ULM Warhawks

ULM (8-17 overall, 0-6 Sun Belt Conference) at Central Arkansas (11-13, 3-3 ASUN)
4 p.m. March 29, 2023 | Bear Stadium | Conway, Arkansas
ULM | Chris Kean, 6-4, Jr., RHP (ULM debut) vs. UCA | Jack Haley, 5-10, Jr., LHP (Season debut; 2022: 1-3, 8.27 ERA, 22 K, 20 BB)
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: KMLB.com | LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The ULM baseball team heads north to Conway, Arkansas, for midweek action at 4 p.m. Wednesday, taking on Central Arkansas at Bear Stadium. It is just the sixth all-time meeting between the Warhawks and Bears, with UCA winning all five previous meetings. Wednesday's game is the first meeting between the two since 2015 and the first in Conway since 2007.

ULM was swept in Sun Belt Conference action over the weekend at Troy, dropping Friday's game, 7-5, before falling in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, 7-5 in game one and 4-3 in game two. ULM twice had the potential game-tying run thrown out at home in the series.

In Friday's contest, Troy built a 5-0 lead through the first two innings, but ULM battled back with two runs in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth. ULM had the potential tying run on base in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, and had the potential game-tying run thrown out at home for the second out of the eighth inning. Troy's Shane Lewis then hit his second home run of the game, a 2-run shot, to give the Trojans the insurance they needed in the 7-5 win. Cardell Thibodeaux had two hits and two RBIs for ULM, while Travis Washburn and Riley Davis had two hits each. Zach Shaw, Russell Derbyshire and Adam Tubbs combined to throw 2 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings with two hits and three strikeouts.

In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, ULM led 3-0 through the first two innings before Troy scored the next seven runs over the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. ULM tallied two runs in the top of the seventh inning, but were unable to get any closer in the 7-5 loss. Shawn Dalton Weatherbee had three hits, while Jake Haggard had two to pace the Warhawks.

In the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, ULM again built a 3-0 lead, using an RBI double by Thibodeaux and a 2-run home run by Haggard in the fourth inning to take the lead. Troy scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning, and then took the lead on a 2-run homer by Kyle Mock in the seventh inning to go on to the 4-3 win. ULM had the potential game-tying run thrown out at home for the final out of the game, as Kade Dupont tried to score on Haggard's fly ball.

UCA is coming off a 10-7 loss vs. Arkansas State on Tuesday night to drop to 11-13 on the season. The Bears are 3-3 in ASUN play after getting swept at Jacksonville last weekend, 4-2, 17-2 and 12-2. The Bears are 2-4 in midweek games, including a 5-4 win at No. 10 Vanderbilt on Feb. 21.

As of Monday, ULM ranks in the Top 100 in several NCAA stat categories. The Warhawks are 32nd in NCAA Division I and third in the Sun Belt Conference with 20 double plays, 47th nationally and fourth in the SBC with 38 stolen bases, 64th nationally and seventh in the SBC with 36 hit batsmen and 74th nationally and fifth in the SBC with 10 sacrifice bunts.

Individually, Shawn Dalton Weatherbee is second in the nation and leads the SBC after having been hit by a pitch 17 times. Cardell Thibodeaux is 11th nationally and third in the SBC with four sacrifice flies. Chipper Menard is 65th in the nation and fifth in the SBC with 11.89 strikeouts per nine innings. Russell Derbyshire is 87th nationally and fourth in the SBC with 11 pitching appearances. Davis Meche is 88th nationally and fifth in the SBC with three sacrifice bunts.

Wednesday's game will stream on ESPN+. The game will air on KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with Mike Hammett on the call on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield. A link to live stats can be found on the baseball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.

ULM MEETS CENTRAL ARKANSAS FOR FIRST TIME IN EIGHT YEARS
The ULM baseball team takes a midweek trip to Conway, Arkansas, to face off with Central Arkansas. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. Wednesday. It is just the sixth all-time meeting between ULM and UCA, with all but one previous meeting being a midweek matchup. The two teams last played on Feb. 14, 2015, at the Warhawk Classic in Monroe, with UCA winning, 10-4, in the only weekend meeting between the two clubs. Four of the five previous meetings have been in Monroe, with the first-ever meeting between the teams coming on March 14, 2007, in Conway, with UCA picking up a 15-4 win.

FLOYD LEADS THE WAY AT THE PLATE
ULM junior infielder/outfielder Zack Floyd leads the Warhawks with a .300 batting average (18-of-60). He had started 16 consecutive games before suffering an injury on March 21 vs. Louisiana Tech. He did not play in the three game weekend series at Troy outside of a pinch-hitting appearance in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. He did not join the regular lineup until Feb. 25 against SIUE, but his stellar play kept him in the starting nine until his injury. He has 18 hits with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, four RBIs, 14 runs scored, six walks and six stolen bases. 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.

DUPONT SHIFTS TO THIRD BASE
Red-shirt freshman Kade Dupont has started the last four games at third base after starting the first 21 games of the season at second base. He had two hits and two runs scored in the series at Troy. He made his first career start at third base on March 21, 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 has hit in the top third of the lineup in each of the first 25 games of the season, joining Shawn Dalton Weatherbee as the only two Warhawks to start all 25 games. The Watson, Louisiana, native has hit safely in 18 of 25 games. He is tied for the team lead with Weatherbee and Riley Davis 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 17 runs scored. He is second on the team in hitting at .278 (27-of-97) 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.

