plate on March 20 at Coastal Carolina with a walk, was hit by a pitch and scored a career high five runs. Cupit has appeared in 22 of 23 games with 18 starts and has reached base safely 19 times. He had an 11-game reached base streak snapped on March 19 at Coastal Carolina.

CATO DEVELOPING INTO MIDDLE OF THE ORDER FORCE
ULM sophomore designated hitter Landon Cato has steadily improved during the 2022 season, winning the DH and cleanup roles on a full-time basis over the last few weeks.

The Birmingham, Alabama, native is slashing .300/.358/.567, adding four doubles, four home runs, 12 RBIs, 11 runs scored and five walks. He is riding a career-best six-game hitting streak, which dates back to March 18 at Coastal Carolina after he missed two games due to illness. He has hit safely in 11 of the last 13 games. He had a career-high three this with three RBIs, including a 3-run home run, vs. Northwestern State on March 9. He added a career-high five RBIs in his first career two homer game on March 11 at Nicholls. He had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs at Coastal Carolina on March 20.  He has appeared in 20 games with 15 starts.

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 tied a career-best six-game hitting streak entering Friday's game at UTA. He has hit safely in 12 of the last 13 games, including eight multi-hit games. He has 11 multi-hit games, including a season-high three hits last Sunday vs. Georgia State, including a double. He is slashing .326/.365/.442 with six doubles, one triple, one home run, 13 RBIs, 13 runs scored, seven walks and three stolen bases. He leads the team with his 31 hits and six doubles. He has reached base safely in 21 consecutive games and in 22 of 23 games in 2022.

STARTING ROTATION STAYS THE SAME FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE WEEKEND
ULM head coach Michael Federico has announced the Warhawks plan to use the same starting pitching rotation vs. UT Arlington that he utilized in the first two Sun Belt Conference weekends vs. Coastal Carolina and Georgia State. 

Redshirt sophomore left-hander Cam Barlow is slated for his seventh Friday night start of the season. The Halls, Tennessee, native is 2-1 this season with a 2.97 ERA over 33 1/3 innings, allowing 12 runs, 11 earned, on 24 hits with 27 strikeouts and 17 walks. He took a no-decision in last week's 5-3 win in 11 innings over Georgia State, pitching six innings while allowing three runs on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts. He earned back-to-back wins, throwing 5 2/3 innings March 18 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. He gave up three runs in five innings for the win at Nicholls on March 11.

Sophomore right-hander Cole Cressend will make his third consecutive Saturday start. The Mandeville, Louisiana, native is 2-2 with a 7.15 ERA over 22 2/3 innings, allowing 19 runs, 18 earned, on 21 hits with 12 strikeouts and 11 walks. He earned the win last week in a 5-2 victory against GSU, throwing a career-high six innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits with three strikeouts and one walk. In his first career weekend start on March 19 at Coastal, 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 sixth Sunday start in 2022. The Kirkwood, Missouri, native is 1-1 with a 6.62 ERA over 17 2/3 innings, allowing 21 runs, 13 earned, on 27 hits with nine strikeouts and four walks. He has struggled since a career-best outing at Nicholls on March 11. Last Sunday, Lien pitched just 2/3 of an inning, giving up four runs on four hits with one strikeout in an 8-5 loss to Georgia State, taking a no-decision. At Coastal Carolina, he permitted six runs, five earned, on seven hits with no walks or strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings, taking a no-decision in the 17-17 tie. 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 UTA series with two active hitting streaks of five or more games and four active reached base streaks of five or more games.

Senior Grant Schulz and sophomore Landon Cato have each hit safely in their last six games. It is Schulz's second six-game hitting streak of the season, with only a one game break between the streaks, and the third such streak of his career. Cato's six-game hitting streak is a career best.

Schulz, senior Ryan Cupit, junior Travis Washburn and Cato have each reached base safely in at least their last five contests. Schulz has reached base safely in 21 consecutive games and 22 of 23 times this season. Cupit, Washburn and Cato have each reached safely in six consecutive games.

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).