ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. - The ULM baseball team heads on the road for the final time in the regular season to play a three-game series at South Alabama. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Stanky Field in Mobile. It is the first conference series between ULM and USA since 2018.

All three games of this weekend's series are available to watch on ESPN+. All three games will also air on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with Mike Hammett on the call on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield. A link to live stats for each game is available on the baseball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.

Friday's game is the 52nd all-time meeting between ULM and South Alabama, with the Jaguars leading the series, 36-15. The two teams have not met since the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championship in Conway, South Carolina, when 10th-seeded ULM defeated seventh-seeded South Alabama, 12-7, in the single-elimination play-in game, sending the Warhawks to the double-elimination bracket. This weekend is the first SBC series between the two since March 17-18, 2018, in Mobile when USA won a doubleheader, 5-3 and 6-0, before ULM took the series finale, 12-6 in eight innings. The two teams have not played in Monroe since April 7-9, 2017.

ULM (16-31-1 overall, 6-17-1 Sun Belt Conference) snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 13-2 win in eight innings over Jackson State on Wednesday at Warhawk Field. ULM had nine different players pick up at least one RBI while the team collected four sacrifice flies and two RBI groundouts. Jack Engelmann and Wyatt Blalock combined to throw 4 2/3 shutout innings out of the bullpen for the win and save, respectively. ULM has lost six consecutive SBC games and has lost six consecutive SBC series. The Warhawks enter this weekend's series at South Alabama in the 10th and final spot for the Sun Belt Conference Championship, one-half game ahead of UT Arlington and one full game ahead of Arkansas State. The top 10 teams in the SBC standings advance to the SBC Championship at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama. The Warhawks are hitting .264 as a team with 228 RBIs, while the pitching staff has posted an ERA of 6.10.

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 2-2 against South Alabama.

South Alabama (27-20, 13-11) enters the weekend series with ULM in sixth place in the Sun Belt Conference, one game ahead of Georgia State for the final spot in the double-elimination portion of the bracket in the SBC Championship with six games to play. The Jaguars have won three of their last four games entering Friday's contest after sweeping Arkansas State last week in Mobile, 7-1, 13-2 and 9-7. USA dropped its midweek contest at Tulane, 11-7. The Jaguars are 18-6 this season at Stanky Field. USA is hitting .296 as a team with 314 RBIs while the pitching staff has an ERA of 4.42.

South Alabama coach Mark Calvi is in his 12th season as the head coach of the Jaguars and is in his 13th season overall with the Jaguars. He has led USA to four SBC championships, three SBC tournament championships and four NCAA regional appearances, including the 2022 SBC Tournament Championship and the NCAA Gainesville Regional. He previously served as the pitching coach at South Carolina, helping the Gamecocks win the 2010 National Championship. Calvi is 20-6 against ULM.

WARHAWKS SNAP SKID WITH 13-2 WIN OVER JACKSON STATE
Ryan Cupit's two-RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning closed out ULM's victory and ended the Warhawks' eight-game losing streak with a 13-2 win in run-rule fashion over Jackson State Wednesday night at Warhawk Field.

Cupit's hit capped a three-run eighth inning, the fourth time ULM (16-31-1 overall) scored multiple runs in an inning on the night.

Nine different Warhawks had at least one RBI on the night as ULM racked up 12 hits and took advantage of 10 walks and two hit batters. ULM had four sacrifice flies and two RBIs on groundouts.

Grant Schulz and Landon Cato had three hits each, while Cupit, Austin Beech, Cato and Matthew Lee each had two RBIs.

Jack Engelmann (1-0) earned his first win as a Warhawk, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit with no strikeouts and two walks. Wyatt Blalock threw two scoreless innings for his first save, giving up a hit with one strikeout. JSU starter Juan Marulanda (6-7) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits with one strikeout and three walks over 3 2/3 innings.

SCHULZ GETTING HOT AT THE PLATE
After a bit of a mid-season slump, ULM senior third baseman Grant Schulz is finding his stroke at the plate down the stretch.

Schulz is on a career-high 11-game hitting streak entering the weekend series at South Alabama and leads the Warhawks at the plate in the last 10 games, hitting .385 (15-for-39) with three home runs, one double, 10 RBIs, seven runs scored, six walks, three strikeouts and three stolen bases during the span.

Schulz had three hits with an RBI in Wednesday's 13-2 win over Jackson State at Warhawk Field. Last weekend against Texas State, he led the team going 5-for-12 (.417) with three RBIs, one run scored and two walks. He hit a solo home run and added a walk at Northwestern State on Tuesday.

He is slashing .298/.342/.414 on the season. He leads the team in RBIs (34) and sacrifice flies (five). He is second on the team in hits (59), doubles (nine), home runs (four) and total bases (82).

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.

MEECH FINDING HIS STROKE AT THE PLATE
Sophomore first baseman Michelle Artzberger is hitting .353 (12-for-34) with a double, six RBIs, four runs scored and four walks over the last 10 games.

