ULM Warhawks

Game 45: Alcorn (4-34 overall, 3-18 SWAC) at ULM (19-25 overall, 7-14 Sun Belt)
6 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, 2024 | Lou St. Amant Field | Monroe, Louisiana
Alcorn: TBA vs. ULM: Davis Oswalt, 5-11, R-So., RHP (0-1, 9.37 ERA, 13 K, 3 BB)
WATCH: ESPN+ | LISTEN: 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
GAME NOTES

MONROE, La. - The ULM Warhawks play the back end of a double midweek set and the second game of a six-game homestand when they face Alcorn at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Lou St. Amant Field.

ULM lost Tuesday night's game to Louisiana Tech, 8-4, to open the homestand. The Bulldogs scored their eight runs across the first five innings while the Warhawks bounced back late. Matt Abshire hit his fifth home run of the season and second in the last three games with a solo blast in the fifth inning. Shawn Dalton Weatherbee hit an RBI single and Jayson Zmejkoski picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice in the sixth inning. Michelle Artzberger added a solo homer in the eighth inning. Parker Seay, Beau Blanchard, Dalton Hitt and Aidan Haynes each threw scoreless innings for ULM.

ULM is 19-25 overall and 7-14 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Warhawks dropped two out of three games over the weekend at Old Dominion. The Warhawks lost the series opener, 2-1 in 12 innings, on Friday before bouncing back with a 5-4 win in 11 innings on Saturday. ODU closed the series with a 15-5 win in eight innings on Sunday. Matt Abshire and Bryce Blaser led the offense at ODU with six hits each. Abshire had two doubles, a home run and three RBIs, while Blaser hit the game-winning RBI double on Saturday. On the mound, Cam Barlow threw 5 2/3 shutout innings with two hits, two walks and two strikeouts on Friday, while Chipper Menard threw five shutout innings for the win on Saturday, including getting out of a bases-loaded, no outs situation in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Alcorn is 4-34 overall and 3-18 in SWAC play. The Braves have won their last two games coming into Wednesday's game after defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 5-4 on Saturday and 6-1 on Sunday to snap a 17-game losing streak. Three of their four wins have come against UAPB, while the other victory was a 7-5 win at Mississippi Valley State on March 20. Garrett Palladino leads the team with a .351 batting average with five doubles, two triples, one home run and 12 RBIs.

Wednesday's game marks the eighth all-time meeting between ULM and Alcorn, with the Warhawks leading the all-time series, 7-0. ULM picked up a 17-4 win in seven innings on May 3, 2023, at Lou St. Amant Field. Matt Abshire hit a grand slam as part of a seven-run first inning for the Warhawks. Abshire finished the game with a career-high six RBIs after hitting a 2-RBI single in the second inning. Jermel Ford had three hits with two RBIs to lead Alcorn. The two teams also met on April 30, 2019, in Monroe, with ULM collecting an 11-4 victory. ULM defeated the Braves twice in 2013, winning 12-0 on Feb. 16 and 7-3 on Feb. 17 at Warhawk Field as part of the season-opening ULM Baseball Tournament. ULM also picked up a pair of wins over Alcorn in a doubleheader on Feb. 18, 1998, in Monroe, sweeping the Braves 7-2 and 10-0. The two teams first met on March 15, 1994, with ULM picking up a 6-1 victory, also in Monroe.

Wednesday's game will stream on ESPN+ and air on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app with Mike Hammett on the call of the simulcast. A link to live stats can be found on the baseball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.

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 43 games, ULM has used 21 pitchers, combining for a 6.06 team ERA, which is 1.28 runs better than the 2023 season (7.34). The Warhawks rank sixth in the SBC in strikeouts per nine innings (8.7).

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 Wednesday sitting fourth in the SBC and 38th nationally with 27 sacrifice bunts on the year. Eleven different Warhawks have tallied at least one sacrifice bunt this season and six have multiple sacrifice bunts, with Hasani Johnson leading the team with five sacrifice bunts.

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 13 of the first 43 games of the season after having five such games in the entire 2023 season. The Warhawks have picked up 10 or more hits in 18 games and had double figure hits 18 times in 2023.

