ULM Warhawks

Game 4: Grambling (1-2 overall, 0-0 SWAC) at ULM (1-2 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference)
6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 | Lou St. Amant Field | Monroe, Louisiana
LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - ULM continues a seven-game homestand to open the 2024 season at 6 p.m. Tuesday when Grambling visits Lou St. Amant Field. Both teams enter the game at 1-2 overall, with ULM taking Sunday's game against Missouri State, 10-8, after dropping the first two games of the series, 10-4 on Friday and 6-5 on Saturday, while Grambling beat Southern, 10-0, on Saturday and lost to Prairie View A&M, 10-5, on Friday and Jackson State, 7-6, on Sunday at the Cactus Jack HBCU Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Tuesday's game is the 73rd all-time meeting between the I-20 foes, with ULM leading the series 56-16. The Warhawks won last year's meeting, 14-1 in seven innings, on Feb. 28 at Lou St. Amant Field. Hollis Huff threw six innings for his first win as a Warhawk, allowing one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts. Shawn Dalton Weatherbee and Carson Jones had two hits each. Jones hit a bases-clearing double and finished with four RBIs, while Jake Haggard hit a 3-run home run. Trevor Hatton had the only hit for Grambling, a solo home run in the fourth inning.

Newcomers led the way for ULM's offense on opening weekend against Missouri State. Colby Lunsford started all three games at shortstop and hit 5-for-10 at the plate, belting two home runs while adding a double, three RBIs, three runs scored and drew three walks. He hit a solo home run to spark ULM's offense in Sunday's 10-8 come-from-behind win over Missouri State and later added a double as part of a four-run fourth inning for the Warhawks. Bryce Blaser started all three games against the Bears, going 4-for-11 at the plate with a home run, three RBIs, three runs scored, one walk and was hit by a pitch twice. Blaser had all three of his RBIs in Sunday's win, following Lunsford's solo shot with one of his own and then added a 2-RBI single to tie the game at 5 in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Easton Winfield took advantage of his first career start on Sunday, picking up two hits, including his first career home run. The freshman from Alvin, Texas, was fifth on the team with three hits in the series against Missouri State, including a pinch-hit single in Saturday's 6-5 loss.

ULM returns seven position player starters from last season: Matt Abshire, Kade Dupont, Jake Haggard, Carson Jones, Cardell Thibodeaux, Shawn Dalton Weatherbee and Jayson Zmejkoski. Weatherbee led ULM with a .279 batting average, picking up 53 hits with six doubles and six home runs, while driving in 24 runs and scoring 38 runs. Dupont was the only Warhawk to start all 54 games. Thibodeaux led all returning ULM players with 28 RBIs and 12 stolen bases last season. Michelle Artzberger returns after missing most of last season with a hand injury. He posted four hits on opening weekend, including two doubles. Dupont also had four hits while picking up a triple against Missouri State.

ULM returns 314 2/3 innings of experience on the mound from the 2023 season. Cam Barlow (64 1/3 innings pitched) and Chipper Menard (54 1/3 innings pitched) account for 118 2/3 of those innings. Hollis Huff returns after throwing 42 1/3 innings, while Carson Orton fired 32 2/3 innings, Justin Robinson threw 24 innings and Dalton Burrell tossed 23 2/3 innings.

There is no video stream available for Tuesday's game. The game 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. A link to live stats can be found on the baseball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.

EXPERIENCED PITCHING STAFF
ULM's 2024 pitching staff features four sixth-year seniors, two fifth-year seniors and three fourth-year seniors. The Warhawks had no seniors on the pitching staff in 2023 and just two seniors on the entire roster. 

The sixth-year senior group features left-hander Cam Barlow and righties Trey Lindsay, Carson Orton and Steve Owings. 

Barlow is ULM's all-time leader with 45 career starts, making 14 starts in 2023, going 3-6 with a 5.88 ERA over a team-high 64 1/3 innings pitched, allowing 48 runs, 42 earned, on 72 hits with 24 walks and 49 strikeouts. He has been a part of ULM's weekend rotation since his red-shirt freshman campaign in 2020. Barlow allowed three runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks over two innings on Friday vs. Missouri State.

Lindsay returned to the mound in 2023 after missing the 2022 season due to an injury, making just seven appearances with an 0-1 record and 6.43 ERA over seven innings, allowing six runs, five earned, on seven hits with five walks and six strikeotus. Lindsay was a lock-down reliever in 2021, going 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA over 45 1/3 innings with 33 strikeouts to 14 walks. He allowed two runs on two hits with one strikeout and two walks in 2/3 of an inning on Saturday vs. Missouri State.

