ULM Warhawks

ULM (10-19 overall, 1-8 Sun Belt Conference) vs. Little Rock (13-11 overall, 3-3 Ohio Valley Conference)
4 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, 2023 | Lou St. Amant Field | Monroe, La.
ULM | Trey Lindsay, 6-2, R-Jr., RHP (2023 debut; 2021: 2-2, 3.18 ERA, 33 K, 14 BB) vs. LR | Camden Sargent, 5-11, Jr., RHP (1-0, 8.31 ERA, 7 K, 6 BB)
LISTEN: KMLB.com | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The ULM baseball team closes out a four-game homestand at 4 p.m. Tuesday against former Sun Belt Conference-opponent Little Rock at Lou St. Amant Field. ULM is 10-19 overall and 1-8 in SBC play, while Little Rock is 13-11 overall and 3-3 in its first season in the Ohio Valley Conference.

ULM dropped two out of three games over the weekend to Marshall, falling 13-6 on Friday and 4-3 on Sunday while picking up a 4-3 walk-off win in 11 innings on Saturday.

On Friday afternoon, Marshall pounded out 16 hits and racked up 13 runs, scoring in seven out of nine innings, to take the series opener, 13-6. ULM was led by two hits each from Shawn Dalton Weatherbee and Cardell Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux had two doubles while Kade Dupont hit a 2-run home run in the first inning.

On Saturday afternoon, ULM earned its first SBC win of the season by defeating Marshall, 4-3, in 11 innings. Weatherbee hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th to give the Warhawks the win. Marshall led 3-2 after four innings and the lead held until the eighth inning, when Dupont scored on a squeeze play on Zack Floyd's sacrifice bunt to tie the game at 3. It marked the first time this season ULM won a game when trailing after six and/or seven innings.

On Sunday afternoon, Marshall won a pitchers' duel, 4-3. Herd pitcher Zac Addkison allowed just a first-inning run over seven innings, giving up four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. ULM pitcher Chipper Menard was slightly better through six innings, but allowed a 2-run home run in the top of the seventh inning as Marshall went in front, 2-1. Menard threw seven innings, allowing the two runs on six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. The Herd added two runs in the ninth inning after an error extended the frame. Weatherbee hit a 2-RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but was stranded on first base as Marshall held on for the win.

Little Rock was swept by Ohio Valley Conference-opponent Southeast Missouri State over the weekend in Cape Girardeau, dropping a Saturday doubleheader, 4-3 and 6-5 in 10 innings, and Sunday's series finale, 17-6, in eight innings. ULM and Arkansas State are the only two former SBC foes the Trojans face this season, taking on both the Warhawks and the Red Wolves in home-and-home midweek matchups. ULM returns the trip to Gary Hogan Field on April 19.

As of Monday, ULM ranks in the Top 100 in several NCAA stat categories. The Warhawks are 13th in NCAA Division I and second in the Sun Belt Conference in double plays (26), 58th nationally and fifth in the SBC in stolen bases (43), 67th nationally and sixth in the SBC in hit by pitch (41), 68th nationally and fifth in the SBC in sacrifice bunts (13) and 95th nationally and fourth in the SBC in WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched, 1.50).

Individually, Shawn Dalton Weatherbee is second in the nation and leads the SBC after having been hit by a pitch 18 times. Cardell Thibodeaux is 20th nationally and third in the SBC with four sacrifice flies. Chipper Menard is 96th in the nation and 10th in the SBC with 11.31 strikeouts per nine innings.

Tuesday's game will have a live audio stream 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, LITTLE ROCK MEET IN NONCONFERENCE SETTING
ULM and Little Rock meet for the 90th time at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Lou St. Amant Field, with the Warhawks leading the all-time series, 50-39. The two teams meet as nonconference opponents for the first time since 2005, when ULM and the Trojans met in a home-and-home midweek series. The Warhawks played against Little Rock in Sun Belt Conference action from 2007 to 2022. Last year, Little Rock swept the SBC series at Gary Hogan Field, winning 4-3, 12-9 and 7-6. In 2021, ULM won two out of three games from the Trojans in Monroe, taking the final two games of the series, 5-3 and 5-4 on Ryan Humeniuk's walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning.

WEATHERBEE'S BIG WEEKEND SENDS HIM TO TOP OF THE STAT SHEET
ULM center fielder Shawn Dalton Weatherbee shot to the top of the stat sheet over the weekend series against Marshall, picking up six hits with four RBIs and three runs scored.