He has five multi-hit games over his last eight contests, including going 2-for-5 with two RBIs last Sunday vs. Texas State. He also had two hits with two RBIs on April 30 at Little Rock. He has nine multi-hit games on the season. He picked up an RBI double Tuesday at Northwestern State.

His batting average has jumped in the last 16 games from .200 to .254.

HENRY PICKING UP THE PACE
Senior outfielder Trace Henry has broken out at the plate over the last two weeks for ULM. Over the last 10 games for the Warhawks, Henry is hitting .333 (13-for-39) with one double, one triples, two RBIs, seven runs scored, eight walks and six stolen bases.

His batting average dipped to .231 on April 15 and has since rebounded to .269. He has four multi-hit games over the last 11 contests, including three hits with a triple, walk, three runs scored and a stolen base on May 3 at Louisiana Tech.

He had a seven-game hitting streak snapped last Saturday vs. Texas State but has reached base safely in a team-best 14 consecutive games dating back to April 16 at UL Lafayette.

HOLT LEADS THE WAY
Senior leadoff hitter Mason Holt leads ULM with a .313 batting average, .595 slugging percentage, 61 hits, 41 runs scored, 13 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs and 116 total bases. He is second on the team with 32 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and 27 walks. He joins fellow senior Grant Schulz as the only two players to start all 48 games in 2022. He is third in the SBC in total bases, fifth in home runs, sixth in triples and eighth in hits.

The Coppell, Texas, native is slashing .313/.412/.595 at the plate, which all rank in the top three on the team. He has hit safely in 13 of the last 15 games and has reached base safely in the last 26 of the last 27 games after having a career-high reached base streak of 23 games snapped on May 7 vs. Texas State.

Inside SBC play, Holt is slashing .327/.426/.653 with seven doubles, two triples, seven homers, 16 RBIs, 20 runs scored and 15 walks. He is the only Warhawk hitting over .300 in SBC play.

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 March 27 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 March 29 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 against Georgia State and LSU. He had three hits with a double and a home run at UT Arlington on April 2. He had two hits, including a 3-run home run, vs. Troy on April 9. He hit the go-ahead 2-run homer April 12 at Jackson State. He clubbed his 10th homer of the season with two hits and two runs scored vs. App State on April 24. He had a 2-RBI triple and a 2-run home run with a walk and two runs scored at Little Rock on April 30. He picked up two hits with an RBI, run scored and a stolen base at Louisiana Tech on May 3. He hit his 12th home run of the season on May 8 vs. Texas 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 slashing .311/.413/.437, all ranking inside the top three on the team.

He has 13 multi-hit games after posting just five such games in the previous two seasons combined. 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. On March 12 at Nicholls, he had two hits, including a home run, with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases. 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 on March 25 vs. Georgia State before adding a solo home run on March 27. He tallied two hits with a double, was hit by a pitch and scored three runs at SFA on April 4. He was the only Warhawk to hit safely in all three games in the weekend series vs. Troy, collecting two hits in each of the last two games, going 5-for-16 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored vs. the Trojans from April 8-10. He tallied two hits in each of the final two games of the series vs. App State on April 23-24, including an RBI with a run scored in the series finale. He had three hits for the third time this season and scored three runs with a walk and two stolen bases at Little Rock on April 30. He walked three times at Little Rock on May 1. He collected two hits, including a double, and scored twice at Northwestern State on May 11. He was 1-for-1 at the plate against Jackson State on May 11 while adding three walks, a sacrifice fly, RBI and a run.

RYAN CUPIT DOING RYAN CUPIT THINGS
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 35th nationally while leading ULM and the Sun Belt Conference with a .490 on-base percentage. He also ranks fifth nationally and leads ULM and the SBC in base on balls (49), while ranking fourth nationally and leading the SBC in base on balls per game (1.04). His 49 walks are 14 more than the next closest player in the SBC (Justin Thompson, Texas State, 35). His 49 walks are the second most in a single season in program history. His walk on Wednesday night vs. Jackson State moved him past Todd Self, who walked 48 times in the 2000 season. Terry Mathews drew 57 walks in 1987 and is the single-season program leader. Cupit has 11 walks over the last eight contests.

He had a streak of nine consecutive games with at least one walk drawn snapped on April 4 at SFA, when he went 3-for-6 with a double, RBI and a run scored. He had a season-high four walks vs. New Orleans on March 5. 

He is hitting .311 at the plate (47-for-151), which ranks second on the team, with seven doubles, three triples, 15 RBIs, 35 runs scored, four stolen bases and has been hit by a pitch four times. He has struck out 42 times.

Against Jackson State on Wednesday night, he was 2-for-5 at the plate with his second two-RBI game of the season, driving in both runs on a base hit in the eighth inning to invoke the run-rule. He also added a walk and a stolen base.

