ULM Warhawks

ULM (16-32 overall, 5-18 Sun Belt Conference) vs. Southern Miss (32-15 overall, 17-7 Sun Belt Conference)
Lou St. Amant Field | Monroe, La.

6 p.m., Friday, May 12 | WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
ULM | Nicholas Judice, 6-8, Jr., RHP (2-2, 3.80 ERA, 56 K, 12 BB) vs. USM | Tanner Hall, 6-1, Jr., RHP (9-3, 2.71 ERA, 78 K, 27 BB)

4 p.m., Saturday, May 13 | WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
ULM | Cam Barlow, 5-11, Jr., LHP (3-5, 5.49 ERA, 47 K, 21 BB) vs. USM | Billy Oldham, 6-1, Jr., RHP (5-2, 5.11 ERA, 62 K, 19 BB)

1 p.m., Sunday, May 14 | WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
ULM | Justin Robinson, 6-2, Fr., RHP (0-1, 6.53 ERA, 21 K, 15 BB) vs. USM | Matt Adams, 5-11, Jr., RHP (2-2, 4.21 ERA, 50 K, 20 BB)

GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - ULM closes out the 2023 home schedule with a series against No. 25 Southern Miss. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Lou St. Amant Field. The Warhawks will honor the 2023 senior class before Friday's series opener and each player's mother will have a chance to throw out a ceremonial first pitch for Mother's Day on Sunday.

Friday's game is the 67th all-time meeting between ULM and Southern Miss. It is the first-ever meeting between the two teams as conference opponents on the baseball diamond. Southern Miss leads the all-time series, 48-18. The Golden Eagles won the last meeting between the two teams, 5-4, on March 19, 2019, in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss has won the last four meetings in the series. ULM last defeated the Golden Eagles, 6-5, on Feb. 26, 2013. The weekend series marks the first time Southern Miss has visited Monroe since Feb. 18, 2014.

ULM (16-32 overall, 5-18 Sun Belt Conference) lost all three games of the weekend series against the Ragin' Cajuns at Lou St. Amant Field. The Cajuns won Friday's game, 8-4, Saturday's game, 12-4, and Sunday's contest, 10-0 in six innings due to weather.

On Friday, the Cajuns scored in three-straight innings, posting single runs in the second, third and fourth innings, to take a 3-1 lead. The Cajuns stretched the lead to 5-1 in the sixth before Kade Dupont hit an RBI double and Shawn Dalton Weatherbee added an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-3 after six innings. However, the Cajuns scored two more runs in the seventh inning and one more in the eighth to grab the 8-3 lead. Weatherbee hit a leadoff home run in the ninth. Nicholas Judice (2-2) took the loss in his first start of the season, throwing 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

On Saturday, the Cajuns scored three runs in the second inning and four runs in the third inning and never looked back on their way to a 12-4 win. Cardell Thibodeaux, Travis Washburn and Matt Abshire each had an RBI in the 3-run sixth inning for ULM. Jarrett McDonald led ULM with three hits.

On Sunday, Abshire had two of ULM's four hits as the Cajuns scored four runs in the first and fifth innings for a 10-0 win in six innings. The game featured a one hour, 28-minute weather delay in the bottom of the fourth inning and a one hour, eight-minute delay before calling the game in the bottom of the seventh inning.

No. 25 Southern Miss (32-15, 17-7) is tied for the Sun Belt Conference lead with No. 8 Coastal Carolina entering the weekend. The Golden Eagles bring the nation's longest winning streak to The Lou with 10-straight victories, dating back to a 15-7 win on April 23 at CCU to salvage a game from the series against the Chanticleers. Since then, Southern Miss has won a home-and-home midweek against Tulane, a home midweek against Louisiana Tech and swept SBC series from Arkansas State and South Alabama.

As of Wednesday, ULM ranks in the Top 100 in a few NCAA stat categories. The Warhawks are 60th in NCAA Division I and sixth in the Sun Belt Conference with 37 double plays, 82nd nationally and seventh in the SBC in sacrifice bunts (21), 89th nationally and seventh in the SBC in stolen bases (63) and 93rd nationally and ninth in the SBC in hit by pitch (63).

Individually, Shawn Dalton Weatherbee is fifth in the nation and leads the SBC, having been hit by a pitch 22 times this year. Cardell Thibodeaux is 71st nationally and seventh in the SBC with five sacrifice flies.

All three games of the weekend series will stream on ESPN+ and will air on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with the Voice of the Warhawks, Mike Hammett, on the call for both. A link to live stats can be found on the baseball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.

