ULM Warhawks

ULM (8-14 overall, 0-3 Sun Belt Conference) at Troy (14-7 overall, 0-3 Sun Belt Conference)
Riddle-Pace Field | Troy, Alabama

6 p.m. Friday, March 24, 2023 | WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS 
ULM | Cam Barlow, 5-11, Jr., LHP (1-2, 3.76 ERA, 28 K, 8 BB) vs. TROY | Brady Fuller, 6-3, So., RHP (1-2, 6.04 ERA, 35 K, 8 BB)        

3 p.m. Saturday, March 25, 2023 | WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS
ULM | Hollis Huff, 6-2, Jr., LHP (1-1, 3.86 ERA, 14 K, 9 BB) vs. TROY | Grayson Stewart, 5-11, So., RHP (3-1, 4.38 ERA, 22 K, 5 BB)

1 p.m. Sunday, March 26, 2023 | WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS
ULM | Chipper Menard, 5-11, Jr., LHP (2-2, 5.76 ERA, 35 K, 13 BB) vs. TROY | TBA

GAME NOTES 

MONROE, La. - The ULM baseball team opens up a four-game road swing starting with a three-game weekend series at Sun Belt Conference-foe Troy. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Alabama.

Friday's game is the 44th all-time meeting between ULM and Troy, with the Trojans leading 31-12. Troy swept last year's series in Monroe, winning 7-2 on Friday, April 8, 12-7 on Saturday, April 9, and 13-10 in 11 innings on Sunday, April 10. This weekend's series is the first between the two teams in Troy since the 2019 season, when Troy took two of three games at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy. The Trojans won the first two games of the series, 15-4 and 10-4, before ULM salvaged the Sunday series finale, 14-6. ULM last won a series from Troy in 2016, winning two of three games at Troy.

Both ULM and Troy are searching for their first SBC win of the season after both teams were swept last weekend. 

ULM dropped three games to Old Dominion in Monroe, 5-3 in 10 innings on Friday, 13-1 on Saturday and 6-2 on Sunday. Jake Haggard led ULM with four hits on the series, including a double, while Carson Jones had three hits on Sunday.

Troy lost all three games at Georgia State, dropping both ends of a Saturday doubleheader, 10-9 and 15-5, before falling on Sunday, 12-6. Kyle Mock had seven hits in the series to lead the Trojans, including a double and home run, with two RBIs and a run scored.

In midweek action, ULM snapped a four-game skid with a 10-6 win over Louisiana Tech at Lou St. Amant Field. It was ULM's first win over Louisiana Tech since 2019 and first win over the Bulldogs in Monroe since 2007. Kade Dupont led ULM with three hits, including a double, and four RBIs. Three bullpen arms, Brandt Corley, Russell Derbyshire and Nicholas Judice, combined to throw the last six innings, allowing just one run and three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Corley (1-2) threw 2 2/3 innings for his first-career win, allowing two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Derbyshire threw a season-high 1 1/3 innings with a strikeout, while Judice allowed a run with one hit and two strikeouts over two innings.

Troy picked up a 10-0 win in seven innings over Florida A&M on Wednesday night at Riddle-Pace Field. Four Trojan pitchers combined on the shutout, limiting the Rattlers to three hits and one walk. William Sullivan was 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs, three RBIs and two runs scored. Troy ranks in the top four teams in the nation in home runs.

All three games of the weekend series will stream on ESPN+ with Barry McKnight (play-by-play) and Jerry Miller (analyst) on the call in a simulcast of the Troy Sports Network radio broadcast. 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, TROJANS FACE OFF IN TROY FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2019
ULM visits Troy for the second week of Sun Belt Conference action, as the two teams square off at 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Alabama. Friday's game is the 44th all-time meeting between ULM and Troy, with the Trojans leading 31-12. Troy has won 11 of the last 12 meetings in the series, dating back to ULM's series win over the Trojans, 2-1, in Troy in 2016. Troy swept last year's series in Monroe, winning 7-2 on Friday, April 8, 12-7 on Saturday, April 9, and 13-10 in 11 innings on Sunday, April 10. This weekend's series is the first between the two teams in Troy since the 2019 season, when Troy took two of three games at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy. The Trojans won the first two games of the series, 15-4 and 10-4, before ULM salvaged the Sunday series finale, 14-6.

