BOONE, N.C. – The ULM softball team (28-15, 8-4 Sun Belt) continues on its Sun Belt road trip, facing App State (15-21, 6-6 Sun Belt) in Boone, N.C. The Warhawks will take on the Mountaineers on Friday (April 11) at 11 a.m. CT, on Saturday at 1 p.m. and close out the series on Sunday at 11 a.m. Live stats for all games will be available at ULMWarhawks.com. ULM looks to improve their conference record on the road.
SERIES HISTORY VS. APP STATE–
The Warhawks will take on the Mountaineers for the 23rd, 24th and 25th meetings this weekend, each team fighting for dominance in the series. ULM holds an 11-11 record against App State, a series dating back to 2015, when the Warhawks won in a 6-5 contest in Wingate, N.C. ULM has been unable to claim a win in Boone since 2018, last winning a series over App State in 2017. Most recently, the Warhawks won in Monroe over App State, 2-1, to prevent a series sweep.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS –
The Mountaineers stand at a 16-21 record, an even 6-6 Sun Belt record. Most recently, App State traveled to Gardner-Webb, beating the Bulldogs 8-0. In conference play, the 'Neers claimed a series win over Marshall, a run-rule victory and an extra-inning walk-off grand slam victory to win the series. App State has also swept James Madison for two conference series clinched. In nonconference play, the Mountaineers have defeated Georgetown, Buffalo and Lehigh. Under first year head coach Whitney Jones, App State intends to surpass expectations, predicted to finish 11th in the Sun Belt. Makayla McClain leads the team in batting average, hits, home runs and RBIs, claiming Sun Belt Player of the Week twice this season.
LAST TIME OUT –
The ULM softball team went 1-2 in Hattiesburg, winning the final game to avoid the sweep by Southern Miss. In the first game, Hollie Thomas hit an RBI single to get the Warhawks on the board in the first. A four-spot for the Golden Eagles gave them the 1-4 advantage. A Morgan Brown homer and two more runs tied things up at four runs apiece, both teams going on to tie it at six. After heading to extra innings, Southern Miss walked off the win from an RBI single in the ninth, 7-6.
In the second game, Southern Miss started out hot, scoring an early two runs in the first. While the Warhawks fought to stay in it, Meagan Brown, Maryssa Zenzen and Layla Thompson all picking up RBIs, a four-spot in the fourth and a three-run fifth for the Golden Eagles solidified the series victory, 9-5.
ULM battled in the series finale, working to prevent the sweep. Morgan Brown and Hollie Thomas both picked up RBIs in the first, with Meagan Brown driving in the third run in the second. Layla Thompson then hit a two-run homer to make it a 5-0 score in the Warhawks' favor in the third. A five-run fourth for Southern Miss tied the score yet again, but the Warhawks went on a seven-run tear in the fifth to create a large deficit. Jacelyn Buck, Reece Briggs and Thompson all picked up RBIs, with two more runs coming from a wild pitch. The Warhawks held on for a 12-7 win over the Golden Eagles.
TWO OUTS –
The Warhawks tend to score when pressure mounts. ULM has scored 104 runs of their 279 total runs this season when there are two outs in the inning. On March 1 against Memphis, the Warhawks scored six runs in the third inning with two outs. On March 16 versus Georgia State, ULM scored eight runs with two outs in the third inning.
WALK IT OFF –
The Warhawks have claimed five walk-off wins so far this season, the first two occurring in the Best on the Bayou Tournament held at the ULM Softball Complex. Carys Platt is credited with the walk-off single in both wins, against SEMO (March 1) and Memphis (March 2). ULM then snagged a walk-off win over Georgia State (March 15), with Meagan Brown hitting an RBI double for the win. In the weekend series against Troy, Elle Carter hit an RBI single to walk it off for the series win (March 29) and Platt walked off the win for the third time this season, clinching the series sweep (March 30).
NATIONAL RECOGNITION –
Softball America also released their April Position Power Rankings, revealing Morgan Brown to be ranked seventh nationally at second baseman. Brown was previously ranked ninth in the Softball America's March Position Power Rankings. Brown has a .394 batting average, posting 11 doubles, three triples and 10 home runs. The Katy, Texas native also has 45 RBIs under her belt, having stolen eight bases this season.
LOOKING AHEAD –
The ULM softball team will return to the ULM Softball Complex next weekend, taking on Georgia Southern at home. Due to the Easter holiday, the first game will be Thursday (April 17) at 6 p.m., Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at noon. Saturday's game will also be ULM Softball's Bark at the Park game.