Orton, nicknamed "Giggles" by his teammates, enters 2024 third in ULM history with 18 career saves, fourth in ULM history with 67 career relief appearances and 10th in ULM history with 67 total pitching appearances. He made 20 appearances in 2023, going 4-5 with three saves and a 5.51 ERA over 32 2/3 innings, allowing 28 runs, 20 earned, on 32 hits with 28 strikeouts to 17 walks. He picked up nine saves as a third-year freshman in 2021, which ranks third-most in a single season in ULM history. He added six saves as a sophomore in 2022. He opened 2024 by allowing one run on one hit with three strikeouts and no walks over two innings on Sunday vs. Missouri State.

Owings returned to the mound in 2023 after missing the 2022 season due to an injury, making 13 appearances, going 0-2 while throwing 15 innings, allowing 26 runs, 24 earned, on 35 hits with 14 strikeouts to five walks. After playing two seasons at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid, Owings came to ULM where he made nine appearances with four starts as a sophomore in 2021. His final four appearances that season were starts, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA over 15 innings with 11 strikeouts to six walks in his starts. He has yet to make his 2024 pitching debut.

The fifth-year seniors are right-hander Dalton Burrell and left-hander Parker Seay.

Burrell is in his second season at ULM after pitching three seasons at LSU Eunice. The Bossier City, Louisiana, native made 16 appearances out of the bullpen in 2023, posting a 4.18 ERA in 23 2/3 innings, giving up 17 runs, 11 earned, on 32 hits with 18 strikeouts and eight walks. He made nine scoreless appearances. He threw 1 1/3 innings in Saturday's game vs. Missouri State, allowing one run on one hit with no strikeouts and two walks.

Seay is in his first year at ULM after transferring from South Florida. He made nine relief appearances for the Bulls last year, covering 7 1/3 innings. He pitched three seasons at the College of Central Florida, where he helped the Patriots reach the NJCAA Division I World Series and pick up a school-record 47 wins. He had 46 strikeouts in 32 innings as a sophomore in 2022. He earned the win in Sunday's series finale, firing 2/3 of an inning with one strikeout vs. Missouri State.

The fourth-year senior group includes right-hander Beau Blanchard and left-handers Hollis Huff and Chipper Menard.

Blanchard joins ULM for the 2024 season after pitching the last three seasons at New Orleans. Last season, he made 17 appearances with four starts for the Privateers, throwing 31 innings with 30 strikeouts. He started Saturday's game vs. Missouri State, pitching three innings, allowing two runs on one hit with three strikeouts and two walks.

Huff is in his second season at ULM in 2024 after pitching two seasons for Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas. He moved between the bullpen and starting rotation in 2023, making 13 appearances with 10 starts, going 1-4 with a 7.23 ERA over 42 1/3 innings, allowing 35 runs, 34 earned, on 46 hits with 31 strikeouts to 24 walks. He pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up one run with no hits, four strikeouts and one walk on Saturday vs. Missouri State.

Menard is in his second season at ULM in 2024 and also moved between the rotation and bullpen in 2023. He made 14 appearances with 10 starts, going 2-6 with one save and a 6.96 ERA over 54 1/3 innings, allowing 49 runs, 42 earned, on 59 hits with 58 strikeouts to 28 walks. He pitched his first two seasons for the Ragin' Cajuns. In his 2024 debut on Friday, he threw four innings out of the bullpen, allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and no walks vs. Missouri State.

NEWCOMERS DRAW ATTENTION ON OPENING WEEKEND
A few newcomers to ULM's lineup helped guide the Warhawks on opening weekend against Missouri State.

Colby Lunsford started all three games at shortstop and hit 5-for-10 at the plate, belting two home runs while adding a double, three RBIs, three runs scored and drew three walks. He hit a solo home run to spark ULM's offense in Sunday's 10-8 come-from-behind win over Missouri State and later added a double as part of a four-run fourth inning for the Warhawks. A junior from Grass Valley, California, Lunsford played the 2023 season at Consumnes River College. He slashed .333/.415/.566 with 53 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 31 RBIs, 43 runs scored and nine stolen bases. He had 17 multi-hit games.

Bryce Blaser started all three games against the Bears, going 4-for-11 at the plate with a home run, three RBIs, three runs scored, one walk and was hit by a pitch twice. Blaser had all three of his RBIs in Sunday's win, following Lunsford's solo shot with one of his own and then added a 2-RBI single to tie the game at 5 in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Newport Beach, California, played his freshman season at North Carolina in 2023, appearing in seven games for the Tar Heels.

Easton Winfield took advantage of his first career start on Sunday, picking up two hits, including his first career home run. The freshman from Alvin, Texas, was fifth on the team with three hits in the series against Missouri State, including a pinch-hit single in Saturday's 6-5 loss. He was a First-Team All-District selection after hitting .350 with four home runs for Alvin High School as a senior in 2023. He also was a starting middle linebacker on the football field for the Yellow Jackets as a sophomore and junior.

