MONROE, La. – The ULM softball team (25-18, 8-4 SBC) returns to the ULM Softball Complex to host a local foe in a midweek game. The Warhawks will host the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (21-18, 7-8 CUSA) on Wednesday (April 8) at 6 p.m. Streaming for the game will be on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on ULMWarhawks.com/Stats.

BATTLE OF I-20 – 

The Warhawks will be facing the Bulldogs for the 121st meeting in the series, Louisiana Tech holding the 77-43 edge. When playing in Monroe, the Bulldogs also have the advantage, 34-22. Earlier this season, the Warhawks traveled to Ruston, competing in an 11-inning game before a home run walked off the Bulldogs, 3-2. The last trip the Bulldogs made to Monroe was 2024, finding two wins over the Warhawks. ULM has not defeated Louisiana Tech at home since 2022. Louisiana Tech is notably joining the Sun Belt Conference, beginning in the 2026-27 academic year. ULM will be in the same conference for softball as its local foe for the first time ever. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS –

The Bulldogs have posted a 21-18 record so far this season, going 7-8 in conference play so far. Most recently, Louisiana Tech went 2-1 on the weekend, claiming their third CUSA series at Middle Tennessee. The Bulldogs were selected to finish second in their final season in Conference-USA, sweeping Preseason Player of the Year recognition in Reagan Marchant and pitcher Allie Floyd. Marchant leads the team and is fourth in the league with 11 home runs, while freshman Bradi Gallaway has scored 26 runs and claimed 36 RBI to lead the team. Gallaway is the player who hit the walk-off home run in the 11-inning contest against ULM earlier this season. Floyd leads the team with a 2.82 ERA across 111.2 innings, striking out 86 batters.

LAST TIME OUT –

ULM went 2-1 on the weekend at Georgia Southern to improve to 8-4 in Sun Belt play. An opening-frame home run by Morgan Brown set up the Warhawks for success in game 1, finding the 5-2 win. ULM struggled to plate runners in the second game as Georgia Southern evened the series, 2-0. Five errors for the Eagles gave up a four-spot in the first inning of the series finale, the Warhawks tacking on two more in the sixth after GS tied the game up to clinch the series. Morgan hit .400 on the weekend, Elle Carter (.385) close behind with four RBIs. Ashanti McDade (10.1) struck out six batters for a 2-0 weekend, while Skylar Waggoner earned the save, striking out five in 6.1 innings.

500 AT THE HOUSE –

The ULM Softball Complex, after opening in 1984, has now seen 500 wins from the Warhawks after the win against Alcorn on March 31. The first win came on March 12, 1984, a 4-1 victory over Central Michigan. With a total 500-430-4 record, ULM is 86-69 at home in the Molly Fichtner era. This season, the Warhawks are 13-3 at home, including five Sun Belt wins.

MID-MAJOR RANKINGS –

D1Softball and Softball America released their Mid-Major Rankings on April 6, the Warhawks remaining in the rankings for the second-straight week. D1Softball had the Warhawks at No. 17–the highest-ever listing for ULM, while Softball America placed them at No. 21.

FAGGARD AT FIRST BASE –

Olivia Faggard took the reins midseason at first base, making her first start at the position on March 8 against Chattanooga. Since then, the redshirt freshman has recorded 157 putouts, eight assists and two errors, placing her fielding percentage at .988. Faggard has also assisted in turning eight of the team's double plays. Her 15 putouts on March 27 is the second-most recorded in single-game program history for the Warhawks. Most notably, Faggard had not previously played first base before stepping up on March 8.

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 five home runs under her belt in 2026.

Ks ALL DAY –

Four ULM pitchers have picked up career highs in strikeouts this season, two breaking double digits in Ks. First, senior Maddie Nichols struck out 11 batters in five innings of action. Then, left-handed pitcher Skylar Waggoner followed up with 13 Ks in a complete-game one-hitter shutout. Dakota Lake then posted a complete game shutout of her own against Grambling State, striking out a career-high nine batters in the 2-0 victory. Ashanti McDade is the most recent to break her career high, with five strikeouts in a 2-1 win over South Alabama.

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), hitting a collective .441 when hitting consecutively in the lineup. They are one of 15 sets of twins playing on the same NCAA softball 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 HS, where she was a four-year letterwinner before graduating as valedictorian in 2022. Carter hails from Neville HSl, 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 HS. On April 4, Carter hit a double to extend the lead for the series win over Georgia Southern, driving in a run scored by a fellow hometown favorite in Creighton.

LOOKING AHEAD –

The Warhawks will remain at the ULM Softball Complex through the weekend, hosting App State beginning on Friday (April 10).