WARHAWKS AND GOLDEN EAGLES MEET FOR FIRST TIME AS SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOES
Friday's game is the 67th all-time meeting between ULM and Southern Miss. It is the first-ever meeting between the two teams as conference opponents on the baseball diamond. Southern Miss leads the all-time series, 48-18. The Golden Eagles won the last meeting between the two teams, 5-4, on March 19, 2019, in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss has won the last four meetings in the series. ULM last defeated the Golden Eagles, 6-5, on Feb. 26, 2013. The weekend series marks the first time Southern Miss has visited Monroe since Feb. 18, 2014.

SENIOR WEEKEND AND COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES
The ULM baseball team will celebrate two senior baseball players and one student assistant coach prior to Friday's game, while seven total players will earn degrees from ULM this weekend at spring commencement.

Second baseman/outfielder Travis Washburn is in his third season at ULM and has played in 125 games heading into Friday's game. He has hit 12 doubles, six triples and eight home runs in his career with 41 RBIs. He was named Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference at second base following the 2021 season. He is graduating this weekend with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a concentration in sport management and is pursuing his master's degree in exercise science with a scheduled graduation date of fall of 2024.

Outfielder/designated hitter Jarrett McDonald is in his only season at ULM, and has played in 26 games heading into Friday's game. In the last 10 games, he has hit all four of his doubles, both of his home runs and collected all 11 of his RBIs on the season. He is graduating with a bachelor's degree in general studies.

Student assistant coach Kameron Partridge is in his second season at ULM, but has been unable to play due to injury. He has served as a student assistant coach for the 2023 season, and has coached first base in several games this season. He is graduating this semester with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a concentration in sport management.

Seven total Warhawks are graduating this semester, including Partridge, Washburn, Michelle Artzberger (general studies), Cam Barlow (master's in exercise science), Carson Jones (mathematics), Nicholas Judice (finance) and Carson Orton (business administration).

SENIOR STRENGTH
ULM features just two seniors on its 2023 roster, and both are playing their best baseball of the season down the stretch.

Second baseman/outfielder Travis Washburn is wrapping up his third and final season at ULM. He had a seven game hitting streak snapped on May 3 against Alcorn, going 0-for-1 but drew three walks. He has compiled nine of his 15 hits on the season and eight of his 10 RBIs since April 12 (14 games). He has both of his triples and all three of his home runs in that span. He hit a triple vs. South Alabama on April 14. In the series at Arkansas State, he hit a solo home run on April 22 before adding another solo shot with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored on April 23. He collected a triple with a walk and an RBI vs. Stephen F. Austin on April 25. He blasted a 2-run homer over Georgia Southern's Blue Monster on April 28. He had hits in each of the last two games of the series against the Eagles, scoring two runs on April 29 and one run on April 30.

Outfielder Jarrett McDonald is concluding his only season at ULM. The Bastrop, Louisiana, native and Sterlington High School alumnus is hitting .484 (15-for-31) with 10 appearances and eight starts in the last 10 games, adding four doubles with two home runs, 11 RBIs, nine runs scored and six walks. He hit a solo home run on April 22 at Arkansas State before going 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, home run, four RBIs, two walks and one run scored on April 23 against the Red Wolves. He added two hits with two RBIs and a run scored against SFA on April 25. He picked up a hit with an RBI and a run scored with two walks on April 29 at Georgia Southern. He closed the series against the Eagles on April 30 with two hits and a run scored. He added two hits, including a double, with three RBIs, three runs scored and a walk vs. Alcorn on May 3. He tallied three hits, including a double, with a run scored and a walk vs. the Ragin' Cajuns on May 6, before closing the series with a double on May 7.

WEATHERBEE MOVES TO THE TOP OF STAT SHEET
ULM center fielder Shawn Dalton Weatherbee leads the team with a .287 batting average (51-of-178). He leads the team in on-base percentage (.423), hits (51), home runs (6) and runs scored (38). He is second on the team with 13 multi-hit games,  a .421 slugging percentage, 75 total bases and nine stolen bases. He has 22 RBIs, with 17 of them coming in the last 23 games. 

Weatherbee ranks fifth in NCAA Division I after being hit by a pitch 22 times through the first 48 games of the season. The Booneville, Mississippi, native was hit by a pitch in four consecutive games from April 19 to April 23. He has been hit by a pitch twice against Bradley (Feb. 19), Memphis (March 7) and Louisiana Tech (March 21).

