MONROE, La. – The ULM softball team (17-15, 1-2 SBC) returns to the ULM Softball Complex to begin an eight-game homestand. First hosting South Alabama in a Sun Belt series, the first pitch on Friday will be at 6 p.m., with a 2 p.m. start on Saturday and a noon start on Sunday. Streaming for the game will be on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on ULMWarhawks.com/Stats.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SOUTH ALABAMA – 

The Warhawks will face the Jaguars for the 60th, 61st and 62nd meetings this weekend, as South Alabama has a stronghold on the series, 49-10. With a 5-21 record when taking on the Jaguars in Monroe, ULM looks to defeat the visitors at home for the first time since 2019. The last time the Warhawks claimed a series over South Alabama was 2019, when playing in Monroe. Last season, ULM traveled to Mobile, recording a 1-2 record, a 9-4 win in the first game breaking a 12-game skid in the series. 

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS –

The Jaguars record a 19-12 record so far, with a perfect 3-0 Sun Belt record after sweeping Troy last weekend. Notable nonconference wins include Southeastern Louisiana and Missouri. The Jaguars most recently fell at home to Auburn in an 11-2, five-inning contest. Juco transfer Virginia Mambelli leads the team in batting average, with 20 hits in 54 at-bats, leading the team with four sacrifice flies. Presley Lively has scored 20 runs to lead the team, her four triples ranking sixth nationally. Veteran pitcher Ryley Harrison posts an ERA of 2.73, her seven complete games and 89 strikeouts ranking third in the conference.

LAST TIME OUT –

The Warhawks traveled to head coach Molly Fichtner's alma mater in sixth-ranked Alabama, falling in the smallest margin against the Tide, 4-1. A two-RBI triple and an RBI single in the first inning got three on the board early for the home team. Morgan Brown helped chip away, a ground-out giving her the RBI as Brooklin Lippert scored. A solo home run from Alexis Pupillo in the third settled the score at 4-1, neither team able to score in the final four innings. Ashanti McDade struck out two batters in her third complete game of the season.

WARHAWK HOMESTAND – 

ULM returns to Monroe to begin an eight-game homestand on Friday, last seeing that many consecutive games in 2024, when the Warhawks also hosted eight-straight games. The longest homestand for the Warhawks was a 12-game stretch, occurring four times in program history: 2007, 1998, 1992 and 1985.

MO GOES YARD –

Two home runs in a game for Morgan Brown sets the standard again, reaching the milestone for the second time in her career. On February 28 against Jacksonville State, Brown claimed her second homer of the season in the second inning, then claiming another in the sixth. Brown becomes one of few Sun Belt players to have a multi-home run game under her belt already this season. The redshirt sophomore has four home runs under her belt in 2026.

TWICE AS NICE –

Twins Meagan Brown and Morgan Brown boast similar numbers and continue to find success on the field together. Both sisters collected three hits and three RBIs when batting back-to-back against Grambling (March 4). They are one of 15 sets of twins playing on the same NCAA softball team. Last season, the girls hit back-to-back home runs on two separate occasions. Both sisters were also named to the All-Sun Belt First Team and Preseason All-Sun Belt team.

HOMETOWN HEROES –

The Warhawks also have three hometown players on the 2026 roster, with West Monroe's Maddie Nichols, Monroe's Elle Carter and Abagail Creighton on the roster this season. Nichols went to West Monroe High School, where she was a four-year letterwinner before graduating as valedictorian in 2022. Carter hails from Neville High School, a four-year letterwinner in soccer and softball, the eighth member of her family to attend ULM. Creighton, a freshman, rounds out the Monroe natives as she arrives after six seasons at St. Frederick High School.

LET'S TALK ABOUT LAST SEASON –

The Warhawks secured the highest number of Sun Belt wins in a single season (14) in program history and the most regular season wins since 1997 after going 35-22. The Warhawks finished the season third in the Sun Belt, the highest ranking since joining the conference. ULM also claimed a 14-10 conference record, going 22-3 at home for the best home record in program history. In the 2025 season alone, ULM broke eight single-season records, placing multiple in the record book top 5. ULM head coach Molly Fichtner was also named the 2025 Sun Belt Coach of the Year, the first ULM coach to receive the honor.

LOOKING AHEAD –

ULM Softball remains at home to continue the homestand, next facing Southeastern Louisiana for a midweek. First pitch against the Lions is slated for 5 p.m. on Tuesday (March 24).