Weatherbee leads the team with a .290 batting average (31-of-107) and 21 runs scored. He has added three doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs.

He opened the weekend against Marshall with two hits with an RBI, a run scored and a walk on Friday afternoon. On Saturday, he had three hits, including the walk-off home run in the 11th inning in the 4-3 win. He closed the series on Sunday, going 1-for-3 with a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the ninth with a walk and was hit by a pitch.

Weatherbee ranks second in NCAA Division I after being hit by a pitch 18 times through the first 29 games of the season. The Booneville, Mississippi, native was hit by a pitch in Sunday's series finale vs. Marshall. He has been hit by a pitch twice against Bradley (Feb. 19), Memphis (March 7) and Louisiana Tech (March 21).

His eight stolen bases on 10 attempts leads the team. He is tied with Riley Davis for the team lead with eight multi-hit games after picking up two more multi-hit games against Marshall.

DUPONT SHOWS STEADY PLAY IN INFIELD
Red-shirt freshman Kade Dupont has provided some versatility on the infield for ULM. He joins Shawn Dalton Weatherbee as the only two players to start all 29 games, making 25 starts at second base and four at third base. He has played two positions in the infield in six games, including an appearance at shortstop late in the game vs. Northwestern State on March 8. 

The Watson, Louisiana, native has hit safely in 22 of 29 games and carries a team-best six-game hitting streak. He leads the team with 19 RBIs and is second on the team with 19 runs scored. He has six doubles and two home runs. He is tied for third on the team with six multi-hit games and has three three-hit games, coming in his collegiate debut vs. Bradley on Feb. 17, at Mississippi State on Feb. 21 and vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21. He is second on the team with a .272 batting average (31-of-114).

He hit his second home run of the season on Friday vs. Marshall, belting a 2-run blast in the bottom of the first inning. 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 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.

JONES COMING ON STRONG AT BOTTOM OF THE ORDER
ULM junior shortstop Carson Jones has improved his batting average 88 points over the last 10 games, going from .184 on March 18 to .272 (22-of-81) after Sunday's game vs. Marshall. He is hitting a team-best .382 (13-of-34) with one double, five RBIs and six runs scored in the stretch to move into third on the team in average on the season. He has four multi-hit games in the last 10 games, picking up three hits with an RBI and a run scored vs. Old Dominion on March 19, two hits with an RBI and two runs scored vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21, and two hits on Saturday and Sunday vs. Marshall. He is tied for third on the team with six multi-hit games, adding a two-hit game vs. Memphis on March 7 and two hits with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored vs. Grambling on Feb. 28. Overall on the season, Jones has two doubles, eight RBIs and 15 runs scored on the season.

FLOYD LEADS THE WAY AT THE PLATE
ULM junior infielder/outfielder Zack Floyd is fourth on the team with a .270 batting average (20-of-74). He returned to the starting lineup on March 29 at Central Arkansas, going 1-for-4 at the plate. He saw only a pinch-hitting appearance over the three-game series at Troy due to injuries he suffered on March 21 vs. Louisiana Tech. He had started 16 consecutive games prior to his injuries against the Bulldogs. 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 20 hits with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, five RBIs, 15 runs scored, six walks and six stolen bases. Floyd had two hits, including a double, with two runs scored vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21. 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.

THIBODEAUX MAKING BIG IMPACT AS FRESHMAN
Freshman left fielder Cardell Thibodeaux hit safely in six of the last seven games, including three doubles over the weekend series vs. Marshall. He had two doubles on Friday night with a run scored against the Thundering Herd. He drove in at least one run in all three games of the series at Troy on March 24-25. Thibodeaux has hit safely in each of his last eight of his last nine starts, with 10 hits and five RBIs in the stretch.

Thibodeaux is hitting .264 (23-of-87) with five doubles and one home run while scoring 10 times. He ranks second on the team with 16 RBIs and six stolen bases. He is 20th in NCAA Division I and third in the Sun Belt Conference with four sacrifice flies. Over the last 10 games, Thibodeaux is second on the team, hitting .333 (9-for-27) with four doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored.

DAVIS CONTINUES AS A TOP OFFENSIVE THREAT
ULM junior catcher Riley Davis is hitting .260 (26-of-100) with a team-high nine doubles while adding 13 RBIs and 11 walks. He is third on the team with 38 total bases. He is tied with Shawn Dalton Weatherbee for the team lead with eight multi-hit games after picking up two hits with an RBI and a run scored, hitting his first-career home run on Saturday vs. Marshall. He hit a single and double at Central Arkansas on Wednesday. He had a pair of hits in the series opener at Troy on March 24. 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.  