He opened the series against the Ragin' Cajuns with two hits, including a home run, with two RBIs and two runs scored on May 5. He had two hits, including a walk with two runs scored, vs. Alcorn on May 3.

Over the weekend at Georgia Southern, he tallied two hits with a walk and a run scored in the series opener before earning walks on Saturday and Sunday to extend his reached base streak to eight games. He had his fourth three-hit game of the season on April 25 against Stephen F. Austin, hitting a solo home run and RBI double while totaling season highs with three RBIs and three runs scored. He hit safely in all three games over the weekend at Arkansas State, adding a double on April 22, an RBI on April 21 and scored twice on April 23. He had two hits on April 19 at Little Rock. He hit a 2-RBI double with a run scored on April 14 vs. South Alabama and added two more RBIs and walked three times on April 15 vs. the Jaguars. He picked up two hits with two RBIs at App State. He tallied an opposite-field RBI single in the seven-run third inning on April 6 against the Mountaineers before a solo home run, his third of the season, cut the deficit in half on the way to ULM's 3-2 come-from-behind victory on April 8.

He 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. He opened the weekend against the Thundering Herd with two hits with an RBI, a run scored and a walk on March 31. On April 1, he had three hits, including the walk-off home run in the 11th inning in the 4-3 win. He closed the series on April 2, going 1-for-3 with a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the ninth with a walk and was hit by a pitch.

He collected three hits in a game four times, coming against Stephen F. Austin on April 25, Marshall on April 1, at Troy on March 25 and at Northwestern State on March 14. He has two RBIs in a game four times, coming twice against South Alabama on April 14 and 15, vs. Marshall on April 2 and in the season opener vs. Bradley on Feb. 17, with a three RBI game against Stephen F. Austin on April 25.

DUPONT'S REACHED BASE STREAK ENDS ON SUNDAY
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 48 games, making 39 starts at second base and nine at third base. He has played two positions in the infield in 10 games, including an appearance at shortstop late in the game vs. Northwestern State on March 8. He had a 34-game reached base streak snapped on Sunday, going 0-for-3 against the Ragin' Cajuns.

The Watson, Louisiana, native has hit safely in 37 of 48 games and has had a pair of eight-game hitting streaks. He has hit safely in 21 of the last 25 games. He is second on the team with a .280 batting average (51-of-182). He leads the team with 51 hits, 27 RBIs and four sacrifice bunts. He is second on the team with a .376 on-base percentage, 34 runs scored and has been hit by a pitch 13 times. He is third on the team with nine doubles and 69 total bases. He is fourth on the team with 10 multi-hit games. He has four three-hit games, coming in his collegiate debut vs. Bradley on Feb. 17, at Mississippi State on Feb. 21, vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21 and at Arkansas State on April 21.

He opened the series against the Ragin' Cajuns with two hits with a double, RBI and run scored on May 5. He picked up a hit with an RBI and three runs scored against Alcorn on May 3.

At Georgia Southern, he picked up single hits on April 28 and April 30 and was hit by a pitch to keep his reached-base streak alive on April 29. Against Arkansas State, he tallied three hits with an RBI on April 21, added a walk and a hit on April 22 and closed the series with two hits, one walk and a run scored on April 23. He singled with a walk and was hit by a pitch twice while scoring two times at Louisiana Tech on April 12. He hit a 2-RBI double down the left-field line to spark a seven-run, two-out rally on April 6 at App State. He had a pair of hits with two runs scored vs. Little Rock on April 4. He hit his second home run of the season on March 31 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.

DAVIS STEADY FORCE AT PLATE
ULM junior catcher Riley Davis is third on the team with a .276 (48-of-174) batting average and leads the team with a .448 slugging percentage, 27 RBIs, 12 doubles, six home runs, 78 total bases and 15 multi-hit games. He had two hits, including a double, with two RBIs and two walks on May 3 vs. Alcorn.

In the month of April, Davis led the team with a .299 (20-of-67) batting average, .597 slugging percentage, 20 hits, all six of his home runs and 15 RBIs. He added 12 runs scored and eight walks in the month.

He closed out April by hitting a three-run home run in the series opener on April 28 at Georgia Southern before adding two hits with a run scored in the series finale on April 30. At Arkansas State, Davis picked up two hits in the series opener against the Red Wolves on April 21. Over the weekend series against South Alabama, he totaled four hits, including two solo home runs. He picked up three hits, including a home run, on April 15 vs. the Jaguars. He had a 2-for-4 effort with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored at Louisiana Tech on April 12. He hit a 2-run home run and added a ground-rule double on April 6 at App State. He hit a grand slam and picked up five RBIs on April 4 vs. Little Rock. He had two hits with an RBI and a run scored, hitting his first-career home run on April 1 vs. Marshall. 

