ULM Warhawks

Games 26-28: No. 19 Coastal Carolina (18-6 overall, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) at ULM (13-12 overall, 2-4 Sun Belt Conference)
Lou St. Amant Field | Monroe, Louisiana

Game 26: 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27, 2024
CCU: Alexander Meckley, 6-2, Jr., RHP (3-0, 4.06 ERA, 28 K, 13 BB) vs. ULM: Cam Barlow, 5-11, Sr.-6, LHP (0-1, 5.94 ERA, 16 K, 7 BB)
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

Game 27: 6 p.m. Friday, March 28, 2024
CCU: Riley Eikhoff, 5-11, R-Jr., RHP (1-0, 7.92 ERA, 21 K, 6 BB) vs. ULM: Beau Blanchard, 6-5, Sr., RHP (1-1, 4.74 ERA, 16 K, 9 BB)
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

Game 28: 1 p.m. Saturday, March 29, 2024
CCU: TBA vs. ULM: Daniel Gonzalez, 6-4, Fr., RHP (1-2, 5.40 ERA, 19 K, 6 BB)
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - ULM returns to Lou St. Amant Field to resume Sun Belt Conference play, taking on No. 19 Coastal Carolina. The three-game series begins at 6 p.m. Thursday and continues at 6 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday due to the Easter holiday on Sunday.

ULM is 13-12 overall and 2-4 in Sun Belt Conference play after Tuesday's 8-4 loss at Louisiana Tech. Shawn Dalton Weatherbee had two hits, including a 3-run home run, to lead the offense, while seven pitchers came out of the bullpen to throw a combined 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks. ULM went 1-2 on the weekend at Georgia State. The Warhawks won a wild game to open the series, 13-10, in the first game of a doubleheader last Saturday in Atlanta. Matt Abshire hit a go-ahead grand slam, his second homer of the game, in the top of the ninth inning to propel the Warhawks to the victory. GSU rebounded with a 13-4 win in the nightcap and an 11-3 win on Sunday to take the series. Colby Lunsford led ULM with six hits in the series and also picked up four RBIs.

Coastal Carolina enters play on Friday ranked No. 19 by D1Baseball.com, No. 20 by the USA Today Coaches' Poll and No. 21 by the NCBWA. The Chanticleers are 18-6 overall and 3-3 in SBC play. CCU had its midweek game at No. 2 Clemson canceled due to weather on Tuesday. The Chants lost two out of three games last weekend at App State, dropping the series opener, 16-8, last Saturday and the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, 9-8, before salvaging the series finale in the second game of the doubleheader, 17-11 in 12 innings. Derek Bender leads the team with a .379 batting average, while Blake Barthol has 13 home runs and 34 RBIs. Graham Brown also has 34 RBIs. The CCU pitching staff has posted a 5.52 ERA through the first 24 games of the season.

Thursday's game is the 15th all-time meeting between ULM and CCU, with the Chanticleers leading the series 12-1-1. The two teams last met in 2022, with the Warhawks and Chants splitting the three-game series. ULM picked up its first-ever win over CCU in the opening game of the series on Friday, March 18, 3-2. CCU bounced back with a 9-4 win on Saturday, March 19, before the two teams played to a wild 17-17 tie in eight innings on Sunday, March 20, before meeting the travel curfew for the series. The two teams last met in Monroe in 2019, when the No. 16 Chanticleers rolled to 13-3, 14-2 and 15-7 wins.

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

THE NEED FOR SPEED
The Warhawks have displayed their ability to run in the first 24 games of the season. ULM is third in the Sun Belt Conference and ranks 78th in NCAA Division I with six triples. They are seventh in the SBC and 85th nationally with 35 stolen bases. Colby Lunsford and Easton Winfield are tied for third in the SBC with two triples each. Winfield is fourth in the SBC and 51st nationally with 12 stolen bases. Thirteen different Warhawks have stolen at least one base in the first 24 games of the season.

