ULM Clashes with LA Tech Wednesday in Ruston – University of … – ULM Warhawks

MONROE, La. – The ULM baseball wraps up a three-game road swing with a trip down I-20 to take on Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m. Wednesday at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston.

Tuesday’s game is the 188th meeting between ULM and LA Tech, with the Bulldogs leading the series, 109-78. Louisiana Tech has five of the last six meetings in the series, with ULM snapping a five-game skid in the first meeting, 10-6, on March 21 in Monroe. The Bulldogs swept last year’s meetings, winning 8-4 in Monroe on March 15 and 11-5 on May 3 in Ruston. ULM last defeated LA Tech in Ruston, 9-4, on March 26, 2019. ULM is seeking its first season sweep of LA Tech since 2005. The Warhawks have not defeated the Bulldogs multiple times in one season since 2007, when the two teams split a pair of double midweek matchups.

ULM (12-20 overall, 3-8 Sun Belt Conference) picked up a pair of road wins in the Blue Ridge Mountains, knocking off App State twice. ULM won the series opener, 12-3, on Thursday night before taking Saturday’s series finale, 3-2, to sweep the weather-shortened two-game series. The two teams did not play on Friday due to weather and had the second game of a proposed nine-inning doubleheader on Saturday canceled after a weather delay in the first game caused the series finale to run past the Sun Belt Conference curfew to start a new game.

On Thursday, ULM scored seven runs, all with two outs, in the third inning to build a 7-1 lead and cruised to the 12-3 win. Eight different Warhawks had at least one hit and one RBI. Riley Davis had two hits, including a 2-run home run in the seven-run third inning and a ground-rule double in the four-run fifth inning. Jake Haggard added two hits with an RBI, three runs scored and a walk. Chenar Brown hit a 2-run home run for his first homer as a Warhawk. Cam Barlow (2-4) threw a career-high 7 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts for the win.

On Saturday, the two teams played in a steady rain for much of the game with temperatures holding near 40 degrees. ULM trailed 2-0 through five innings. Shawn Dalton Weatherbee hit a home run in the sixth inning to cut the deficit in half, 2-1. The Warhawks then took the lead in the seventh inning as Zack Floyd hit a 2-RBI double. Carson Orton (3-3) threw three scoreless and hitless innings out of the bullpen for the win, while Justin Robinson earned his second save by throwing a scoreless ninth inning.

Louisiana Tech won two games in its weekend series at Rice, taking Friday’s game, 6-4, and the first game of Saturday’s seven-inning doubleheader, 5-4, before the Owls took the nightcap, 4-0. The Bulldogs are 16-16 overall and 6-6 in Conference USA play. The Bulldogs are 3-4 in midweek games entering Tuesday night’s game at the Ragin’ Cajuns.

As of Tuesday, ULM ranks in the Top 100 in several NCAA stat categories. The Warhawks are 16th in NCAA Division I and second in the Sun Belt Conference in double plays (28), 61st nationally and fifth in the SBC in sacrifice bunts (15), 64th nationally and fifth in the SBC in stolen bases (47), 89th nationally and eighth in the SBC in hit by pitch (43), 94th nationally and fourth in the SBC in WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched, 1.51) and 98th nationally and third in the SBC in walks allowed per nine innings (4.29).

Individually, Shawn Dalton Weatherbee is third in the nation and leads the SBC, having been hit by a pitch 18 times this year. Cardell Thibodeaux is ranked 34th in the nation and fourth in the SBC with four sacrifice flies. Chipper Menard is 99th nationally and ninth in the SBC with 10.98 strikeouts per nine innings.

Wednesday’s game is available to stream on CUSA.TV. The Voice of the Warhawks, Mike Hammett, will have the radio call for the game on 105.7 FM/540 AM KMLB, KMLB.com and the TuneIn app on the Warhawk Radio Network from Learfield. A link to live stats can be found on the baseball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.

WARHAWKS LOOK FOR FIRST REGULAR SEASON SWEEP OF LA TECH SINCE 2005

ULM and I-20 foe Louisiana Tech meet for the second time in the 2023 season at 6 p.m. Wednesday at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston. It is the third-most played rivalry in ULM baseball history as the two teams play for the 188th time on Wednesday, with LA Tech leading the series, 109-78. Only Northwestern State (229 meetings) and McNeese (198 meetings) have played ULM more frequently than LA Tech. The Bulldogs have won five of the last six meetings in the series. ULM won the first meeting, 10-6, on March 21 in Monroe. ULM last defeated LA Tech in Ruston, 9-4, on March 26, 2019. ULM is seeking its first season sweep of LA Tech since 2005. The Warhawks have not defeated the Bulldogs multiple times in one season since 2007, when the two teams split a pair of double midweek matchups.