He hit a single and double at Central Arkansas on March 29. 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.  

JONES COMING ON STRONG AT BOTTOM OF THE ORDER
ULM junior shortstop Carson Jones is in the mix at the top of the stat sheet. He is fourth on the team with a .262 batting average (37-of-141). He has added three doubles, 21 RBIs, 20 runs scored, 13 walks and five stolen bases.

In Sun Belt Conference action, he is second on the team with a .292 (21-of-72) batting average, with one double, 11 RBIs and seven runs scored with seven walks and a team-high four stolen bases. 

He had his first multi-hit game of the season with two hits, including a double, with three RBIs and two runs scored vs. Grambling on Feb. 28. He added two hits with a run scored vs. Memphis on March 7. He had back-to-back multi-hit games, closing out the series against Old Dominion with three hits, one RBI and one run scored vs. Old Dominion on March 19 before adding two hits with an RBI and two runs scored vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21. He had two hits twice against Marshall, adding a run on April 1 and 2. Against South Alabama, he picked up two hits with an RBI on April 15. He had three RBIs with a double, walk and a run scored at Little Rock on April 19. He closed out a four-game hitting and RBI streak with his second three-hit game of the season, adding two RBIs with one run scored at Arkansas State on April 21. He tallied two hits with an RBI and a run scored at Georgia Southern on April 29. He picked up three RBIs, going 1-for-3 vs. Alcorn on May 3. He is the only qualifying hitter for ULM this season that returns from the 2022 season.

FRESHMEN DUO COMING ON STRONG LATE IN THE SEASON
ULM true freshmen Jake Haggard and Cardell Thibodeaux have been heating up at the plate over the last two weeks.

Haggard, from West Palm Beach, Florida, has started 31 of the last 32 games at first base following an injury to Michelle Artzberger. He has five of his 10 multi-hit games over the last eight contests, including a 2-for-2 day with two runs scored and a stolen base vs. the Ragin' Cajuns on Saturday. He had a 3-for-4 effort with two RBIs, three runs scored and was hit by a pitch on May 3 vs. Alcorn. He had five hits in the series at Georgia Southern, including two-hit performances on April 28 and 29 against the Eagles. He hit a 2-run home run over the left field scoreboard on April 29 at Georgia Southern. He collected three hits on April 25, with a double and an RBI, vs. Stephen F. Austin. Over the last eight games, his batting average has jumped 57 points. In the last 10 games, Haggard is second on the team with a .429 (15-of-35) batting average with two doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs and eight runs scored. Overall on the season, he is hitting .261 (37-of-142) with four doubles, one triple, five home runs, 23 RBIs, 26 runs scored and 21 walks.

Thibodeaux, a Lafayette, Louisiana, native, has played in 46 of 49 games with 45 starts. He has four multi-hit games in his last nine contests. He tallied two hits with two RBIs and a run scored on Saturday vs. the Ragin' Cajuns. He had two hits with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored vs. Alcorn on May 3. He also had two hits with two runs scored on April 29 at Georgia Southern. He picked up two hits with a double, walk and a run scored vs. Stephen F. Austin on April 25. He is second on the team with 10 doubles, with nine of them coming after March 25.

JUDICE GETS ANOTHER FRIDAY NIGHT NOD AGAINST GOLDEN EAGLES
ULM junior right-handed pitcher Nicholas Judice is slated for his second-straight Friday night start on the mound vs. Southern Miss. It is just his second start of the season and fifth of his career after making a start at Louisiana Tech in 2021 and vs. Illinios State and Ole Miss in 2020.

In his first start in over two years, Judice threw a career-high 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts last Friday against the Ragin' Cajuns. His overall stat line includes a 2-2 record with two saves and a 3.80 ERA over 42 2/3 innings pitched. He has made 19 appearances, giving up 22 runs, 18 earned, on 36 hits with a team-high 56 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Out of the bullpen, Judice has a 3.38 ERA and 37 1/3 innings pitched over 18 appearances. He is 2-1 with two saves, allowing 17 runs, 14 earned, on 29 hits with 11 walks and 50 of his 56 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. He threw a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts and was credited with the win in a team-pitched game on April 12 at Louisiana Tech. He allowed one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts vs. South Alabama on April 14.

He has made 57 career appearances, throwing 104 innings with a 7-4 record and two saves with a 4.15 ERA.