HIT HIM WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
ULM center fielder Shawn Dalton Weatherbee ranks second in NCAA Division I after being hit by a pitch 17 times through the first 26 games of the season. The Booneville, Mississippi, native was hit by a pitch in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Troy to bring his season total to 17. He has been hit by a pitch twice against Bradley (Feb. 19), Memphis (March 7) and Louisiana Tech (March 21).

He is third on the team with a .270 (24-of-89) batting average, with three doubles, one home run, five RBIs and is tied for the team lead with Kade Dupont with 17 runs scored. His eight stolen bases on 10 attempts leads the team. He is tied with Dupont and Riley Davis for the team lead with six multi-hit games after picking up three hits with a run scored in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Troy. He also had three hits with a run scored at Northwestern State on March 14.

DAVIS CONTINUES AS A TOP OFFENSIVE THREAT
ULM junior catcher Riley Davis is fourth on the team with a .265 (22-of-83) batting average with a team-high eight doubles while adding 12 RBIs and 10 walks. He is tied for second on the team with 30 total bases. He is tied for the team lead with six multi-hit games with Kade Dupont and Shawn Dalton Weatherbee after picking up two hits on Friday at Troy. 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.  

THIBODEAUX MAKING BIG IMPACT AS FRESHMAN
Freshman left fielder Cardell Thibodeaux hit safely and drove in at least one run in all three games of the weekend series at Troy. Thibodeaux has hit safely in each of his last five starts, with six hits and five RBIs in the stretch.

Thibodeaux is hitting .253 (19-of-75) with two doubles and one home run while scoring eight times. He ranks second on the team with 16 RBIs and six stolen bases. He is 11th in NCAA Division I and third in the Sun Belt Conference with four sacrifice flies. Over the last 10 games, Thibodeaux is hitting .286 (8-for-28) with one double, six RBIs and two runs scored.

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 nine 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. 

KEAN MAKES ULM DEBUT ON WEDNESDAY
Junior right-handed pitcher Chris Kean is slated for his first appearance in a Warhawk uniform as the starting pitcher for Wednesday's game at Central Arkansas. Kean is slated to make a designated short start as he works his way back from a foot injury suffered prior to the season.

He played two seasons at Ranger College, helping the Rangers to the most wins in school history in 2022, both overall and in conference, going 37-22 to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 1983. He made three appearances on the mound, picking up three saves over 2 1/3 innings, allowing no runs on one hit with four strikeouts. He was a two-way player for Ranger, playing in 49 games as a sophomore in 2022, slashing .296/.382/.459 with 40 hits, eight doubles, one triple, four home runs, 24 RBIs, 22 runs scored and 17 walks. He had seven multi-hit games with five multi-RBI games. Once healthy enough to return to full action, Kean is penciled in to add depth to ULM's catchers and become a two-way player for the Warhawks as well.

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

Burrell, a transfer from LSU Eunice, leads qualifying bullpen pitchers with a 2.31 ERA over 11 2/3 innings, spread among seven appearances, allowing three runs on 14 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. He threw a scoreless inning with three hits in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Troy.

Derbyshire, a transfer from Mineral Area Community College, has pitched 10 2/3 innings over nineappearances, allowing three runs on 10 hits with five walks and nine strikeouts. He has made eight scoreless appearances, including seven of his last eight appearances and three straight. He made two appearances over the weekend at Troy, throwing a scoreless frame with two strikeouts and a walk on Friday and another scoreless inning in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. 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.

Robinson, a true freshman from Carriere, Mississippi, has made seven appearances with a save, posting a 3.00 ERA over nine innings, allowing three runs on four hits with six strikeouts and eight walks. He has made five consecutive scoreless appearances and has not allowed a run in six of his seven appearances. He threw a scoreless inning despite issuing a pair of walks in game two of Saturday's doubleheader at Troy. He fired a scoreless inning on seven pitches vs. Old Dominion on March 19. He pitched a scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout at Northwestern State on March 14. He matched his season high with two innings, allowing no runs and no hits with one walk and one strikeout vs. Northwestern State on March 8. In his collegiate debut, he earned the save, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeouts vs. Bradley on Feb. 19.

TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Over the last 10 games, several Warhawks are showing improvement on their season stats.

Freshman Jake Haggard is hitting .273 (9-of-33) over the last 10 games with one double, one triple, one home run, four RBIs, seven runs scored and five walks over the last 10 games. Overall, he is hitting .233 (14-of-6) with one double, one triple, two home runs, nine RBIs, 11 runs scored and 11 walks.

Junior Carson Jones is hitting .290 (9-of-31) over the last 10 games while sitting at .242 (16-of-66) on the season. He has four of his seven RBIs in the stretch and has scored six of his 13 runs.

Freshman Cardell Thibodeaux is hitting .286 (8-of-28) over the last 10 games and is at .253 (19-of-75) for the year. He has collected six of his 16 RBIs in the last 10 games.

Junior Jayson Zmejkoski has played in six of the last 10 games, with four starts, including his first three appearances in right field over the weekend series at Troy. He has five of his nine hits on the season in the six games.

On the mound, junior right-hander Russell Derbyshire has made an appearance in six of the last 10 games, throwing 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Red-shirt junior right-hander Steve Owings has made four appearances in the last 10 games, throwing 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Prior to the last 10 games, he threw 2 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on 14 hits with one walk and three strikeouts.

Freshman right-hander Justin Robinson has made four appearances in the last 10 contests, pitching 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit with four walks and two strikeouts. He has posted an ERA of 3.00 over nine innings on the season with eight walks and six strikeouts.

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.