DUPONT'S BIG NIGHT PUSHES ULM PAST LOUISIANA TECH
Red-shirt freshman Kade Dupont made his first career start at third base on Tuesday night, but made his biggest impact at the plate, matching his career high with three hits while driving in a career-best four runs in ULM's 10-6 win over Louisiana Tech. He hit a two-out, 2-RBI single in the bottom of the second inning and added a 2-RBI double in the sixth inning against the Bulldogs. He started at second base in each of the first 21 games of the season, and has hit in the top third of the lineup in each of the first 22 games of the season, joining Shawn Dalton Weatherbee as the only two Warhawks to start all 22 games. The Watson, Louisiana, native has hit safely in 16 of 22 games. He leads the team with six multi-hit games and has three three-hit games, with the others coming in his collegiate debut vs. Bradley on Feb. 17 and at Mississippi State on Feb. 21. He also leads the team with 17 RBIs and is tied for the team lead with Weatherbee with 15 runs scored. He is second on the team in hitting at .294 (25-of-85) with six doubles and one home run.

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.

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 on March 14 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 and again Tuesday vs. Louisiana Tech.

DAVIS' IRONMAN STREAK AT CATCHER ENDS AS HE SHIFTS TO LEFT FIELD
ULM junior catcher Riley Davis is one of the top hitters for the Warhawks despite catching 118 of the last 138 innings. The Collierville, Tennessee, native has started 12 of the last 15 games at catcher for ULM, with the exceptions coming March 14 at Northwestern State, where Matt Abshire drew the start and caught the first two innings before Davis entered the game, Sunday vs. Old Dominion and again on Tuesday vs. Louisiana Tech, as Abshire caught all nine innings for the first time since Feb. 24.

Davis is third on the team with a .282 batting average (20-for-71) with a team-high eight doubles while adding 12 RBIs and eight 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 CONTINUES HOT START
ULM junior infielder/outfielder Zack Floyd has started 16 consecutive games for ULM. He 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 leads the team in batting average at .305 (18-for-59) and is second on the club with six stolen bases. He has added two doubles, one triple and two home runs with four RBIs, 14 runs scored and six walks. He has split time at third base, left field, right field and designated hitter. Floyd had two hits, including a double, with two runs scored vs. Louisiana Tech on Tuesday. 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.

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. He has missed the last six games with a wrist 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 10th most in the Sun Belt Conference. He stole a base in the March 17 series opener vs. Old Dominion.

Junior infielder/outfielder Zack Floyd has stolen six bases to rank second on the team. 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.

BARLOW RETURNS TO FRIDAY NIGHT ROLE IN 2023
Junior left-handed pitcher Cam Barlow makes his sixth Friday start of the 2023 season at Troy. In his 2023 debut, Barlow threw five innings to pick up the win against Bradley on Feb. 17, scattering four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. He suffered the loss on Feb. 24 vs. SIUE, allowing six runs on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts over four innings. He was efficient on March 3 at UIW, throwing just 58 pitches over five innings, allowing two runs on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts in a no-decision. He took a tough-luck loss on March 10 against Nicholls, allowing one run on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. He had no decision in last week's SBC opener against Old Dominion, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and a season-high nine strikeouts over six innings. He is 1-2 with a 3.76 ERA over 26 1/3 innings, allowing 11 runs on 24 hits with eight walks and 28 strikeouts.

Barlow enters his fifth season at ULM in 2023. He joined the club and redshirted the 2019 season and received a COVID-eligibility waiver for the 2020 season, leaving him as the longest-tenured Warhawk. He has one more year of eligibility available for 2024.

Barlow started the series opener on the first 13 weekends of the 2022 season before sticking with his Friday spot in the final week of the regular season against Arkansas State. He made his first postseason appearance against Texas State in the Sun Belt Conference Championship quarterfinals on May 27. He suffered the loss against the Bobcats, allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. Last year vs. Troy, he threw a career-high 7 1/3 innings and 100 pitches on April 8, allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

The Halls, Tennessee, native finished the 2022 season at 2-7 with a 5.14 ERA over 77 innings, allowing 53 runs, 44 earned, on 82 hits with 69 strikeouts and 31 walks.

