ULM Warhawks

ULM (7-14 overall, 0-3 Sun Belt Conference) vs. Louisiana Tech (10-10 overall, 1-2 Conference USA)
6 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, 2023 | Lou St. Amant Field | Monroe, La.
ULM | Henry Shuffler, 6-7, So., RHP (0-0, 16.88 ERA, 6 K, 2 BB) vs. LA Tech | Rawley Hector, 6-2, So., RHP (1-3, 7.36 ERA, 15 K, 9 BB)
LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The ULM baseball team wraps up a stretch of nine home games in 10 contests at 6 p.m. Tuesday when I-20 foe Louisiana Tech visits Lou St. Amant Field.

ULM has lost four-straight games after dropping all three games of the Sun Belt Conference-opening series to Old Dominion over the weekend.

The Warhawks lost Friday's contest, 5-3 in 10 innings. ULM tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the eighth inning on an RBI single by Kade Dupont, but stranded runners on second and third base with the opportunity to take the lead. Two Warhawk errors in the top of the 10th inning led directly to a pair of ODU runs as the Monarchs went on to the 5-3 win.

ODU scored in each of the first five innings and put up four runs in both the fifth and seventh innings to cruise to a 13-1 win over ULM on Saturday. Riley Davis hit an RBI double to score Davis Meche for ULM's only run of the game.

In Sunday's series finale, ODU scored two runs in the first inning and added three in the fifth to build a 5-0 lead en route to the 6-2 win. ULM loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to pick up a hit to draw closer against the Monarchs. Steve Owings, Russell Derbyshire, Justin Robinson and Carson Orton combined to throw 4 2/3 innings out of the bullpen for ULM, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Tuesday's game is the 187th meeting between ULM and LA Tech, with the Bulldogs leading the series, 109-77. Louisiana Tech has won the last five meetings in the series, starting with a 5-0 win in Monroe on April 16, 2019. The Bulldogs swept last year's meetings, winning 8-4 in Monroe on March 15 and 11-5 on May 3 in Ruston. ULM last defeated LA Tech, 9-4, on March 26, 2019, in Ruston. The Warhawks last defeated the Bulldogs at Lou St. Amant Field, 12-9, on May 16, 2007.

ULM head coach Michael Federico is in his sixth 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. In 2022, Federico led the Warhawks to their third consecutive appearance in the SBC Championship, including a first-round win against Georgia State before falling to eventual regional-finalist team Texas State in the rain-altered single-elimination quarterfinals.

Due to Sun Belt Conference restrictions, there is no video stream available for Tuesday night's game. All home SBC contests will stream on ESPN+. The game will air on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with Mike Hammett on the call. A link to live stats can be found on the baseball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.

WARHAWKS, BULLDOGS MEET FOR FIRST TIME IN 2023
ULM and I-20 foe Louisiana Tech meet for the first of two times in the 2023 season at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lou St. Amant Field in Monroe. It is the third-most played rivalry in ULM baseball history as the two teams play for the 187th time on Tuesday, with LA Tech leading the series, 109-77. Only Northwestern State (229 meetings) and McNeese (198 meetings) have played ULM more frequently than LA Tech. The Bulldogs have won the last five meetings in the series, starting with a 5-0 win in Monroe on April 16, 2019. The Bulldogs swept last year's meetings, winning 8-4 in Monroe on March 15 and 11-5 on May 3 in Ruston. ULM last defeated LA Tech, 9-4, on March 26, 2019, in Ruston. The Warhawks last defeated the Bulldogs at Lou St. Amant Field, 12-9, on May 16, 2007.