In the first meeting, ULM snapped a four-game skid on the season with a 10-6 win over Louisiana Tech at Lou St. Amant Field. It was ULM’s first win over Louisiana Tech since 2019 and first win over the Bulldogs in Monroe since 2007. Kade Dupont led ULM with three hits, including a double, and four RBIs. Three bullpen arms, Brandt Corley, Russell Derbyshire and Nicholas Judice, combined to throw the last six innings, allowing just one run and three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Corley (1-2) threw 2 2/3 innings for his first-career win, allowing two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Derbyshire threw a season-high 1 1/3 innings with a strikeout, while Judice allowed a run with one hit and two strikeouts over two innings.

WEATHERBEE PICKING UP PACE TO LEAD WARHAWKS

ULM center fielder Shawn Dalton Weatherbee leads the team with a .275 batting average (33-of-120) after picking up two hits with two RBIs at App State. He tallied an opposite-field RBI single in the seven-run third inning on Thursday against the Mountaineers before a solo home run, his third of the season, cut the deficit in half on the way to ULM’s 3-2 come-from-behind victory on Saturday.

He also has three doubles, 12 RBIs, 24 runs scored, eight walks. He shot to the top of the stat sheet over the weekend series against Marshall, picking up six hits with four RBIs and three runs scored. He opened the weekend against the Thundering Herd with two hits with an RBI, a run scored and a walk on March 31. On April 1, he had three hits, including the walk-off home run in the 11th inning in the 4-3 win. He closed the series on April 2, going 1-for-3 with a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the ninth with a walk and was hit by a pitch.

Weatherbee ranks third in NCAA Division I after being hit by a pitch 18 times through the first 32 games of the season. The Booneville, Mississippi, native was hit by a pitch in the April 2 series finale vs. Marshall. He has been hit by a pitch twice against Bradley (Feb. 19), Memphis (March 7) and Louisiana Tech (March 21).

His eight stolen bases on 10 attempts leads the team. His eight multi-hit games rank second on the team.

DUPONT SHOWS STEADY PLAY IN INFIELD

Red-shirt freshman Kade Dupont has provided some versatility on the infield for ULM. He joins Shawn Dalton Weatherbee as the only two players to start all 32 games, making 28 starts at second base and four at third base. He has played two positions in the infield in seven games, including an appearance at shortstop late in the game vs. Northwestern State on March 8. He roped a 2-RBI double down the left-field line to spark ULM’s seven-run rally with two outs on Thursday at App State.

The Watson, Louisiana, native has hit safely in 24 of 32 games and had a team-best nine-game hitting streak broken up on Saturday at App State. He leads the team with 21 RBIs and is second on the team with 21 runs scored. He has eight doubles and two home runs. He is third on the team with seven multi-hit games after picking up two hits, including a double, vs. Little Rock on April 4. He has three three-hit games, coming in his collegiate debut vs. Bradley on Feb. 17, at Mississippi State on Feb. 21 and vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21. He leads the team with a .280 batting average (33-of-118).

He hit his second home run of the season on March 31 vs. Marshall, belting a 2-run blast in the bottom of the first inning. He made his first career start at third base on March 21, but made his biggest impact at the plate, matching his career high with three hits while driving in a career-best four runs in ULM’s 10-6 win over Louisiana Tech. He hit a two-out, 2-RBI single in the bottom of the second inning and added a 2-RBI double in the sixth inning against the Bulldogs. He had two hits, including an RBI double, with a run scored at Northwestern State on March 14. He had two doubles in the March 10 game vs. Nicholls, hit an RBI single on March 11 and added an RBI double in the eighth inning on March 12 vs. the Colonels. He picked up ULM’s only RBI with a single in the third inning on March 8 vs. Northwestern State. He hit his first-career home run and picked up his first multi-RBI game in the process, driving in two runs at UIW on March 3. He hit safely in all three games of the weekend series against SIUE. He was 1-for-3 on Feb. 26 against the Cougars with a walk and a run scored. He had two hits on Feb. 25 while adding an RBI, two runs scored and a walk. He opened the series on Feb. 24 with a 1-for-5 day at the plate with a run scored. He picked up a hit in both games at Mississippi State. After opening the midweek set with a 3-for-5 game with a double, RBI and three runs scored, he went 1-for-3 at the plate on Feb. 22. In his collegiate debut against Bradley on Feb. 17, he had three hits, scored twice and stole a base. He closed out the series with Bradley on Feb. 19 by going 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Despite going 0-for-3 at the plate on Feb. 18, he picked up an RBI on his first sacrifice fly.