LINDSAY TO MAKE 2023 DEBUT VS. LITTLE ROCK
Junior right-handed pitcher Trey Lindsay is set to make his 2023 debut on Tuesday vs. Little Rock. He missed the entire 2022 season and the first 29 games of the 2023 season while recovering from an elbow injury. It is his first-career start at ULM.

In 2021, Lindsay was one of ULM's top relievers, making 23 appearances out of the bullpe, compiling a 2-2 record with three saves and a 3.18 ERA over 45 1/3 innings, allowing 24 runs, 16 earned, on 41 hits with 14 walks and 33 strikeouts. He was part of a combined one-hitter in a win over No. 6 TCU on May 14, 2021, throwing 3 1/3 hitless innings, allowing three unearned runs on one walk with three strikeouts. He tossed the final 1 2/3 innings to close out a series win at App State, giving up no runs on one hit with two strikeouts on May 2. He notched his third save, tossing the final two innings in a combined shutout with Cam Barlow in game one of a doubleheader vs. Southern on April 25. He locked down his second save, throwing 3 2/3 shutout innings with two hits, no walks and two strikeouts vs. Little Rock on April 18. Lindsay pitched a scoreless inning on just six pitches at Georgia Southern on April 10. He bounced back from a rough outing to throw three shutout innings on just 27 pitches, giving up one hit with no walks and two strikeouts at Alabama on April 7. He earned his first save, throwing 1 1/3 innings with an unearned run on two hits and a strikeout vs. Georgia State on March 21. He was named Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week after throwing four innings over a combined three outings, giving up no runs on three hits with four strikeouts on March 16. He pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings and did not allowed two inherited runners to score, giving up two hits with two strikeouts on March 13. He earned his first win, throwing four shutout innings with one hit out of the bullpen while striking out four batters in the second game of a doubleheader vs. Nicholls on March 6. He made his ULM debut, throwing two shutout innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts vs. Northwestern State on Feb. 24.

Prior to ULM, Lindsay pitched two seasons at Panola College. He was an honorable mention All-State basketball player in high school and also was recruited to play college football.

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 27 innings pitched over 12 appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 3.33 ERA with a 1-0 record and two saves, allowing 10 runs on 19 hits with eight walks and ranks second on the team with 35 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 March 21. He threw a scoreless inning for his second save of the season on March 29 at Central Arkansas. He fired three shutout innings with one hit, two walks and six strikeouts vs. Marshall on April 1.

Robinson, a true freshman from Carriere, Mississippi, has made nine appearances with a save, posting a 2.13 ERA over 12 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits with 11 strikeouts and eight walks. He had a string of six-straight scoreless outings snapped on Sunday vs. Marshall, allowing two unearned runs on three hits with two strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings. He fired two scoreless innings with three strikeouts at Central Arkansas on March 29. He threw a scoreless inning despite issuing a pair of walks in game two of the March 25 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.

Junior Carson Jones is leading the team over the last 10 games, hitting .382 (13-of-34) with one double, five RBIs and six runs scored. He has five of his eight RBIs for the season in the last 10 games. Overall on the season, he is hitting .272 (22-of-81) with two doubles, eight RBIs and 15 runs scored.

Freshman Cardell Thibodeaux is hitting .333 (9-of-27) over the last 10 games and is at .264 (23-of-87) for the year. He has collected four of his five doubles over the last 10 games, including three over the weekend series vs. Marshall.

Junior Jayson Zmejkoski has played in each of the last 10 games with eight of his 12 starts on the season in that stretch. He is hitting .290 (9-of-31) with nine of his 13 hits in the last 10 games with three of his five RBIs. He has started each of the last seven games in right field.

On the mound, junior right-hander Russell Derbyshire has made an appearance in four of the last 10 games, throwing 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Red-shirt junior right-hander Steve Owings has made four appearances in the last 10 games, throwing 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Prior to the last 10 games, he threw four innings, allowing eight runs, seven earned, on 11 hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Freshman right-hander Justin Robinson has made four appearances in the last 10 contests, allowing two unearned runs over 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He has posted an ERA of 2.13 over 12 2/3 innings on the season with eight walks and 11 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.

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.