BLASER PROVIDING CONSISTENT BAT IN LINEUP
Bryce Blaser has hit safely in 31 of 37 games in which he has appeared in his early ULM career. Blaser is slashing .341/.409/.489 with 12 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 22 RBIs, 19 runs scored and 10 walks. He leads the team in batting average and doubles.

He tied with Matt Abshire for the team lead with six hits in the series against Old Dominion. He had two hits, including the game-winning RBI double in the 11th inning on Saturday while adding three hits, including a triple, on Sunday.

He was the only Warhawk to pick up a hit in all three games at Southern Miss, including a double on April 19 and two hits with an RBI on April 21. He picked up two hits, including an RBI, with a walk and two runs scored on April 13 against Texas State before adding three hits, including a double, three RBIs and a run scored vs. the Bobcats on April 14. He had a career-high three hits with a double, RBI and two runs scored on April 3 at Northwestern State. 

Blaser picked up five hits in the series against Coastal Carolina, including two hits in each of the first two games on March 28 and March 29. He had a key double in the ninth inning of the game one win over Georgia State on March 23, while adding a two-RBI double in the first inning of the nightcap of the doubleheader vs. the Panthers. 

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.

MEECH RETURNS TO LINEUP
Senior Michelle Artzberger returned to the ULM lineup after missing 10 out of 12 games with a leg injury and has played first base in each of the last eight games. He has been a force in the ULM lineup in 2024 after playing in just 16 games in 2023 due to a hand injury. He has started 33 of 43 games in 2024, slashing .328/.437/.529 with 39 hits, 12 doubles, four home runs, 29 RBIs, 32 runs scored and 20 walks. He leads the team in on base percentage and doubles. He picked up two hits, including a solo home run, on Tuesday vs. Louisiana Tech.

He had a career-long 55-game on base streak snapped on April 19 at Southern Miss, going 0-for-3 at the plate. He has reached base safely in 31 of 33 games in which he has played this season. His 55-game on base streak dated 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 on March 23. 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 MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPACT FOR WARHAWKS
True freshman Easton Winfield continues to rank among the top players on the ULM stat sheet. He is slashing .309/.387/.539 with 51 hits, five doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 24 RBIs, 42 runs scored, 17 walks and 13 stolen bases. 

The Alvin, Texas, native moved into the starting lineup in the third game of the season and has not exited. He leads ULM in hits, runs, home runs, slugging percentage, stolen bases and total bases (89). Winfield ranks fourth in the SBC in triples. Four of his team-high nine home runs have been hit to lead off ULM's offensive half of the first inning. 

He hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning on April 23 vs. Little Rock. Winfield had a pair of hits with a run scored on April 20 at Southern Miss. He had multiple hits in all three games of the weekend series vs. Texas State. He opened the series with three hits, including a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning, with two RBIs and two runs scored on April 12. He picked up two hits on April 13, with a triple, a walk and three runs scored. He wrapped up the series on April 14 with two hits, an RBI and a run scored. 

In the April 3 midweek matchup at Northwestern State, Winfield hit a 2-RBI single to open the scoring and walked twice while picking up three RBIs for the game to match a season high.

All three of his hits in the Georgia State series came in the first game of the doubleheader on March 23, 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.

LUNSFORD BRINGS OFFENSIVE BOOST, STRONG DEFENSE AT SHORTSTOP
Colby Lunsford started the first 31 games of the season at shortstop before missing the April 7 contest at the Ragin' Cajuns with an injury. He has started each of the 11 games since missing the April 7 contest. He is slashing .318/.412/.433 with 50 hits, including three doubles, three triples and three home runs, 24 RBIs, 35 runs scored, a team-high 22 walks and four stolen bases. He tallied two hits with a double on Tuesday vs. Louisiana Tech. He had five hits in the weekend series at Old Dominion, including three hits on Saturday and two hits with a run scored on Friday.

He matched his season high with three hits while adding two RBIs and a walk on April 14 vs. Texas State. He drove in a pair of runs on April 13 vs. the Bobcats. He had one of two RBIs for ULM on April 16 vs. LA Tech. He hit an RBI triple on April 6 at the Ragin' Cajuns. 