McCLARAN AND POD SYSTEM BRING IMPROVEMENT TO PITCHING STAFF
Under the leadership of second-year pitching coach Ryan McClaran, ULM's pitching staff has made a step forward in 2024. Through 25 games, ULM has used 21 pitchers, combining for a 5.69 team ERA, which is nearly two runs better than the 2023 season. The Warhawks also rank seventh in the SBC and 59th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (8.58) and fourth in the SBC and 68th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (9.6).

BASEBALL HAS THE SACRIFICE
Under Michael Federico, ULM has typically been near the top of the Sun Belt Conference and NCAA Division I in sacrifice bunts, and 2024 has been no different. The Warhawks enter play on Thurday sitting third in the SBC and 25th nationally with 16 sacrifice bunts on the year. Bryce Blaser, Jake Haggard and Hasani Johnson each have three sacrifice bunts to be part of a tie for 10th in the SBC. Eight different Warhawks have tallied at least one sacrifice bunt this season.

KILGO'S IMPACT
Assistant coach Kyle Kilgo is ULM's new offensive coordinator for the 2024 season, and he has made an immediate impact. ULM's offense has scored 10 or more runs in nine of the first 25 games of the season after having five such games in the entire 2023 season. The Warhawks have picked up 10 or more hits in 11 games and had double figure hits 18 times in 2023. ULM ranks third in the SBC and 66th nationally in doubles (50), third in the SBC and 78th in NCAA Division I in triples (6), fifth in the SBC and 71st nationally in slugging percentage (.477), fifth in the SBC in on base percentage (.394), sixth in the SBC and 81st nationally in runs (184),  sixth in the SBC in batting average (.286) and seventh in the SBC and 96th nationally in hits (233).

THE RETURN OF MEECH
Senior Michelle Artzberger has been a force after playing in just 16 games in 2023 due to a hand injury. He has started 23 of 25 games in 2024, slashing .400/.510/.637 with 32 hits, 10 doubles, three home runs, 24 RBIs, 29 runs scored and 15 walks. He has not played in the last two games after sustaining an injury in last Saturday's second game of the doubleheader. He leads the team in hits, doubles, RBIs and on base percentage. He leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks 76th nationally in batting average, third in the SBC and 33rd nationally in doubles, fifth in the SBC and 80th nationally in on base percentage and eighth in the SBC and 77th nationally in runs scored. According to D1Baseball.com, Artzberger has a 1.54 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), which leads ULM and ranks ninth in the SBC. He carries an active 52-game on base streak into Thursday's game after walking in his only plate appearance before exiting with an injury in game two of last Saturday's doubleheader. His on base streak dates back to the final 13 games of the 2022 season. He had a career-best 13-game hitting streak snapped in the first game of the March 16 doubleheader vs. Troy.

Artzberger tallied three hits, including a double, with an RBI and a run scored in the opening game of the series at Georgia State last Saturday. He had two hits in the weekend series vs. Troy, while adding four walks, including a season-high three walks while scoring twice in the first game of the March 16 doubleheader. 

He had five hits over the weekend series vs. Alabama A&M, coming up with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored in three innings of work on March 10. He had two hits, including two doubles, with four RBIs and two runs scored on March 8 vs. the Bulldogs.

Artzberger tallied his fifth multi-hit game of the season with two hits, including a home run, with a walk, was hit by a pitch and scored twice at Little Rock last March 5.

Against UIW, he opened the series with three hits, including his fifth double of the season, and scored twice as ULM won a back-and-forth game, 6-5. He picked up two RBIs on his only hit in the middle game of the series against the Cardinals. He closed out the weekend on March 3 with two hits, two RBIs, a walk and a run scored.

He picked up a double with a pair of RBIs on Feb. 27 at Northwestern State.

Against Murray State, Artzberger hit a 2-run home run on Feb. 25 to round out the series. He had three hits with two RBIs and two runs scored on Feb. 24 against the Racers. He was hitless in the series opener on Feb. 23, but was hit by a pitch to keep his reached base streak alive.