SCORELESS DEBUTS
Five different Warhawk pitchers threw at least one inning and did not allow a run in the season opening series vs. Missouri State. Davis Oswalt threw 1 2/3 innings over two appearances, allowing two hits with one strikeout. Brandon Brewer also threw 1 2/3 innings over two appearances, earning the save on Sunday by recording the final out of the game. Brewer allowed one hit and had three strikeouts to one walk. Joey Cirelli fired 1 1/3 innings out of the bullpen on Sunday, giving up just one hit. Aidan Haynes is the only returning player to throw at least one inning with no runs allowed, tossing a perfect frame with one strikeout on Friday. Dalton Hitt threw a scoreless inning on Friday, allowing one hit with two strikeouts and two walks.

WEATHERBEE RETURNS AS SENIOR LEADER
Fifth-year senior outfielder Shawn Dalton Weatherbee returns after leading ULM with a .279 batting average last season. He started the first two games of 2024, going 0-for-6 at the plate with three strikeouts, a walk and was hit by a pitch against Missouri State.

Weatherbee played in and started 51 contests, slashing .279/.412/.405 with 53 hits, six doubles, six home runs, 24 RBIs, 38 runs scored, 20 walks and 11 stolen bases in 2023. He matched the school single-season record after he was hit by a pitch 23 times, which ranked eighth in NCAA Division I. 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).

Weatherbee led the team in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored and hit by pitch and had 13 multi-hit games, including four three-hit games. He picked up six multi-RBI games, including a three-RBI effort vs. Stephen F. Austin on April 25. He had a three-hit day, including a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to defeat Marshall on April 1. 

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.
Weatherbee played three seasons at Northeast Mississippi Community College, hitting 23 home runs over 95 games.

DUPONT START STREAK HITS 57
Sophomore Kade Dupont has started every possible game in his ULM career after starting all three games over the weekend vs. Missouri State. He is tied for second on the team with four hits, including a triple, while picking up two RBIs with two runs scored vs. Missouri State. He hit a go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning Sunday for a 6-5 lead against the Bears.

Dupont provided some versatility on the infield for ULM in 2023. He was the only player to start all 54 games, making 45 starts at second base and nine at third base. He 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 May 7.

The Watson, Louisiana, native hit safely in 41 of 54 games and had a pair of eight-game hitting streaks last season. He was third on the team with a .271 batting average (55-of-203). He led the team with 55 hits, a .362 on-base percentage and six sacrifice bunts. He was second on the team with 10 doubles, 36 runs scored and was hit by a pitch 14 times. He was third on the team with 27 RBIs and 74 total bases. He was fourth on the team with 10 multi-hit games. He had 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 picked up a double with a run scored in the series opener vs. Southern Miss on May 12. 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.

JONES PROVIDES MORE VETERAN EXPERIENCE IN MIDDLE INFIELD
ULM fifth-year senior shortstop Carson Jones is third among returning players in batting average, slashing .265/.337/.293 with 39 hits, four doubles, 22 RBIs, 21 runs scored and 13 walks with five stolen bases. He has made 120 career appearances for ULM entering the 2024 season. He appeared in two games against Missouri State, going 0-for-1 with a strikeout on Saturday and was used as a late-game defensive substitution on Sunday.

In Sun Belt Conference action, he led the team with a .295 (23-of-78) batting average, with two doubles, 12 RBIs and eight 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 added an RBI double on May 12 vs. Southern Miss.

HAGGARD AND THIBODEAUX RETURN FOR SOPHOMORE SEASONS
ULM sophomores Jake Haggard and Cardell Thibodeaux return to the lineup after starting as true freshmen in 2023. Haggard started all three games against Missouri State to open 2024, going 2-for-11 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Thibodeaux played in two games with one start, going 0-for-1 with an RBI, three walks and was hit by a pitch on opening weekend.

Haggard, from West Palm Beach, Florida, started 36 of the last 38 games of 2023 at first base following an injury to Michelle Artzberger. Overall on the season, he slashed .256/.355/.391 with 40 hits, four doubles, one triple, five home runs, 24 RBIs, 26 runs scored and 23 walks. He had five of his 10 multi-hit games after April 25, including a 2-for-2 day with two runs scored and a stolen base vs. the Ragin' Cajuns on May 6. 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. 

Thibodeaux, a Lafayette, Louisiana, native, played in 52 of 54 games with 51 starts. He slashed .235/.328/.347 with 40 hits, 10 doubles, three home runs, 28 RBIs, 21 runs scored, 23 walks and 12 stolen bases. He is tops among returning players with 28 RBIs and 10 doubles. He tallied two hits with two RBIs and a run scored on May 6 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.

LOCAL CONNECTIONS
The 2024 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 junior right-handed pitcher Brandon Brewer, sophomore right-handed pitcher Seaver Sheets and sophomore left-handed pitcher Adam Tubbs; and one player each from West Monroe High School senior infielder Carson Jones, Ouachita High School in junior right-handed pitcher Zach Shaw and Ouachita Christian School in sophomore catcher Barham White.