ULM Warhawks

Games 14-16: Alabama A&M (2-10 overall, 0-0 SWAC) at ULM (8-5 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference)
Lou St. Amant Field | Monroe, Louisiana

Game 14: 6 p.m. Friday, March 8, 2024
AAMU: Anthony Mateo, 6-2, So., RHP (0-2, 7.31 ERA, 7 K, 5 BB) vs. ULM: Daniel Gonzalez, 6-4, Fr., RHP (0-0, 3.38 ERA, 7 K, 4 BB)
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

Game 15: 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, 2024
AAMU: Jackson Hall, 6-0, Sr., RHP (0-3, 7.53 ERA, 5 K, 11 BB) vs. ULM: Beau Blanchard, 6-5, Sr., RHP (0-1, 3.60 ERA, 10 K, 3 BB)
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

Game 16: 1 p.m. Sunday, March 10, 2024
AAMU: TBA vs. ULM: TBA
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - ULM returns to Lou St. Amant Field for the final nonconference weekend series of the season to face Alabama A&M. Game times are set for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

ULM and Alabama A&M meet for the first time in program history on Friday. It marks the second nonconference opponent that the Warhawks are facing for the first time ever, along with Murray State. ULM and UIW met for just the second time in a weekend series last week at Lou St. Amant Field.

The Warhawks have displayed their ability to run in the first 13 games of the season. ULM leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks 21st in NCAA Division I with five triples. They are fourth in the SBC and 38th nationally with 24 stolen bases. Easton Winfield is one of two players in the SBC with two triples, joining Arkansas State's Wil French. Thirteen different Warhawks have stolen at least one base in the first 13 games of the season.

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 Friday sitting second in the SBC and 13th nationally with 10 sacrifice bunts on the year. Jake Haggard, Colby Lunsford and Ian Montz each have two sacrifice bunts and seven different Warhawks have tallied at least one sacrifice bunt this season.

True freshman Easton Winfield continues to impress early in the season. He leads the team by slashing .396/.453/.708 with 19 hits, two doubles, two triples, three home runs, nine RBIs, 15 runs scored and four walks. He has five multi-hit games in 11 starts. He ranks ninth in the SBC in batting average, seventh in the SBC and 85th nationally in hits, fifth in the SBC in hits per game (1.58 pg.) and ninth in the SBC and 91st nationally with 34 total bases.

ULM's offense has scored 10 or more runs in five of the first 13 games of the season, which equals the total of double-figure run games from the entire 2023 season. The Warhawks have picked up 10 or more hits in seven games and had double figure hits 18 times in 2023. ULM ranks third in the SBC and 39th in NCAA Division I in hits (131), third in the SBC and 61st nationally in doubles (26), fourth in the SBC and 67th nationally in runs (99), fifth in the SBC and 70th nationally in batting average (.300) and seventh in the SBC and 65th nationally in home runs (16).

Through 13 games, ULM has used 21 pitchers, combining for a 4.86 team ERA, which ranks eighth in the SBC but 101st nationally. Eleven ULM pitchers have an ERA under 4.00.

All three games of the weekend series are available to stream on ESPN+ and can be heard on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with Ben Milam and 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 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 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 four appearances with two starts, allowing eight runs on nine hits with 13 strikeouts and four 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 five appearances with a 1-1 record and 5.40 ERA over 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and six 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 Wednesday. He followed it up with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit with one strikeout and one walk vs. UIW on Sunday.

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. In 2024, he has made four appearances with a 2-0 record and 3.00 ERA over six innings, allowing two runs on four hits with 10 strikeouts and four 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 Friday, with two strikeouts and one walk.

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 three appearances with no record and an 8.10 ERA over 3 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits with six strikeouts and five 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 paerfect inning with three strikeouts at Little Rock on Tuesday.

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 1-1 with a 6.35 ERA in three appearances covering 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits with nine strikeouts and three walks. He earned the win on Feb. 18, firing 2/3 of an inning with one strikeout vs. Missouri State. 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 Saturday vs. UIW, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts and one walk.

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 four appearances with an 0-1 record and 3.60 ERA over a 10 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with 10 strikeouts and three 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 last Tuesday vs. Northwestern State, throwing a scoreless inning with one hit and two strikeouts. He came out of the bullpen with the restart of Friday's suspended game on Saturday vs. UIW, throwing three innings, allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

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 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.