Artzberger opened 2024 by picking up three hits, including two doubles, with two runs scored and a walk vs. Missouri State on Feb. 16. He followed it the next day with two walks and two runs scored before rounding out the series on Feb. 18 by going 1-for-4 with a walk.

He played in and started the first 16 games of the 2023 season before missing the rest of the year due to a hand injury. He slashed .246/.403/.474 with 14 hits, four doubles, three home runs, 15 RBIs, 13 runs scored, 13 walks and four stolen bases.

As a second-year sophomore at ULM in 2022, he played in 52 games with 44 starts, slashing .265/.349/.418 with 45 hits, 11 doubles, five home runs, 25 RBIs, 16 runs scored, 20 walks and 42 strikeouts. He reached base safely in the final 13 games of the season to start his reached base streak. He hit two 3-run homers in the 17-17 tie against Coastal Carolina on March 20, 2022.

FRESHMAN SENSATION PACES WARHAWKS
True freshman Easton Winfield continues to rank among the top players in the Sun Belt Conference. He is slashing .360/.447/.697 with 32 hits, five doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 16 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 12 walks and 12 stolen bases. According to D1Baseball.com, he is second on the team with a 1.5 WAR (wins above replacement), which ranks 11th in the Sun Belt Conference.

The Alvin, Texas, native did not move into the starting lineup until the third game of the season, but leads ULM in hits, runs, home runs, slugging percentage, stolen bases and total bases (62). Winfield ranks third in the SBC in triples, fourth in total bases and stolen bases, fifth in slugging percentage, seventh in runs scored and ninth in batting average and home runs. He ranks 51st nationally in stolen bases.

All three of his hits in the Georgia State series came in the first game of last Saturday's doubleheader, hitting a leadoff homer in the top of the first inning and a double while walking once, scoring twice and picking up a stolen base.

He reached base three times on March 19 vs. Central Arkansas with a double and a pair of walks and scored a run. He collected his eighth multi-hit game of the season with a double and a bunt single while scoring a run and stealing a base in the first game of a doubleheader on March 16 vs. Troy. He picked up an RBI single and scored twice in playing just three innings in the March 10 win over Alabama A&M. He had the first multi-home run game of his career, going 3-for-3 while hitting both of his homers in the bottom of the fifth inning, becoming the first Warhawk to accomplish the feat since 1996, in the March 9 win over Alabama A&M. He had two hits, including his fourth homer of the season, to finish with two RBIs and three runs scored vs. Alabama A&M on March 8. He homered on the first pitch of the game and finished with two RBIs at Little Rock on March 5. He had his fifth multi-hit game of the season with two hits, including a double two runs scored and a stolen base on March 2 vs. UIW. 

Winfield picked up two hits and added an RBI with a run scored at Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 28. He wrapped the series vs. Murray State with a leadoff home run and two walks on Feb. 25. On Feb. 24 vs. the Racers, he had his first career four-hit game, smacking an RBI triple while finishing with two RBIs, four runs scored, a walk and a stolen base. He opened the series vs. Murray State on Feb. 23 by going 1-for-4 at the plate. He had his first career three-hit game on Feb. 20 vs. Grambling, hitting a double and triple with two RBIs against the Tigers. He took advantage of his first career start on Feb. 18, 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 the Feb. 17 6-5 loss. 

Winfield 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.

WEATHERBEE RETURNS AS SENIOR LEADER
Fifth-year senior outfielder Shawn Dalton Weatherbee returns after leading ULM with a .279 batting average last season. He has played in 20 games with 19starts to open 2024.

He is heating up at the plate, slashing .339/.438/.581. He is 21-of-62 at the plate. Since opening the season 0-of-10, he is hitting .404 (21-of-52). He led ULM with two hits on Tuesday at Louisiana Tech, including a 3-run home run in the third inning. He closed out the series at Georgia State with two hits, a walk and a run scored last Sunday. He had two of ULM's hits on March 19 vs. Central Arkansas. He had a career-high 11-game hitting streak snapped in the first game of the March 16 doubleheader vs. Troy, but picked up an RBI on a groundout and was hit by a pitch in the win. He has six doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, 11 runs scored, three walks and has been hit by a pitch seven times.

