ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. – The ULM softball team begins a four-game homestand with a non-conference game vs. Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, May 3, at the ULM Softball Complex. The Warhawks and Lady Techsters meet for the second time in 2022 as part of a home-and-home series. The two teams were originally scheduled to play in Monroe earlier in the month, but flipped locations due to weather conditions.
 
"Louisiana Tech is having a great year and their record speaks for itself," said ULM softball head coach Molly Fichtner. "Last time we saw them, we weren't firing on most or any cylinders. When we play them Tuesday night, we need to take care of business with great starting pitching, clutch hitting and very solid defense."
 
ULM won their sixth shutout of the year with a 7-0 victory at Georgia State for the team's 10^th Sun Belt Conference victory. That total ties the program record for SBC wins and the Warhawks' 26^th victory marked the fourth-best win total since they joined the Sun Belt for the 2007 season. Lourdes Bacon had eight hits in six games over six days, scored four runs and stole three bases. Junior Kennedy Johnson leads the Warhawks with a .362 batting average and had four RBI on six hits, including a double and an RBI triple in last week's games.
 
Kelsey Giddens hit her first home run of 2022 to drive in three runs in the critical second inning for the Warhawks in Sunday's series finale win. Kelsey Giddens had 10 putouts as Kinsey Kackley struck out 10, including three straight in both the second and sixth innings.
 
The ULM pitching staff is ranked fourth in the Sun Belt with a team ERA of 2.84. The Warhawks and Ragin' Cajuns are the only two teams with three pitchers in the league's individual ERA standings with Kackley in eighth (2.69), Adrianna Chavarria ninth (2.73) and Victoria Abrams ranked 12^th (2.89). Chavarria (.206) and Kackley (.220) are fifth and 10^th, respectively, on the chart for lowest opponent batting average. With her 10 strikeouts Sunday, Kackley moved to 10^th in the Sun Belt with 88 total this season.
 
Louisiana Tech (37-15, 15-6), under first-year coach Josh Taylor, has won six games in a row and eight of its last nine. The Lady Techsters, with the most overall wins in Conference USA, are tied with North Texas for first place in the C-USA West Division. After starting April with two losses, LA Tech finished the month with 14 wins.
 
The Lady Techsters are ranked in the Top-3 of the C-USA statistics in seven categories and their 70 doubles, third in C-USA, rank 32nd nationally. With 16 triples, 0.29 per game, LA Tech ranks 20th. The on-base percentage of .392, second behind Marshall, is 30th in the country.
 
Individually, Sierra Sacco's name appears seven times in the NCAA national rankings where the league leader is in the No. 4 slot for hits with 71. She ranks 25th in batting average (.428) and 28^th for on-base percentage at .520. Sacco has 21 stolen bases this year and averages nearly a run scored in every game (0.92).
 
Live stats for Tuesday's Louisiana Tech game and the final Sun Belt home series Thursday-Saturday, May 5-7, vs. the Ragin' Cajuns will be available on the softball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com. ESPN+ will broadcast Tuesday's contest vs. the Lady Techsters.