LAFAYETTE, La. – The ULM softball team (37-19, 19-5 SBC) will compete as the top seed in the Sun Belt Conference Championships, hosted in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Warhawks will face the eighth-seeded Ragin' Cajuns (28-26, 11-13 SBC) in the quarterfinals on Thursday (May 7) at 4 p.m. Streaming will be available on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at ULMWarhawks.com/Stats.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ULL – 

The Warhawks will take on the Cajuns for the 158th meeting in series history–the fourth this season–dating back to the inaugural 1980 season. With the 123-34 advantage, ULL looks to extend on a 58-13 lead when playing in Lafayette. The last time the Warhawks went to Lafayette (2025), ULM fell in the first two games of the series in Lafayette (5-3 [8], 9-3) before defeating the Cajuns for the first time since 2021 in game three, 10-5. ULM most recently claimed a series sweep–the first over ULL since 2001–in Monroe during the regular season.

SCOUTING THE CAJUNS –

The Cajuns have recorded a 28-26 record so far this season, sitting at 11-13 in conference play. ULL opened the season with nonconference wins over McNeese, Jacksonville State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The Cajuns snagged four Sun Belt series, most recently dropping a series 1-2 at South Alabama. Leading the league in sacrifice bunts (46), the Cajuns look to expand on recent success. Brooke Otto leads the team with 46 RBI and 11 home runs. Mia Liscano sits at second in the SBC with a .401 batting average, also stealing 15 bases. Pitcher Bethaney Noble (101.1 IP) leads the team with a 2.97 ERA, striking out 47 batters.

POSTSEASON HISTORY –

The Warhawks will be traveling to Lafayette for the fifth season as the conference tournament host site, most recently occurring in 2023. In the 17 trips and 32 games ULM has played to the Sun Belt Championships, they claim a 15-17 record. In the last trip to the Sun Belt Tournament in 2025, the Warhawks reached the semifinals after a 9-2 win over Georgia Southern, eventually falling in a 4-2 game against James Madison. The Warhawks have made it to the semifinals three times since joining the Sun Belt, last occurring in 2025. Only once has ULM advanced to the Sun Belt Championship game: In their first season competing in the tournament, 2008.

SUN BELT CHAMPIONS –

The ULM Warhawks captured their first Sun Belt regular season title on May 2, following a three-game sweep over Southern Miss. This is ULM's second regular season conference title, last winning the Southland Conference in 1997. The Warhawks have also claimed two tournament titles, in 1985 and 1986.

POSTSEASON AWARDS – 

Four Warhawks were named to the All-Sun Belt teams this week, with Morgan Brown and Ashanti McDade named to the All-Sun Belt First Team and Meagan Brown named to the Second Team. Skylar Waggoner rounds things out, named All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention.

With four players named All-Sun Belt, ULM claims the most all-conference honors since joining the Sun Belt, tying the number with last season's number. The Warhawks recognize both Brown sisters having earned all-conference honors two years in a row, while both pitchers become the first ULM pitchers to be named All-Sun Belt.

COACH OF THE YEAR – 

ULM head coach Molly Fichtner has been named the 2026 Sun Belt Coach of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the fifth Sun Belt coach in history to earn the honor back-to-back. Fichtner's 2026 team has continued to break more records than in 2025, already surpassing the Sun Belt win record set last season with 19. While ULM was estimated to finish second in the league, the team was the only top five preseason selection to not receive a first-place vote. Fichtner proved voters wrong yet again, clinching the outright Sun Belt regular season title. 

LAST TIME OUT –

The Warhawks hosted Southern Miss for the final regular season series, claiming their fourth SBC sweep of the season to clinch the Sun Belt regular season title. All three games were decided by one run. After the Golden Eagles took the lead in the first inning of game 1, three two-run innings placed the home team ahead, 6-1. Olivia Faggard logged two RBIs in the game, reaching seven runs for ULM. Southern Miss cut it close in the seventh but ultimately fell short, 7-6. Skylar Waggoner pitched a complete-game shutout in game 2, Carson Jansky scoring the lone run off an RBI double. An RBI double from Brooklin Lippert set ULM ahead 2-0 in game 3, Maddie Nichols allowing one run in seven innings for the 2-1 win and series sweep.

DOUBLE TROUBLE –

The Warhawks are now up to 83 doubles on the season, breaking the single-season record for doubles, surpassing the mark of 81 set in 2025. The number ranks second in the Sun Belt and 45th nationally. Morgan Brown leads the team with 17, Meagan Brown close behind with 14.

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS –

In the 2026 season alone, ULM has put nine entries in the single-season Top 5 records lists, including the most doubles in a single season (83), hits (412), total bases (592), walks (163) and fielding percentage (.974). 19 Sun Belt wins shatters the previous record, seven saves in the pitching circle sits at second and 37 wins ranks fourth.