ABSHIRE CONTINUES TO WORK HIS WAY BACK FROM INJURY
ULM junior catcher Matt Abshire returned to the lineup as a designated hitter on March 12 and made his first start at catcher last Tuesday at Northwestern State after missing just over two weeks due to an ankle injury. Abshire was injured on Feb. 25 vs. SIUE as he rounded third base and tried to stop and get back to the base. He fell on the turn back to the base and was tagged out. After staying in the game and catching two more innings, he successfully hit an RBI single on a hit-and-run and hopped on one leg to first base to beat the throw from right field. He was lifted from the game at that point for a pinch runner and did not play for the next two weeks as he worked his way back from the injury. Abshire made a pinch-hitting appearance on Saturday vs. Old Dominion before starting and catching all nine innings on Sunday vs. the Monarchs.

DAVIS' IRONMAN STREAK ENDS TUESDAY AT NORTHWESTERN STATE
ULM junior catcher Riley Davis leads the team in hitting despite catching 118 of the last 129 innings for the Warhawks. The Collierville, Tennessee, native has started 12 of the last 14 games at catcher for ULM, with the exceptions coming last Tuesday at Northwestern State, where Matt Abshire drew the start and caught the first two innings before Davis entered the game, and again on Sunday vs. Old Dominion, as Abshire caught all nine innings for the first time since Feb. 24.

Davis leads the team with a .294 batting average (20-for-68) with a team-high eight doubles while adding 12 RBIs and seven walks. He is second on the team with 28 total bases. He hit an RBI double on March 18 vs. Old Dominion before picking up an RBI on a fielder's choice in the series finale on March 19. He picked up an RBI single in the fourth inning on March 14 at Northwestern State. He closed the series against Nicholls with an RBI in each of the last two games of the series, including a double on the March 12 series finale. He tallied his team-leading fifth multi-hit game on March 8 vs. Northwestern State, going 2-for-4 with a double. He went 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored with two walks on Feb. 28 vs. Grambling for his fourth multi-hit and third-multi-RBI game. His early-season hot streak picked up steam by hitting safely in all three games of the weekend series against SIUE. He picked up two hits, including a double, on Feb. 24 against the Cougars. On Feb. 25, he picked up another double with a pair of RBIs and a walk. He wrapped up the series on Feb. 26 with two more hits, including another double, with an RBI. He went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs on Feb. 21 vs. Mississippi State for his first three hits as a Warhawk.  

FLOYD JOINS LINEUP WITH HOT START
ULM junior infielder/outfielder Zack Floyd did not join the regular lineup until Feb. 25 against SIUE, but his stellar play has kept him in the starting nine ever since. He is second on the team in batting average at .286 (16-for-56) and is second on the club with six stolen bases. He has added a double, triple and two home runs with four RBIs, 12 runs scored and six walks. He has started each of the last 15 games, splitting time at third base, left field, right field and designated hitter. He had a pair of singles on March 14 at Northwestern State. He had a hit in each of the three games against Nicholls over the weekend, including an RBI in the eighth inning on March 12. He also made a back-handed stop on the foul line behind the third base bag in the March 12 game, leapt in the air and threw out the batter at first base to help keep the shutout of the Colonels intact. Floyd had two hits, including a double, with a run scored to become a qualifier in team-leading categories on March 7 vs. Memphis. He had two hits, including a solo home run, on March 5 at UIW. He had three hits, including a triple and a solo home run, in his first-career start vs. SIUE on Feb. 25.

DUPONT OFF TO QUICK START FOR WARHAWKS
Red-shirt freshman Kade Dupont has started at second base and hit in the top third of the lineup in each of the first 21 games of the season, joining Shawn Dalton Weatherbee as the only two Warhawks to start all 21 games. The Watson, Louisiana, native has hit safely in 15 of 21 games. He is tied for the team lead with five multi-hit games and has a pair of three-hit games, coming in his collegiate debut vs. Bradley on Feb. 17 and at Mississippi State on Feb. 21. He is back at .300 at the plate on the season (21-for-70) with five doubles, one home run and 12 RBIs.