Weatherbee tallied two hits in the series opener vs. Troy on March 15. He clubbed a game-tying home run in the bottom of the fourth inning on March 12 vs. Ole Miss. He hit three doubles over the weekend vs. Alabama A&M, picking up two doubles on Friday, March 8. Against UIW, he hit a key 2-run home run in the series-opening 6-5 win on March 1. He followed it up with a clutch 2-RBI double to expand the lead vs. UIW on March 3, finishing with two hits against the Cardinals. 

He had a double with two runs scored at Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 28, following up on a 1-for-4 day last Feb. 27 at Northwestern State. He had his first hit of the season, a double, and scored a run on Feb. 25 vs. Murray 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. 

LUNSFORD BRINGS OFFENSIVE BOOST, STRONG DEFENSE AT SHORTSTOP
Colby Lunsford has started all 25 games at shortstop and is slashing .333/.450/.500 with 30 hits, including two doubles, two triples and three home runs, 15 RBIs, 27 runs scored, a team-high 17 walks and three stolen bases. He matched his season-long hit streak at five games with a single, a run scored and a walk at Louisiana Tech on Tuesday.

He led ULM in the series at Georgia State, compiling six hits. After picking up two RBIs with a base hit in the first game of last Saturday's doubleheader, Lunsford went 3-for-3 in the nightcap with a 2-run home run, a walk and scored twice. He finished off the series last Sunday with two more hits.

Lunsford had two hits, including an RBI with two runs scored in the first game of the March 16 doubleheader vs. Troy before adding three walks and two runs scored in the second game of the doubleheader. He picked up two hits, including a double, with a walk and two runs scored vs. Alabama A&M on March 10. He had two hits with two RBIs and a walk at Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 28. He is third on the team in batting average, hits and on base percentage and fourth in slugging percentage. He collected three hits, including a triple, with two RBIs and two runs scored at Northwestern State on Feb. 27. In ULM's win on Feb. 24 over Murray State, he had two hits with an RBI and two runs scored. He hit a solo home run to spark ULM's offense in the Feb. 18 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.

BLASER RETURNS FROM EARLY SEASON INJURY
Bryce Blaser has hit safely in 15 of 18 games in which he has appeared in his early ULM career. Blaser is slashing .322/.400/.525 with six doubles, two home runs, 14 RBIs, nine runs scored and six walks. He had a key double in the ninth inning of last Saturday's game one win over Georgia State, while adding a two-RBI double in the first inning of the nightcap of the doubleheader vs. the Panthers. He does not have enough at bats to qualify for Sun Belt Conference or NCAA Division I stat rankings.

He had three hits in the series vs. Troy, picking up two hits, including a 2-RBI double, in the second game of the March 16 doubleheader. He went without a hit for the first time this season in the first game of the doubleheader, but was just 0-for-1 at the plate with an RBI and run scored while adding a walk, sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly. 

He started the first six games before exiting the Feb. 24 game vs. Murray State with a leg injury and missed the next six games. In his return to the lineup, he hit a home on the first pitch he saw and finished with three RBIs vs. Alabama A&M on March 8. He picked up two hits, including a double and an RBI, before the injury. 

He had two hits on Feb. 20 vs. Grambling with a double and a run scored. He was 4-for-11 at the plate in the series with Missouri State, with a home run, three RBIs, three runs scored, one walk and was hit by a pitch twice. Blaser had three RBIs in the win on Feb. 18, following Colby 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.

JOHNSON TAKES OVER AT SECOND BASE
Hasani Johnson has come on strong over the last 19 games. He made pinch running appearances in three games before he got a chance to step to the plate in the finale of the Murray State series on Feb. 25 as a pinch hitter, finishing the game with two hits, including a double, with a walk and a run scored. He has started the next 18 games and is hitting .286 (16-for-56) with six doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, 15 runs scored, seven walks and three stolen bases. He hit a solo home run to spark a four-run third inning for ULM on Tuesday at Louisiana Tech.