THIBODEAUX MAKING BIG IMPACT AS FRESHMAN

Freshman left fielder Cardell Thibodeaux hit safely in eight of the last 10 games, and has five doubles over the last eight games after connecting for another on April 4 vs. Little Rock. He picked up a 2-RBI single to cap the seven-run third inning at App State on Thursday. He had three doubles over the weekend series vs. Marshall. He had two doubles on March 31 with a run scored against the Thundering Herd. He drove in at least one run in all three games of the series at Troy on March 24-25. Thibodeaux has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 starts, with 12 hits and seven RBIs in the stretch.

Thibodeaux is hitting .263 (25-of-95) with six doubles and one home run while scoring 12 times. He ranks third on the team with 18 RBIs and is second on the club with seven stolen bases. He is 34th in NCAA Division I and fourth in the Sun Belt Conference with four sacrifice flies. Over the last 10 games, Thibodeaux leads the team with a .313 batting average (10-of-32) with five doubles, six RBIs, five runs scored and six walks.

FLOYD GIVES COACHING STAFF LINEUP OPTIONS

ULM junior infielder/outfielder Zack Floyd is fourth on the team with a .262 batting average (22-of-84). He has made starts at third base, right field and designated hitter. He picked up two doubles, including the go-ahead 2-RBI double down the left-field line at App State on Saturday. He did not join the regular lineup until Feb. 25 against SIUE, but his stellar play kept him in the starting nine until suffering an injury against Louisiana Tech, which knocked him out of the starting lineup for the Troy series. He has 22 hits with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, seven RBIs, 16 runs scored, six walks and six stolen bases. Floyd had two hits, including a double, with two runs scored vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21. He had a pair of singles on March 14 at Northwestern State. He had a hit in each of the three games against Nicholls over the weekend, including an RBI in the eighth inning on March 12. He also made a back-handed stop on the foul line behind the third base bag in the March 12 game, leapt in the air and threw out the batter at first base to help keep the shutout of the Colonels intact. Floyd had two hits, including a double, with a run scored to become a qualifier in team-leading categories on March 7 vs. Memphis. He had two hits, including a solo home run, on March 5 at UIW. He had three hits, including a triple and a solo home run, in his first-career start vs. SIUE on Feb. 25.

DAVIS CONTINUES AS A TOP OFFENSIVE THREAT

ULM junior catcher Riley Davis is hitting .261 (29-of-111) with a team-high 10 doubles and is tied for the team lead with three home runs. He is second on the team with 20 RBIs while adding seven runs scored and 13 walks. He leads the team with nine multi-hit games. He is tied with Kade Dupont for the team lead with 48 total bases. He has homered in three of the last five games after hitting a 2-run home run and added a ground-rule double on Thursday at App State. He hit a grand slam and picked up five RBIs on April 4 vs. Little Rock. He had two hits with an RBI and a run scored, hitting his first-career home run on April 1 vs. Marshall. He hit a single and double at Central Arkansas on March 29. He had a pair of hits in the series opener at Troy on March 24. He hit an RBI double on March 18 vs. Old Dominion before picking up an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the series finale on March 19. He picked up an RBI single in the fourth inning on March 14 at Northwestern State. He closed the series against Nicholls with an RBI in each of the last two games of the series, including a double on the March 12 series finale. He tallied his team-leading fifth multi-hit game on March 8 vs. Northwestern State, going 2-for-4 with a double. He went 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored with two walks on Feb. 28 vs. Grambling for his fourth multi-hit and third-multi-RBI game. His early-season hot streak picked up steam by hitting safely in all three games of the weekend series against SIUE. He picked up two hits, including a double, on Feb. 24 against the Cougars. On Feb. 25, he picked up another double with a pair of RBIs and a walk. He wrapped up the series on Feb. 26 with two more hits, including another double, with an RBI. He went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs on Feb. 21 vs. Mississippi State for his first three hits as a Warhawk.  