He had two hits, including an RBI double, with a run scored at Northwestern State on March 14. He had two doubles in the March 10 game vs. Nicholls, hit an RBI single on March 11 and added an RBI double in the eighth inning on March 12 vs. the Colonels. He picked up ULM's only RBI with a single in the third inning on March 8 vs. Northwestern State. He hit his first-career home run and picked up his first multi-RBI game in the process, driving in two runs at UIW on March 3. He hit safely in all three games of the weekend series against SIUE. He was 1-for-3 on Feb. 26 against the Cougars with a walk and a run scored. He had two hits on Feb. 25 while adding an RBI, two runs scored and a walk. He opened the series on Feb. 24 with a 1-for-5 day at the plate with a run scored. He picked up a hit in both games at Mississippi State. After opening the midweek set with a 3-for-5 game with a double, RBI and three runs scored, he went 1-for-3 at the plate on Feb. 22. In his collegiate debut against Bradley on Feb. 17, he had three hits, scored twice and stole a base. He closed out the series with Bradley on Feb. 19 by going 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Despite going 0-for-3 at the plate on Feb. 18, he picked up an RBI on his first sacrifice fly.

ARTZBERGER MAKES THE MOST OF HIS EARLY SEASON HITS
ULM junior first baseman Michelle Artzberger has reached base safely in 29 consecutive games dating back to the 2022 season. His streak was in jeopardy entering his final at bat of the night last on March 8 vs. Northwestern State. In the bottom of the ninth inning, he hit a bouncing-ball single back through the middle to push the streak to 27 games. He hit a double and added a walk on March 10 and walked on March 11 for his streak to reach 29 games before sitting out the March 12 game with an injury. He has not played in the last five games due to injury.

His streak was on the line entering his final at bat on March 5 at UIW, but he belted a solo home run, his third of the season, to extend the streak. 

He is hitting .246 at the plate, going 14-for-57 with four doubles and three home runs. He leads the team with 15 RBIs and 13 walks. He has hit safely in five of his last six games.

He picked up four hits in the weekend series against SIUE, adding three RBIs with four runs scored and a walk. He opened the series on Feb. 24 with two hits, an RBI and a run scored. On Feb. 25, he picked up a walk with a run scored. He closed the series on Feb. 26 with two more hits, driving in two runs while scoring twice.

On Feb. 21 at Mississippi State, he hit a 2-run home run in the fifth inning to give ULM a 3-0 lead, and then belted a 3-run home run in the sixth inning to push the lead to 7-0 as the Warhawks went on to the 11-5 win. 

He opened the season with a double and an RBI on Feb. 17 vs. Bradley before adding a hit and an RBI on Feb. 18. He had a ground-rule double and also drove in three runs in the series-clinching win on Feb. 19. 

RUNNIN' DOWN A DREAM
ULM junior outfielder Shawn Dalton Weatherbee leads the team with eight stolen bases on 10 attempts, which ranks tied for seventh most in the Sun Belt Conference. He stole a base in Friday's series opener vs. Old Dominion.

Junior infielder/outfielder Zack Floyd has stolen six bases to rank second on the team and tied for 10th in the SBC. All six of his steals came from Feb. 28 to March 7.

Freshman outfielder Cardell Thibodeaux is third on the team with five stolen bases, while junior infielder/outfielder Davis Meche and junior first baseman Michelle Artzberger are tied for fourth with four steals.

SHUFFLER RETURNS TO MIDWEEK STARTING ROLE VS. LA TECH
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Henry Shuffler will get the ball to start Tuesday's game on the mound for ULM against Louisiana Tech. It is his first start of the 2023 season. He has made two bullpen appearances, throwing 5 1/3 innings, allowing 11 runs, 10 earned, on 10 hits with six strikeouts and two walks. While he allowed four runs on four hits over three innings last Tuesday at Northwestern State, he settled in after surrendering a 3-run home run to Gabe Colaianni, retiring the next eight batters he faced with a season-high five strikeouts.