He had two hits, picking up a double, with a walk and two runs scored at Northwestern State on Feb. 27. He had two more hits, including another double, with an RBI and two runs scored at Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 28. He added a hit with an RBI vs. UIW on March 1. He closed the series vs. UIW with three hits, including a double and a 2-run home run while scoring three times on March 3. 

A sophomore from Elk Grove, California, Johnson played his freshman season at Mission College in Santa Clara, California, slashing .299/.438/.368 with 43 hits, five doubles, one triple, one home run, 24 RBIs, 44 runs scored and 29 stolen bases.

HAGGARD REMAINS STEADY OPTION AT THIRD BASE
ULM sophomore Jake Haggard returns to the Warhawk lineup after serving as a starter at third and first base in 2023. He has started all 25 games to open 2024, and has reached base safely in 23 of those games. He is the only player to hit safely in all six Sun Belt Conference games after picking up a hit in all three games at Georgia State over the weekend, including a 2-RBI single in the first game of last Saturday's doubleheader. He was the only Warhawk to hit safely in all three games of the weekend series vs. Troy, including a 2-RBI double in the second game of the March 16 doubleheader. He leads the team with 24 RBIs and is second on the club with five home runs. He is slashing .267/.353/.489 with 24 hits, five doubles, 16 runs scored and two stolen bases. 

He hit a bases-clearing double on March 10 vs. Alabama A&M and had two hits with an RBI and a run scored on March 8 vs. the Bulldogs. In the March 5 midweek at Little Rock, picked up two hits, including an RBI double and a solo home run, his fifth of the season, while adding two runs scored. He hit his fourth homer of the season, a leadoff home run in the eighth inning against UIW on March 2. 

Haggard had two hits with a 2-run home run and a run scored at Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 28. He tallied two hits, including a double and home run, with two RBIs and a run scored at Northwestern State on Feb. 27. He hit a bases-clearing double in the Feb. 24 win over Murray State. He hit his first home run of the season, a 2-run shot, against Grambling on Feb. 20.

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.

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 47 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. He has thrown 229 2/3 innings in his career, which is the eighth-most innings in ULM history. He has 198 career strikeouts, good for 10th in ULM history. He made his first career relief appearance on Feb. 20 vs. Grambling, allowing two runs on one hit with one strikeout in an inning of work. He threw 4 1/3 hitless innings against Murray State on Feb. 24, posting four strikeouts. He has made seven appearances with two starts, allowing 11 runs on 13 hits with 16 strikeouts and seven walks in 2024.

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. In 2024, he has made 10 appearances with a 1-1 record and 10.12 ERA over 13 1/3 innings, allowing 16 runs, 15 earned, on 18 hits with 13 strikeouts and 11 walks. He tossed two shutout innings vs. Grambling on Feb. 20 with two strikeouts and one walk. He pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout and one walk at Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 28. He followed it up with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit with one strikeout and one walk vs. UIW on March 3 before throwing another scoreless inning with a strikeout on March 9 vs. Alabama A&M. He made a scoreless appearance in the second game of the March 16 doubleheader vs. Troy, allowing one hit with one walk and one strikeout.

Orton, nicknamed "Giggles" by his teammates, is third in ULM history with 18 career saves, second in ULM history with 77 career relief appearances and tied for sixth in ULM history with Jeff Parker (1989-1992) with 77 total pitching appearances. He is two relief appearances away from tying Michael Durham (1999-2003) for the most career relief appearances in ULM history. In 2024, he has made 10 appearances with a 3-1 record and 4.26 ERA over 12 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on 11 hits with 15 strikeouts and six walks. He opened 2024 by allowing one run on one hit with three strikeouts and no walks over two innings on Feb. 18 vs. Missouri State. He earned his first win of the season, throwing 1 2/3 innings with two hits, three strikeouts and one walk on Feb. 24 vs. Murray State. He picked up his second win by throwing the final 1 1/3 innings vs. UIW on March 1, with two strikeouts and one walk. He pitched a perfect inning vs. Alabama A&M with a strikeout on March 9. He threw another perfect inning in the second game of the March 16 doubleheader vs. Troy with one strikeout. He notched his third win of the season with one inning against Georgia State on March 23, allowing one run on two hits with one strikeout and one walk. He tossed a scoreless inning with one hit at Louisiana Tech on Tuesday. 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. 

