SETTING THE SCENE
 

• ULM returns home on Wednesday following a seven-game road trip and welcomes Southeastern Louisiana to the ULM Softball Complex for a non-conference midweek game. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. in Monroe.

• ULM won its first Sun Belt Conference series of the season after winning the final two games in Hattiesburg at Southern Miss. It marks the fourth-straight season the Warhawks have won 2-of-3 games in their conference-opening season, dating back to 2021.

• Newcomer Carys Platt has hit .429 and holds a .515 on base percentage in her first 29 games wearing a ULM uniform. Her on base percentage tops all SBC players, while her batting average ranks second in the league. The junior from Fellsmere, Fla. ranks fourth in the SBC with 12 stolen bases, and fifth with 0.90 runs/game.  Platt played two seasons at Florida Southwestern State College and led her team to a pair of NJCCA National Championships. 

Lourdes Bacon has tallied 33 hits, which is the 13th-highest total in the Sun Belt. The UTSA transfer ranks 12th in the country with 17 stolen bases and also leads the SBC. Bacon earned All-SBC Second Team honors in 2022.

• The ULM pitching staff has been led by sophomore Maddie Nichols. The West Monroe, La., native enters Wednesday's game with a 1.82 ERA and has struck out 79 batters in 17 appearances. Nichols has tossed four complete games, including a pair of seven-inning wins versus Lindenwood and Syracuse. Her strikeout total ranks fourth in the SBC. 

LSU transfer Victoria Abrams is 7-4 in 12 starts and has pitched two complete-game shutouts, including a five-inning perfect game in ULM's run-rule win over Green Bay in February. 

Kassidy Giddens went the distance in ULM's win over Evansville on Feb. 24 and is 5-1 in six starts with a 1.87 ERA. Redshirt junior Gianni Hulett made her first appearance of the season in ULM's 4-1 win at McNeese, with Hulett shutting the door for a 2.2 innings save. Hulett surrendered just one hit in the final innings of play and preserved the lead for the Warhawks.

• Senior Andie Edwards leads ULM with 21 RBIs and has hit eight sacrifice flys so far this season, which is the highest number in the nation. Edwards has started her senior campaign hitting .267 with eight extra-base hits and an OPS of .831.

• The Brown twins have made an immediate impact on ULM's offensive success this season. Morgan Brown leads the Warhawks with four home runs in 14 games and has tallied an OPS of 1.260 with four doubles and 13 RBIs. Her sister, Meagan Brown, has powered seven extra-base hits and has driven in 17 RBIs in her first 24 games. The twins are from Katy, Texas, and are graduates from Obra D. Tompkins High School.


• Redshirt junior infielder Jacelyn Buck has hit .286 in 26 starts for the Warhawks with four doubles, one home run and 14 RBIs. She and Platt both have walked 14 times this season, which both lead ULM.

Freshman Brooklin Lippert and Elle Carter have both been key contributors to ULM's early success this season. Lippert, a utility player from Loganville, Ga., has hit .320 with 16 hits and 15 runs scored to go along with a pair of RBIs. Carter, a graduate of Neville High School, has made 22 starts for the Warhawks and has powered five extra-base hits and 10 RBIs in her first collegiate season.


SCOUTING SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA

The Lions began Southland Conference play with a 5-1 mark after winning a series versus Incarnate Word and sweeping Texas A&M Commerce on the road last weekend. SLU is 21-6 overall entering Wednesday night's game.

Three Lions carry batting averages above .400 into Wednesday's game, led by Baton Rouge native Maddie Watson. The junior infielder has hit .431 with six doubles and one triple. Bailey Krolczyk's 1.149 OPS is the highest for SLU, with Krolczyk totaling 13 extra-base hits. Senior pitcher Cera Blanchard has a 9-1 record with 47 strikeouts in 56.0 innings pitched.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Wednesday's game will not be live streamed. Fans can follow along to the live stats on ulmwarhawks.com or follow @ULM_Softball on 'X' (Twitter) for updates.

UP NEXT
The Warhawks return to SBC play on Friday and will start a three-game series versus South Alabama in Monroe.