In the series against No. 15 Texas State, he went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored on May 6 before going 1-for-4 with a walk on May 8.

At Louisiana Tech, he hit an RBI double in the first inning and added an RBI ground in the fourth inning for his first multi-RBI game of the season and second 2-RBI game of his career (at App State, 2021).

In the series at Little Rock, he walked five times, including going 1-for-2 with three walks and two runs scored on May 1. He had his second 11-game reached base streak of the season snapped in the series opener on April 29.

On April 20 against McNeese, Cupit had three hits, including a double, with a walk as he reached safely in each of his first four trips to the plate. He had three hits with two RBIs and a walk in the weekend series vs. App State.

In the series at UL Lafayette, he had two hits with a walk on April 16; two hits, including a key RBI, with two walks on April 15; and was 1-for-4 on April 14.

He had 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 47 of 48 games with 43 starts and has reached base safely in 42 games. 

ORTON SLAMS THE DOOR
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Carson Orton earned his sixth save of the season on April 26 at McNeese, pitching a scoreless ninth inning, allowing a hit with two strikeouts. It marked the 15th save of his career, moving him into third place on the career saves list at ULM, passing Bobby Carro with 14 saves from 2001-02. He trails Anthony Herrera's 23 saves from 2015-17 and Mark Wisniewski's 20 saves from 1982-85.

His nine saves last season ranks third in a single season in ULM history, tied with Carro's 2001 season. With one more save, Orton will become the second pitcher with two seasons ranking inside the Top 10 in saves in program history, joining Herrera.

The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native is 1-1 with six saves in 2022 with a 3.41 ERA over 29 innings, spread across 20 appearances. He has allowed 15 runs, 11 earned, on 34 hits with 26 strikeouts to 14 walks.

BARLOW, CRESSEND SET FOR ANOTHER WEEKEND START
ULM head coach Michael Federico has announced his starting pitching rotation for the weekend series at South Alabama. Redshirt sophomore left-hander Cam Barlow will make his 13th series-opening start of the season while true sophomore right-hander Cole Cressend will start in the second game for the ninth-consecutive series. The starter for Sunday's series finale will be announced following the conclusion of Saturday's game.

Barlow is slated for his 13th series-opening start of the season. The Halls, Tennessee, native is 2-5 this season with a 4.69 ERA over 63 1/3 innings, allowing 38 runs, 33 earned, on 63 hits with 53 strikeouts and 23 walks. On May 6 vs. No. 15 Texas State, Barlow grinded threw five innings on 104 pitches, allowing two runs on three hits with six strikeouts and three walks, taking a no-decision. On April 29 at Little Rock, he allowed two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and one walk over 5 1/3 innings. On April 22 vs. App State, he allowed two runs on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts, suffering a tough-luck loss after throwing 5 2/3 innings in a 5-1 Warhawk loss. He pitched a career-high 7 1/3 innings and 100 pitches on April 8 vs. Troy, allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits with four strikeouts and one walk. He took a no-decision in the March 25 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.

Cressend will make his ninth consecutive start in the second game of the weekend series. The Mandeville, Louisiana, native is 3-5 with an 7.59 ERA over 51 innings, allowing 47 runs, 43 earned, on 57 hits with 35 strikeouts and 20 walks. On May 7 vs. No. 15 Texas State, he turned in his best start of the season, firing a career-high seven innings and 107 pitches, allowing three runs on five hits with a career-best eight strikeouts and two walks, but suffered a tough-luck loss. Against the Ragin' Cajuns on April 15, he threw six innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts and one walk. He struggled on April 9 vs. Troy, allowing six runs, five earned, on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks in 3 1/3 innings. He picked up his second consecutive win on April 2 at UT Arlington, throwing five innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in a 5-2 win at UT Arlington. He earned the win on March 26 in a 5-2 victory against Georgia State, 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.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING
ULM enters Friday's game at South Alabama with one hitting streak of five-or-more games and three reached base streaks of five-or-more games.

Senior Grant Schulz extended his career-high hitting streak to 11 games with a pair of hits on Wednesday vs. Jackson State. Over the weekend series against Texas State, he was 5-for-12 at the plate.

Senior Trace Henry had a season-high seven-game hitting streak end on Saturday, but he reached base safely on a walk and has reached base safely in a team-best 14 consecutive games. Sophomore Michelle Artzberger has reached base safely in five straight games.

WARHAWK WALK-OFF
ULM has picked up three walk-off wins this season.

ULM posted its first walk-off by run-rule of the season on May 11 vs. Jackson State. Ryan Cupit hit a 2-RBI single up the middle to put the Warhawks ahead 13-2 in the eighth inning, ending the contest. 

The Warhawks picked up their second walk-off of the year on April 20. In the 10th inning, sophomore Chase DeJean hit a sacrifice fly to deep left center, scoring senior Trace Henry to defeat McNeese, 4-3.

ULM junior Travis Washburn brought an end to the March 25 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.

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).