The Lafayette, Louisiana, native made 11 appearances with nine starts in 2022, serving as the team's primary midweek starter, going 2-2 with a 6.04 ERA over 28 1/3 innings, allowing 21 runs, 19 earned, on 28 hits with 32 strikeouts and 26 walks. 

He picked up the win, matching his career best with five innings, giving up three runs, two earned, on five hits with three walks and a career high six strikeouts at McNeese on April 26. The week prior to that, he allowed one run on one hit with five strikeouts and one walk over five innings against the Cowboys in Monroe on April 20. He allowed an unearned run in three innings on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks at Jackson State on April 12. He fanned a career-high five batters in two innings at Stephen F. Austin on April 4.  Shuffler did not allow a run or hit over 1 1/3 innings at LSU on March 29. He matched his career high with four strikeouts in a start vs. Stephen F. Austin on March 23. He fired three shutout innings, allowing just one hit with four walks and three strikeouts against Northwestern State on March 9. He made his ULM debut, giving up two runs on one hit with five walks over 1 1/3 innings at Ole Miss on March 1.

He redshirted his first season at ULM in 2021. He was a First-Team All-State performer as a junior in 2019 at Episcopal School of Acadiana.

BURRELL, DERBYSHIRE, JUDICE, ORTON STRONG OUT OF BULLPEN
Junior right-handed pitchers Dalton Burrell, Russell Derbyshire, Nicholas Judice and Carson Orton have been bright spots out of the bullpen so far in 2023. 

Burrell, a transfer from LSU Eunice, leads qualifying bullpen pitchers with a 2.53 ERA over 10 2/3 innings, spread among six appearances, allowing three runs on 11 hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. He made his ULM debut against Bradley on Feb. 18, throwing three innings, allowing one run on four this with one walk and two strikeouts. He threw two perfect innings against SIUE on Feb. 24 before throwing another scoreless inning with one hit and one walk on Feb. 26 against SIUE. He settled down UIW's bats on March 5, throwing a shutout inning, allowing two hits with one strikeout. He stranded a pair of inherited runners on March 7 vs. Memphis, pitching 1 2/3 perfect innings with three strikeouts.

Derbyshire, a transfer from Mineral Area Community College, has pitched 7 1/3 innings over eight appearances, allowing three runs on 10 hits with four walks and six strikeouts. He has made five scoreless appearances, including four of his last five appearances. He threw scoreless innings against Bradley (Feb. 17), at UIW (March 5), Northwestern State (March 8) and tossed 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout vs. Nicholls on March 11 and 2/3 of an inning at Northwestern State with two strikeouts on March 14, stranding an inherited runner at third base.

Judice, who is in his fourth season at ULM, leads bullpen pitchers with 19 2/3 innings pitched over eight appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 3.20 ERA with a 1-0 record and one save, allowing seven runs on 15 hits with six walks and ranks third on the team with 26 strikeouts. He threw three scoreless innings in the season opener against Bradley on Feb. 17, allowing one hit with one walk and five strikeouts. After giving up two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout while pitching the ninth inning of ULM's 11-5 win at Mississippi State on Feb. 21, he bounced back by throwing the final three shutout innings on Feb. 25 vs. SIUE to earn the save, allowing one walk with four strikeouts. He pitched four innings vs. UIW on March 3, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He picked up his first win on March 7 vs. Memphis, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts over two innings. He made two appearances vs. Nicholls, on March 10 and 12, throwing a combined 3 2/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing three hits with five strikeouts and no walks. In a Friday night appearance against Old Dominion, he threw three innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Orton, who is in his third season at ULM, has a 1-1 record with one save and a 4.61 ERA over 13 2/3 innings, spread over nine appearances out of the bullpen. He has allowed 13 runs, seven earned, on 13 hits with seven walks and 18 strikeouts. He picked up his first save of 2023 on March 7 vs. Memphis, pitching a scoreless and hitless ninth inning, allowing one walk with two strikeouts. His 16 career saves rank as the second most in program history. He pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts vs. SIUE on Feb. 24. He fired the final 3 2/3 innings at UIW on March 3, all in extra innings, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts. He threw a scoreless ninth inning with one hit and two strikeouts vs. Nicholls on March 12. He threw a shutout inning with two strikeouts vs. Old Dominion on Sunday.