He tallied three hits with an RBI, walk and two runs scored in the series opener vs. No. 19 Coastal Carolina on March 28. Lunsford 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 the doubleheader on March 23, Lunsford went 3-for-3 in the nightcap with a 2-run home run, a walk and scored twice. He finished off the series March 24 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.

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 38 games with 37 starts to open 2024. He is slashing .310/.416/.519. Weatherbee has 40 hits with nine doubles, six home runs, 29 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 10 walks and has been hit by a pitch 14 times. He picked up an RBI single on Tuesday vs. Louisiana Tech. He had two hits on Sunday at Old Dominion after reaching base four times with two walks and was hit by a pitch twice on Saturday at ODU.

He picked up a solo home run among his two hits vs. Little Rock on April 23. He clubbed a 2-run home run at Southern Miss on April 20 and followed it up the next day with a key RBI double in the eighth inning in a 5-1 win at USM on April 21. He had three two-hit games with a double and five RBIs over the weekend vs. Texas State (April 12-14) and hit a solo home run on April 16 vs. Louisiana Tech.

He had a career game with four hits, including a double, and five RBIs while scoring twice and stealing a base in the March 28 11-3 win over No. 19 Coastal Carolina. He led ULM with two hits on March 26 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 on March 24. 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. 

ABSHIRE PROVIDES SENIOR LEADERSHIP BEHIND THE PLATE
Matt Abshire returns for his second season as ULM's catcher in 2024, and has taken over the lion's share of the starts over the last few weeks. Abshire has played in 36 games with 32 starts. He has started 23 of the last 25 games at catcher. He is slashing .296/.362/.487 with 34 hits, seven doubles, five home runs, 21 RBIs, 16 runs scored, 11 walks and three stolen bases. He clubbed a solo home run, his second homer in three days, vs. Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night. He had a monster series at Old Dominion, collecting six hits. He had two hits, including a double on Friday, before matching his season high with three hits, including a 2-run home run and two runs scored on Saturday. He wrapped up the series on Sunday with a game-tying RBI double in the third inning. Four of his five home runs in 2024 have come on the road.

He picked up two hits on April 21 at Southern Miss, including an RBI double for ULM's only hit in a 3-run seventh inning. He was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, RBI, run scored and a walk on April 12 vs. Texas State. He stole two bases on April 5 at Ragin' Cajuns before adding a double on April 6. 

Abshire hit safely in all three games of the series vs. No. 19 Coastal Carolina, collecting two hits with a walk on March 29. He was the hero in the March 23 win at Georgia State. Abshire had his first career multi-home run game, hitting a solo blast in the fourth inning, which sparked a five-run inning, and then clubbed the go-ahead grand slam in the top of the ninth inning in the 13-10 win to finish with two hits and five RBIs. 

He also had two hits, a double and a home run, with three RBIs, two walks, two runs scored and a stolen base at Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 28.

He played in 35 games with 28 starts last season, slashing .287/.388/.402 with four doubles, two home runs, 14 RBIs, 12 runs scored and 12 walks in 2023. He hit a grand slam among six RBIs vs. Alcorn on May 3 and had five multi-hit games.

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 52 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 252 1/3 innings in his career, which is the sixth-most innings in ULM history. He has 217 career strikeouts, good for eighth in ULM history. He became the 10th pitcher in ULM history to record 200 career strikeouts with his second strikeout vs. No. 19 Coastal Carolina on March 28. 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 returned to a starting role against CCU, throwing a team season-high five innings, allowing one run on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts for his first win of the season. He followed it up in a tough-luck loss on April 5 at Ragin' Cajuns, throwing five more innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits with five strikeouts. He once again threw five innings in the start vs. Texas State on April 12, finishing with four runs on four hits and four strikeouts. He made his longest start of the season on April 26 at Old Dominion, throwing 5 2/3 shutout innings, allowing two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He has made 12 appearances with seven starts, allowing 23 runs, 20 earned, on 33 hits with 35 strikeouts and 11 walks in 2024. He is 1-2 with a 4.58 ERA.

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 14 appearances with a 1-1 record and 12.18 ERA over 17 innings, allowing 24 runs, 23 earned, on 28 hits with 17 strikeouts and 13 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. He entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs on April 7 at the Ragin' Cajuns, retiring the three batters he faced and allowing only a sacrifice fly to plate one inherited runner.