JONES COMING ON STRONG AT BOTTOM OF THE ORDER

ULM junior shortstop Carson Jones is in the mix at the top of the stat sheet with a .261 batting average (24-of-92). He has two doubles with nine RBIs and 15 runs scored. He has picked up 10 of his 24 hits over the last 10 games. He has increased his batting average .077 since March 18. He picked up three hits with an RBI and a run scored vs. Old Dominion on March 19, two hits with an RBI and two runs scored vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21, and two hits on April 1 and April 2 vs. Marshall. He is tied for fourth on the team with six multi-hit games, adding a two-hit game vs. Memphis on March 7 and two hits with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored vs. Grambling on Feb. 28. Overall on the season, Jones has two doubles, nine RBIs and 15 runs scored.

LINDSAY TO MAKE 2023 DEBUT VS. LITTLE ROCK

Junior right-handed pitcher Trey Lindsay made his 2023 debut last week by throwing a scoreless inning against Little Rock on April 4. He allowed just one hit with one strikeout. He missed the entire 2022 season and the first 29 games of the 2023 season while recovering from an elbow injury. He is set to make his second-career start, another designated short start, on Wednesday at Louisiana Tech.

In 2021, Lindsay was one of ULM’s top relievers, making 23 appearances out of the bullpe, compiling a 2-2 record with three saves and a 3.18 ERA over 45 1/3 innings, allowing 24 runs, 16 earned, on 41 hits with 14 walks and 33 strikeouts. He was part of a combined one-hitter in a win over No. 6 TCU on May 14, 2021, throwing 3 1/3 hitless innings, allowing three unearned runs on one walk with three strikeouts. He tossed the final 1 2/3 innings to close out a series win at App State, giving up no runs on one hit with two strikeouts on May 2. He notched his third save, tossing the final two innings in a combined shutout with Cam Barlow in game one of a doubleheader vs. Southern on April 25. He locked down his second save, throwing 3 2/3 shutout innings with two hits, no walks and two strikeouts vs. Little Rock on April 18. Lindsay pitched a scoreless inning on just six pitches at Georgia Southern on April 10. He bounced back from a rough outing to throw three shutout innings on just 27 pitches, giving up one hit with no walks and two strikeouts at Alabama on April 7. He earned his first save, throwing 1 1/3 innings with an unearned run on two hits and a strikeout vs. Georgia State on March 21. He was named Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week after throwing four innings over a combined three outings, giving up no runs on three hits with four strikeouts on March 16. He pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings and did not allowed two inherited runners to score, giving up two hits with two strikeouts on March 13. He earned his first win, throwing four shutout innings with one hit out of the bullpen while striking out four batters in the second game of a doubleheader vs. Nicholls on March 6. He made his ULM debut, throwing two shutout innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts vs. Northwestern State on Feb. 24.

Prior to ULM, Lindsay pitched two seasons at Panola College. He was an honorable mention All-State basketball player in high school and also was recruited to play college football.

BURRELL, DERBYSHIRE, JUDICE, ROBINSON STRONG OUT OF BULLPEN

Junior right-handed pitchers Dalton Burrell, Russell Derbyshire, Nicholas Judice and Justin Robinson have been bright spots out of the bullpen so far in 2023. 

Burrell, a transfer from LSU Eunice, has a 2.08 ERA over 13 innings, spread among eight appearances, allowing three runs on 14 hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. He made his ULM debut against Bradley on Feb. 18, throwing three innings, allowing one run on four this with one walk and two strikeouts. He threw two perfect innings against SIUE on Feb. 24 before throwing another scoreless inning with one hit and one walk on Feb. 26 against SIUE. He settled down UIW’s bats on March 5, throwing a shutout inning, allowing two hits with one strikeout. He stranded a pair of inherited runners on March 7 vs. Memphis, pitching 1 2/3 perfect innings with three strikeouts. He threw a scoreless inning with three hits in the first game of the March 25 doubleheader at Troy. He was perfect over 1 1/3 innings to close out Thursday’s win at App State.