HUFF MOVES INTO WEEKEND ROTATION
ULM head coach Michael Federico hands the ball to junior left-handed pitcher Hollis Huff for his first weekend start on Saturday at Troy. He started the first four Tuesday games of the season for ULM. He made a long-relief appearance out of the bullpen on March 18 vs. Old Dominion, allowing six runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts over four innings.

In his last start on March 14 at Northwestern State, he threw two innings, allowing a solo home run among his two hits with one walk and three strikeouts. On March 7, he allowed one run on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision vs. Memphis. He earned the win by throwing six innings, allowing one run on one hit with two strikeouts and one walk on Feb. 28 vs. Grambling. He made his first appearance and start as a Warhawk on Feb. 21 at Mississippi State, throwing 4 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just one hit with two walks and three strikeouts. 

Huff is a transfer from Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas. The Norman, Oklahoma, native appeared in eight games as a red-shirt second-year freshman in 2022, going 1-1 while throwing 9 2/3 innings, allowing 11 runs with 10 strikeouts and nine walks. He did not pitch in 2021 after having elbow surgery. As a true freshman in 2020, he appeared in six games for the Cougars, going 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA over 7 2/3 innings before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He originally committed to Wichita State out of high school. Huff helped Norman North High School win district and regional championships, going 9-1 with a 1.00 ERA on the mound as a senior.

LEFT-HANDER MENARD TAKES THE BALL SUNDAY
Junior left-handed pitcher Chipper Menard is slated for his sixth-straight Sunday start to begin the 2023 season to close out the series against Troy. He is 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA over 25 innings, allowing 19 runs, 16 earned, on 22 hits with 13 walks and a team-high 35 strikeouts.

He battled through some traffic in last week's start vs. Old Dominion, allowing five runs, two earned, on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. He made an appearance on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays on ESPN on Sunday night after making a sliding catch in foul territory after the ball hit off the mitt of catcher Matt Abshire before falling to Menard. He bounced back in his March 12 start vs. Nicholls, firing six shutout innings with two hits, five walks and a career-high 11 strikeouts. He struggled on March 5 at UIW, giving up eight runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts in three innings after opening the season with two strong performances. He worked five scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth inning against SIUE on Feb. 26, allowing four runs on six hits with one walk and a career-high seven strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings. Menard dazzled in his ULM debut on Feb. 19 against Bradley, working into the seventh inning before running into trouble. After allowing a leadoff single to Ryan Vogel, Menard retired the next 17 batters and faced the minimum through six innings. He allowed two runs on two hits with six strikeouts and two walks to pick up the win.

A transfer from the Ragin' Cajuns, Menard transitions into a starting role after serving primarily as a reliever in Lafayette. As a sophomore in 2022, he made 26 appearances for the Cajuns, going 5-1 with three saves and a 4.48 ERA over 26 1/3 innings with 30 strikeouts and 11 walks. He faced ULM twice, throwing 2 1/3 combined shutout innings against his future team, allowing four hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

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 8 2/3 innings over nineappearances, allowing three runs on 10 hits with four walks and seven strikeouts. He has made six scoreless appearances, including five of his last six appearances. He threw a scoreless 1 1/3 innings with one strikeout vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21, 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 21 2/3 innings pitched over nine appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 3.32 ERA with a 1-0 record and one save, allowing eight runs on 16 hits with six walks and ranks tied for second on the team with 28 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. On March 17 against Old Dominion, he threw three innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. He threw two innings, allowing a solo home run with two strikeouts vs. Louisiana Tech on Tuesday.

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 March 19.

NATIONAL STAT RANKINGS
Following Wednesday's games, ULM has a couple national stat rankings of interest. As a team, the Warhawks are 11th nationally with 20 double plays turned on the season. Individiually, Shawn Dalton Weatherbee is second nationally after being hit by a pitch 16 times in 22 games. Weatherbee was hit by a pitch twice on Tuesday vs. Louisiana Tech.

P-40 SUNDAYS
ULM unveiled its P-40 Warhawk series uniforms on March 7, 2021, vs. Nicholls. The Warhawks wear the P-40 uniforms every Sunday, home or away. 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 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.