Orton, nicknamed "Giggles" by his teammates, is ULM's all-time career leader in pitching appearances with 86, setting the record on April 21 at Southern Miss, passing Jared Jennings (2005-08) and Caleb McConnell (2000-03). He set the program recod for most career relief pitching appearances, passing Michael Durham (1999-2003), with his appearance on April 7 at the Ragin' Cajuns. All 86 of Orton's career appearances have come out of the bullpen. With his save on Saturday at Old Dominion, he passed Mark Wisniewski (1982-85) for the second-most saves in program history with hs 21st career save. He trails Anthony Herrera (2014-17) by two saves (23) for the career record. In 2024, he has made 19 appearances with a 3-3 record and three saves while posting a 4.44 ERA over 24 1/3 innings, allowing 12 runs on 21 hits with 27 strikeouts and 14 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 March 26. He followed it up with a scoreless inning with a walk and a strikeout vs. No. 19 Coastal Carolina on March 29. He set the school relief pitching appearances record on April 7 at the Ragin' Cajuns, throwing two innings, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and one strikeout. He earned his first save of 2024 with 1 1/3 shutout innings and three strikeouts vs. Texas State on April 12. In his 83rd career appearance to tie the school record for total pitching appearances, he threw a scoreless ninth inning against Louisiana Tech on April 16. He set the school record with his 84th pitching appearance, earning his second save of the season with 1 1/3 shutout innings, allowing one hit with one strikeout at Southern Miss on April 21. He took a tough-luck loss on Friday at Old Dominion, allowing one run on one hit with one walk and four strikeouts in a season-high 2 2/3 innings. He came back on Saturday and earned his third save, throwing a scoreless 11th inning, allowing one walk. 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 nine appearances with no record and a 5.73 ERA over 11 innings, allowing seven runs on 11 hits with 12 strikeouts and 12 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 on March 19 vs. Central Arkansas. He pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts at Northwestern State on April 3. He followed it up with another scoreless inning on April 7 at Ragin' Cajuns with two hits, two strikeouts and one walk.

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 3-1 with a save and a 3.16 ERA in 16appearances covering 25 2/3 innings, allowing 10 runs, nine earned, on 20 hits with 32 strikeouts and nine 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 the first game of the March 23 doubleheader at Georgia State. He worked around a leadoff double to throw a scoreless inning at Louisiana Tech on March 26. Seay struck out the side on April 3 in his only inning of work at Northwestern State. He pitched a shutout inning, allowing one hit with two strikeouts. He threw a career-high three scoreless innings while matching his season high with five strikeouts while allowing two hits and one walk vs. Texas State on April 13. He collected his third win of the season, throwing two innings, allowing one run on three hits with one strikeout at Southern Miss on April 21. He threw a season-high 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts at Old Dominion on Friday. He tossed a scoreless inning, allowing one hit with one walk vs. 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 16 appearances and nine starts with a 2-4 record and 6.10 ERA over 38 1/3 innings, allowing 27 runs, 26 earned, on 37 hits with 34 strikeouts and 15 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. He matched his career high with six strikeouts over four innings at the Ragin' Cajuns on April 6, allowing three runs on five hits with one walk. He threw a perfect inning on seven pitches with one strikeout vs. Little Rock on April 23. He came on out of the bullpen in the first inning at Old Dominion on Saturday, settling down the Monarch lineup by throwing 3 1/3 shutout innings with two hits, one walk and three strikeouts. On Tuesday, he fired a scoreless inning with one strikeout vs. Louisiana Tech.

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 1-2 with a 6.19 ERA over 32 innings in 14 appearances and one start, allowing 24 runs, 22 earned, on 27 hits with 32 strikeouts and 15 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. He made his first start of 2024 against No. 19 Coastal Carolina on March 30, throwing 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts in suffering a tough-luck loss. He threw three shutout innings out of the bullpen, allowing three hits with four strikeouts vs. Little Rock on April 23. He picked up his first win of the season with five shutout inninigs out of the bullpen, allowing three hits with three walks and four strikeouts while working out of a bases loaded and no outs jam in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth inning on Saturday at Old Dominion.

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.