Derbyshire, a transfer from Mineral Area Community College, has pitched 10 2/3 innings over 12 appearances, allowing five runs on 14 hits with five walks and nine strikeouts. He has made eight scoreless appearances, including seven of his last nine appearances. He made two appearances at Troy, throwing a scoreless frame with two strikeouts and a walk on March 24 and another scoreless inning in the second game of the March 25 doubleheader. He threw a scoreless 1 1/3 innings with one strikeout vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21, scoreless innings against Bradley (Feb. 17), at UIW (March 5), Northwestern State (March 8) and tossed 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout vs. Nicholls on March 11 and 2/3 of an inning at Northwestern State with two strikeouts on March 14, stranding an inherited runner at third base.

Judice, who is in his fourth season at ULM, leads bullpen pitchers with 27 2/3 innings pitched over 13 appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 3.25 ERA with a 1-0 record and two saves, allowing 10 runs on 20 hits with eight walks and ranks second on the team with 35 strikeouts. He threw three scoreless innings in the season opener against Bradley on Feb. 17, allowing one hit with one walk and five strikeouts. After giving up two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout while pitching the ninth inning of ULM’s 11-5 win at Mississippi State on Feb. 21, he bounced back by throwing the final three shutout innings on Feb. 25 vs. SIUE to earn the save, allowing one walk with four strikeouts. He pitched four innings vs. UIW on March 3, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts. He picked up his first win on March 7 vs. Memphis, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts over two innings. He made two appearances vs. Nicholls, on March 10 and 12, throwing a combined 3 2/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing three hits with five strikeouts and no walks. On March 17 against Old Dominion, he threw three innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. He threw two innings, allowing a solo home run with two strikeouts vs. Louisiana Tech on March 21. He threw a scoreless inning for his second save of the season on March 29 at Central Arkansas. He fired three shutout innings with one hit, two walks and six strikeouts vs. Marshall on April 1. A weather delay cut his outing short at App State on Saturday, throwing 2/3 of an inning, allowing one hit.

Robinson, a true freshman from Carriere, Mississippi, has made 10 appearances with two saves, posting a bullpen-best 1.98 ERA over 13 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits with 12 strikeouts and nine walks. He recorded a shutout inning to earn his second save of the season, allowing one walk with one strikeout in Saturday’s win at App State. He had a string of six-straight scoreless outings snapped on April 2 vs. Marshall, allowing two unearned runs on three hits with two strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings. He fired two scoreless innings with three strikeouts at Central Arkansas on March 29. He threw a scoreless inning despite issuing a pair of walks in game two of the March 25 doubleheader at Troy. He fired a scoreless inning on seven pitches vs. Old Dominion on March 19. He pitched a scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout at Northwestern State on March 14. He matched his season high with two innings, allowing no runs and no hits with one walk and one strikeout vs. Northwestern State on March 8. In his collegiate debut, he earned the save, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings with two walks and two strikeouts vs. Bradley on Feb. 19.

TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Over the last 10 games, a few Warhawks are showing improvement on their season stats.

Freshman Cardell Thibodeaux leads the team with a .313 batting average (10-of-32) with five doubles, six RBIs, five runs scored and five walks over the last 10 games. On the season, he is hitting .263 (25-of-95) with six doubles, one home run, 18 RBIs, 12 runs scored and 15 walks.

Junior Jayson Zmejkoski has started each of the last 10 games in right field, making 10 of his 15 starts on the season and 10 of his 20 appearances. He is hitting .288 for the season (15-of-52) with six RBIs, eight runs scored and nine walks.

Freshman right-hander Justin Robinson has made four appearances in the last 10 contests, allowing two unearned runs over 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits with three walks and six strikeouts. He has posted an ERA of 1.98 over 13 2/3 innings on the season with nine walks and 12 strikeouts.

LOCAL CONNECTIONS

The 2023 ULM baseball roster includes six players who played high school baseball inside Ouachita (wah-shuh-tah) Parish. The roster includes three players from Sterlington High School in senior outfielder Jarrett McDonald, freshman infielder Seaver Sheets and sophomore left-handed pitcher Adam Tubbs; two players from West Monroe High School in junior infielder and right-handed pitcher Chase DeJean and junior infielder Carson Jones; and one player from Ouachita High School in sophomore right-handed pitcher Zach Shaw.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

The 2023 ULM baseball roster features both a Canadian and an Australian. Pitcher Russell Derbyshire (Leamington, Ontario) represents Canada on the roster. It marks the sixth consecutive season ULM has had at least one Canadian on the roster. Pitcher Maxim Mrakovcic (Sydney, Australia) is the lone Australian on the roster.