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 7.00 ERA over nine innings in four appearances, allowing eight runs, seven earned, on nine hits with 11 strikeouts and six 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.

ROBINSON ENJOYS STRONG START TO 2024
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Justin Robinson played a big role in ULM's 4-1 week last week. The Carriere, Mississippi, native was 1-0 and threw seven innings over two appearances, allowing one run on six hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk. He threw a career-high four innings in the start in Sunday's series-clinching win over UIW, allowing one run on four hits with a career-best matching five strikeouts. He tossed three shutout innings out of the bullpen on Wednesday at Stephen F. Austin, allowing two hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He has thrown a team-high 11 innings, going 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA with three runs on nine hits while tallying 15 strikeouts and four walks.

SCORELESS DEBUTS
Five different Warhawk pitchers have thrown at least one inning over the course of the first 12 games of the season and not allowed a run to score. Aidan Haynes has made four appearances over 4 2/3 innings, allowing two hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. Dalton Hitt has made three appearances, throwing 2 2/3 innings and allowing two hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Zach Brink, Holden Hess and Zach Shaw each made their 2024 debuts last Sunday vs. Murray State and all three threw a shutout inning. Hess threw a scoreless sixth inning, allowing one hit. Shaw pitched the seventh, allowing no hits with two strikeouts. Brink tossed the ninth inning with no runs or hits. Overall, ULM has used 21 different pitchers over the first 12 games of the season.

NEWCOMERS DRAW ATTENTION TO BEGIN 2024
A few newcomers to ULM's lineup helped guide the Warhawks through the first two weeks of the season.

Easton Winfield leads the team in batting average and slugging percentage while sitting second on the team in on base percentage through the first 13 games, slashing .396/.453/.708. He is tied for the team lead with 19 hits despite not starting two games and not playing in one, including two doubles, two triples and three home runs, with nine RBIs and 15 runs scored. He homered on the first pitch of the game and finished with two RBIs at Little Rock on Tuesday. 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. He 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. 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.

Colby Lunsford has started all 13 games at shortstop and is slashing .327/.450/.510 with 16 hits, including one double, one triple and two home runs, nine RBIs, 12 runs scored, a team-high 10 walks and three stolen bases. 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 last Tuesday. 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.

Hasani Johnson has come on strong over the last seven 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 six games and is hitting .478 (11-for-23) with five doubles, a home run, five RBIs, nine runs scored, two walks and a stolen base. He is tied for the team lead with five doubles. 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 Wednesday. He added a hit with an RBI vs. UIW on Friday. He closed the series vs. UIW with three hits, including a double and a 2-run home run while scoring three times on Sunday. 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.

ARTZBERGER'S RETURN PROVIDES PUNCH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LINEUP
ULM fifth-year senior first baseman Michelle Artzberger returns in 2024 after suffering a hand injury and missing all but 16 games of the 2023 season. Artzberger is hitting .380 (19-for-50) at the plate with a team-best five doubles, two home runs, 12 RBIs and a team-high 17 runs scored while drawing eight walks and has been hit by a pitch three times. He has an active 42-game reached base streak dating back to the 2022 season and is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, the longest of his career.

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 on Tuesday.

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.

HAGGARD PROVIDES POWER THREAT
ULM sophomore Jake Haggard returns to the Warhawk lineup after serving as a starter and third and first base in 2023. He has has started and reached base in all 13 games to open 2024. He leads the team with five home runs and 15 RBIs and is third on the team with seven walks. He is slashing .304/.396/.696 with 14 hits, three doubles, 10 runs scored and two stolen bases. 

In Tuesday's 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. He 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, 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. 

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 nine games with eight starts to open 2024.

He is heating up at the plate, hitting .259 (7-for-24) and is riding a six-game hitting streak coming into Friday's game after going 0-for-10 at the plate to begin the year. He has two doubles, a home run, five RBIs, four runs scored, one walk and has been hit by a pitch four times. Against UIW, he hit a key 2-run home run in the series-opening 6-5 win. He followed it up with a clutch 2-RBI double to expand the lead vs. UIW on Sunday, finishing with two hits against the Cardinals. He had a double with two runs scored at Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday, following up on a 1-for-4 day last Tuesday 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. 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.

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.