BARLOW MAKES SECOND STRAIGHT SATURDAY START VS. SOUTHERN MISS
For the second-straight week, junior left hander Cam Barlow will make the Saturday start for ULM. Barlow made the first 11 series opening starts before starting on Saturday last week against the Ragin' Cajuns. He made 13 of 14 series-opening starts as a sophomore in 2022 (vs. Arkansas State in week 14) and five series-opening starts as a third-year freshman in 2021. He has made 25 of the last 27 series-opening starts for the Warhawks dating back to May 14, 2021, at No. 6 TCU. Overall on the season, he is 3-5 with a 5.49 ERA over 59 innings, allowing 42 runs, 36 earned, on 65 hits with 21 walks and 47 strikeouts.

He surpassed 200 career innings pitched on April 28 at Georgia Southern, allowing four runs on eight hits with no walks and four strikeouts over six innings in a no decision. He took a no-decision in ULM's 8-6 win at Arkansas State on April 21, throwing 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits with three walks and one strikeout. He picked up his third win of the season on April 14, throwing five innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts vs. South Alabama. He fired a career-high 7 2/3 innings on April 6 at App State, allowing three runs on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts to earn his second win of the season. 

On March 24 at Troy, he bounced back after giving up four first-inning runs to work four innings, allowing five runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He had no decision in the March 17 SBC opener against Old Dominion, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and a season-high nine strikeouts over six innings. 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 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 suffered the loss on Feb. 24 vs. SIUE, allowing six runs on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts over four innings. 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. 

Barlow is in 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 will receive his master's degree in kinesiology on Saturday. He has one more year of eligibility available for 2024.

ROBINSON SET FOR SECOND START ON SUNDAY
ULM turns to true freshman Justin Robinson to make his second-straight start in Sunday's series finale vs. Southern Miss.

The Carriere, Mississippi, native made his first-career start last week on Sunday against the Ragin' Cajuns, allowing six runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts in three innings. He has made 15 appearances with an 0-1 record and two saves, posting a 6.53 ERA over 20 2/3 innings, allowing 17 runs, 15 earned, on 18 hits with 21 strikeouts and 15 walks. He tossed a scoreless inning on April 19 with a hit and a strikeout at Little Rock, needing just eight pitches to navigate the inning. He recorded a shutout inning to earn his second save of the season, allowing one walk with one strikeout in the April 8 win at App State. He had a string of six-straight scoreless outings snapped on April 2 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.

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

Burrell, a transfer from LSU Eunice, has a 3.80 ERA over 21 1/3 innings, spread among 14 appearances, allowing 14 runs, nine earned, on 27 hits with 17 strikeouts and seven 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 the March 25 doubleheader at Troy. He was perfect over 1 1/3 innings to close out the April 6 win at App State. He fired a scoreless inning with two walks and two strikeouts at Louisiana Tech on April 12. He threw 2 1/3 innings, allowing an unearned run on two walks with three strikeouts vs. South Alabama on April 15. He tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning on April 19 at Little Rock, allowing one hit with one strikeout. He threw a scoreless inning, allowing one hit vs. the Ragin' Cajuns on May 7.

Orton, who is in his third season at ULM, has a 4-4 record with three saves and a 5.72 ERA over 28 1/3 innings, spread over 18 appearances out of the bullpen. He has allowed 26 runs, 18 earned, on 28 hits with 13 walks and 26 strikeouts. His 18 career saves rank as the second most in program history. He collected his third save with a scoreless ninth inning with one walk and one strikeout on April 14 vs. South Alabama. He threw a scoreless ninth inning with one strikeout on April 12 at Louisiana Tech for his second save of the year. 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. 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. He picked up back-to-back Saturday wins, throwing three shutout innings with one hit and two strikeouts vs. Marshall on April 1 and three more shutout innings with one walk and three strikeouts on April 8 at App State. He earned his fourth win of the season on Friday at Arkansas State, throwing the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and one strikeout.

HERE COMES THE SUN
A couple ULM players have increased their statistical output during Sun Belt Conference play.

Junior utility player Jayson Zmejkoski leads the team with a .320 batting average (16-of-50) with three RBIs and seven runs scored while playing in 19 games and starting 15. He has walked nine times in SBC action and has 12 walks overall on the season. Sixteen of his 22 hits have come in SBC action.

Junior shortstop Carson Jones is second on the team with a .292 batting average (21-of-72). He has 20 of his 38 hits and 11 of his 21 RBIs in SBC action.

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.