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 made his 2024 debut, allowing two runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout in one inning vs. Murray State on Feb. 25.

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. In 2024, he has seven appearances with no record and a 7.00 ERA over nine innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts and 11 walks. He threw 1 1/3 innings on Feb. 17 vs. Missouri State, allowing one run on one hit with no strikeouts and two walks. He pitched a perfect inning with three strikeouts at Little Rock on March 5. He threw a scoreless inning with one hit, one strikeout and one walk on March 8 vs. Alabama A&M. He worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings with one hit and one strikeout last Tuesday vs. Central Arkansas.

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. In 2024, he is 2-1 with a save and a 3.09 ERA in eight appearances covering 11 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits with 18 strikeouts and five walks. He earned the win on Feb. 18, firing 2/3 of an inning with one strikeout vs. Missouri State. His second win came on March 9 vs. Alabama A&M, throwing two shutout innings with four strikeouts and one walk. He made his first career NCAA Division I start on Feb. 25 vs. Murray State, allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks over 2 1/3 innings. He pitched 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen on March 2 vs. UIW, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts and one walk. He threw 1 2/3 shutout innings with one hit, three strikeouts and one walk in the first game of the March 16 doubleheader vs. Troy. He earned his first career save by striking out the final two batters of the game in last Saturday's win in the first game of a doubleheader at Georgia State. He worked around a leadoff double to throw a scoreless inning at Louisiana Tech on Tuesday.

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 has made two weekend starts, allowing three runs on three hits with six strikeouts and two walks over six innings. In 2024, he has made eight appearances and five starts with a 1-1 record and 4.74 ERA over 19 innings, allowing 10 runs on 15 hits with 16 strikeouts and nine walks. He started the Feb. 17 game vs. Missouri State, pitching three innings, allowing two runs on one hit with three strikeouts and two walks. On Feb. 23 vs. Murray State, he threw three innings, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts and no walks. He made his first relief appearance at ULM on Feb. 27 vs. Northwestern State, throwing a scoreless inning with one hit and two strikeouts. He came out of the bullpen with the restart of the March 1 suspended game on March 2 vs. UIW, throwing three innings, allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk. He made the start vs. Alabama A&M on March 9, firing three innings, allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts. Blanchard earned his first win at ULM in the first game of the March 16 doubleheader vs. Troy, throwing 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout and four 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 has made four appearances in 2024 with three starts, posting a 4.26 ERA over 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with seven strikeouts to five walks. He pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up one run with no hits, four strikeouts and one walk on Feb. 17 vs. Missouri State. He started the Feb. 24 game vs. Murray State, but exited after one inning due to injury. He allowed no runs on two hits with one walk vs. the Racers. He returned to the mound with the start in the second game of the doubleheader vs. Troy on March 16, throwing a perfect inning with one strikeout.

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. This season, Menard is 0-1 with a 5.82 ERA over 17 innings in eight appearances, allowing 12 runs, 11 earned, on 12 hits with 19 strikeouts and 10 walks. In his 2024 debut on Feb. 16, he threw four innings out of the bullpen, allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and no walks vs. Missouri State. He threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit with five strikeouts and three walks vs. Murray State on Feb. 23. He pitched a scoreless inning with two hits and one strikeout at Northwestern State on Feb. 27. He fired two scoreless innings with five strikeouts vs. Alabama A&M on March 8. He finished out the first game of the March 16 doubleheader vs. Troy, throwing the final two shutout innings with two strikeouts and one walk.

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.