ULM at GEORGIA STATE MAY 2-4

Game One (5/2) First Pitch 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT | ESPN+ | LIVE STATS

Game Two 5/3 First Pitch 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT | ESPN+ | LIVE STATS

Game Three 5/4 First Pitch 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT | ESPN+ | LIVE STATS

Setting the Scene

• The ULM softball team wraps up the regular season with a road trip to Georgia State beginning on Thursday (May 2) and concluding on Saturday (May 4) in Atlanta.

• The Warhawks aim to snap an eight-game conference losing streak after dropping the final two games to Troy and getting swept by a pair of nationally ranked teams, Texas State and the Ragin' Cajuns. ULM won its final two non-conference games of the season with wins over Grambling State and Stephen F. Austin.

• ULM won seven-straight Sun Belt Conference games after sweeping Marshall and Georgia Southern and winning the series opener at Troy. ULM's seven-game conference winning streak was its longest since the 2002 season. The Warhawks were off to the best 40-game start since 2017, which was the last winning season for ULM.

•  Lourdes Bacon has been the catalsyt for the Warhawks' offense, leading ULM with a .398 batting average. Her 68 hits are the second-highest in the Sun Belt and 20th-highest in the nation. The UTSA transfer is hitting .363 in conference games and ranks second in the league with 23 stolen bases. Bacon earned All-SBC Second Team honors in 2022. As a team, ULM is third in the conference in total stolen bases (79) and second in stolen bases per game (1.55/game). Carys Platt ranks 14th in the SBC with 56 hits and seventh with 16 stolen bases.  Platt played two seasons at Florida Southwestern State College and led her team to a pair of NJCCA National Championships.

• In the circle, LSU transfer Victoria Abrams is 10-11 in 24 starts this season and has pitched two complete-game shutouts, including a five-inning perfect game in ULM's run-rule win over Green Bay in February. Abrams received the 2020 Medallion Award (LSU Mikey Award) and was named to the 2020 SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll during her career in Baton Rouge. Sophomore pitcher Maddie Nichols enters the series ranked seventh in the conference with 106 strikeouts. The West Monroe, La., native has tossed five complete games, including a pair of seven-inning wins versus Lindenwood and Syracuse. Redshirt junior Gianni Hulett threw 17.2 consecutive innings without surrendering a run, a streak that was broken at Troy. Her and Nichols both have three saves, which is the fourth-highest total in the SBC. Senior Kassidy Giddens comes into this weekend's series with a 2.20 ERA and racked up two complete games and two shutouts.

• Senior Andie Edwards has hit 10 sacrifice flys so far this season, which is the highest in the nation. Edwards has hit .244 in her senior campaign with 11 extra-base hits. Layla Thompson has hit two doubles and two home runs in conference play and has made 15 starts in Sun Belt games at third base.

• Four freshman have made a significant impact for the Warhawks this season., Meagan Brown, Brooklin Lippert, Elle Carter and Maryssa Zenzen have all been key contributors to ULM's success. Brown, a freshman outfielder from Katy, Texas, has powered 16 extra-base hits and has driven in a team-high 35 RBIs in her first 50 games with the Warhawks. Lippert, a utility player from Loganville, Ga., has hit .303 with 33 hits and 25 runs scored. Carter, a graduate of Neville High School, has made 43 starts for the Warhawks and has tallied six extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in her first collegiate season while making just five errors in the field at shortstop. Zenzen, a Waller, Texas, native, rounds out the freshman contributors with a .260 batting average, which includes four doubles, one triple and a pair of home runs.

• ULM swept last season's matchup versus the Panthers in Monroe. Lourdes Bacon and Madison Blount both racked up two hits in ULM's 5-4 win, with Gianni Hulett earning the win. Victoria Abrams pitched a complete-game shutout in the Warhawks' 1-0 win in game two. Abrams picked up another win after ULM clinched the sweep with a 6-2 win in game three. ULM holds a four-game winning streak over the Panthers entering this weekend's series.

Up Next
The Warhawks will compete in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament held in San Marcos, Texas, next week. The tournament begins on Wednesday (May 8) with the 7-10 seeds playing in a single elimination format. The quarterfinals begin on Thursday (May 9) with the championship being held on Saturday (May 11).