LOCAL CONNECTIONS
The 2023 ULM baseball roster includes six players who played high school baseball inside Ouachita (wah-shuh-tah) Parish. The roster includes three players from Sterlington High School in senior outfielder Jarrett McDonald, freshman infielder Seaver Sheets and sophomore left-handed pitcher Adam Tubbs; two players from West Monroe High School in junior infielder and right-handed pitcher Chase DeJean and junior infielder Carson Jones; and one player from Ouachita High School in sophomore right-handed pitcher Zach Shaw.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
The 2023 ULM baseball roster features both a Canadian and an Australian. Pitcher Russell Derbyshire (Leamington, Ontario) represents Canada on the roster. It marks the sixth consecutive season ULM has had at least one Canadian on the roster. Pitcher Maxim Mrakovcic (Sydney, Australia) is the lone Australian on the roster.

WELCOME TO "THE LOU"
ULM baseball is playing its first season at the school's baseball facility with its newly-appointed name: Lou St. Amant Field. The name change to honor the former baseball head coach and Northeast Louisiana University alumnus was approved by the Louisiana Board of Supervisors on Aug. 25, 2022.

St. Amant spent 18 seasons as the head coach of the NLU baseball team, picking up 414 career victories, and was instrumental in both the initial construction of the baseball facility in 1983 and the turf and Stadium Club renovation project, which culminated prior to the 2022 season.

There were several high points in St. Amant's career. His first feat came in his initial season as head coach. After spending two years as an assistant, the 1970 NLU graduate took over in 1976 and led Northeast to a 20-13 record, halting a string of four consecutive losing seasons.
 
His first victory as a head coach came in his very first game, 6-2 over Northwestern State.
 
Northeast was an NCAA Division I independent when the Norco, Louisiana, native took over. St. Amant's first three seasons were as an independent before NLU joined the Trans America Athletic Conference in 1979. The best finish for NLU in the TAAC was a tie for first in the West Division during the 1982 season.
 
Northeast joined the Southland Conference in 1983 and made a sudden impact. St. Amant led the Indians to their first conference title in any major men's sport in the SLC. The Indians also advanced to the NCAA playoffs for the first time. They had previously played in the NAIA playoffs four times, reaching the 1970 World Series, before becoming an NCAA member.

Prepping at Destrehan High School, St. Amant was an outstanding high school player who continued his career at LSU. Difficulties with his pitching arm ended his career at LSU. After leaving LSU, St. Amant started his teaching and coaching career at schools in south Louisiana. He spent time at Sacred Heart School in Norco (1960-64), St. Charles Boromeo in Destrehan (1964-66 and 1967-68) and St. Joan of Arc School in LaPlace (1966-67) before coming to Northeast as an assistant and completing his bachelor's and master's degrees.

After his graduation in 1970, St. Amant returned to the high school ranks. His greatest success came during five years as athletic director and head football coach at Lutcher High School, where he posted a 44-13 record, including LHSAA Class 3A state championship and runner-up teams. His 1975 squad went undefeated at 13-0-1 in taking the Class 3A title.

Returning to NLU in January of 1976, he was also an assistant football coach, but dropped those duties in 1979 to devote all of his time to baseball.
 
His wife Marilyn was a fixture at home games and enjoyed traveling and cheering on Lou and his teams. The couple was married for 58 years before her passing in July 2020.
 
St. Amant has also had his number retired by ULM baseball and was named a Warhawk Ambassador Award winner by the ULM Foundation in May of 2022.
 
A formal dedication ceremony will take place later this season.