South Tidewater News

Baseball Begins Sun Belt Action at ULM This Weeken

Matchup – Old Dominion (15-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) at ULM (7-11, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Game Location – Lou St. Amant Field (Monroe, La.)
Game 1 – Friday, March 17 at 7 p.m. ET
Game 2 – Saturday, March 18 at 3 p.m. ET
Game 3 – Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. ET
Watch – ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3)
Listen – FOX Sports 1310
Live Stats – Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
 
MONROE, La. – After a 15-2 start to the season, Old Dominion baseball is set to begin Sun Belt Conference play this weekend as the Monarchs head to Monroe, Louisiana for a three-game set against ULM. The teams open with a 7 p.m. ET game on Friday, play at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.
 
All three games will be streamed on ESPN+ and fans can hear Andy Mashaw call the action on FOX Sports 1310. Live stats will also be available.
 
Around the Horn
The Monarchs (15-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) earned a two-game sweep of Princeton earlier this week as ODU shut out the Tigers 13-0 in seven innings on Tuesday and 23-0 on Wednesday. Wednesday's final marked the most runs ODU has scored in a game since last season's Conference USA opener at Middle Tennessee, a 23-7 victory on March 18.
 
ODU is in its second stint as a member of the Sun Belt: the Monarchs were previously in the league from 1983-1991. In that span, ODU captured three regular season titles ('83, '85 and '87), reached the conference tournament title game four times ('83, '85, '90 and '91), and won the conference tournament in 1985. That year saw the Monarchs finish with a program-best 50-11 overall record under former head coach Mark Newman as the team made its second appearance in an NCAA Regional.

ODU was picked to finish seventh in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's 14 head coaches. The Monarchs received a total of 116 points and weren't represented on the Preseason All-Conference Team. Southern Miss picked up 11 first-place votes and was the preseason favorite with 192 points, while Georgia Southern and Texas State were picked to tie for second with 158 points each. ULM landed at the No. 11 spot with 58 points and also went without a Preseason All-Conference nod.
 
There are currently 10 Monarchs hitting over .300, with Hunter Fitz-Gerald leading the team's starters with a .427 average. The conference Player of the Week on Feb. 28 and a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week on March 6, the Margate, Florida native is currently second in the country in total hits (35) and total bases (71). He also ranks third in hits per game (2.06), home runs (10), and RBIs per game (1.94); fourth in RBIs (33); fifth in home runs per game (0.59); and 14th in runs per game (1.59).

Also hitting over .300 are Jay Tarkenton (.500), Alex Bouche (.377), Tyler Wheeler (.375), Thomas Wheeler (.369), Kenny Levari (.362), Luke Waters (.350), Jake Ticer (.333), Robbie O'Neal (.333) and Jack Speights (.333). Ticer ranks fourth nationally with 0.60 home runs per game, is eighth with nine homers, and 20th with a .907 slugging percentage. Thomas Wheeler has also cracked the Top 25 in multiple categories: his three triples are 11th in the country and his 0.18 triples per game are 25th.
 
Through games played on March 15, the Monarchs are in the Top 10 in the country in eight different offensive categories: the team is second in home runs per game (2.41) and slugging percentage (.636); third in home runs (41) and scoring (11.3 runs per game); fifth in batting average (.345) and hits (213); sixth in runs (192); and seventh in on-base percentage (.453).
 
The weekend rotation will stay the same for ODU: Blake Morgan (2-1, 5.49 ERA) will start on Friday, Sam Armstrong (3-0, 1.61 ERA) will be on the bump on Saturday, and Dylan Brown (2-0, 3.07 ERA) will get the nod on Sunday. Monarch pitchers are holding opposing batters to a .256 clip and own a team ERA of 3.61.
 
Scouting ULM
The Warhawks (7-11, 0-0 Sun Belt) avoided a series sweep by Nicholls last weekend thanks to a 5-0 shutout in the finale. ULM then fell to Northwestern State for the second time this season on Tuesday, a 6-2 setback in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The Warhawks dug themselves an early 5-0 hole through three innings before finally plating a run in the fourth. They pushed across another run in the eighth and had runners in scoring position with one out, but came up empty as the next two batters were retired.
 
Riley Davis leads ULM's starters with a .309 average. Zack Floyd is hitting .293 and Kade Dupont follows at .288. Michelle Artzberger (.246) has driven in a team-high 15 runs and is even with Dupont in runs scored (13). Artzberger has also hit three homers and has drawn 13 walks. The Warhawks have shown off their speed on the basepaths so far with 34 stolen bases on 39 attempts. Shawn Wetherbee (.250) is 7-for-8, Floyd is 6-for-7, Cardell Thibodeaux (.245) is 5-for-6, and Artzeberger and Davis Meche (.320) are both 4-for-4.

As a team, the Warhawks are hitting .248 with a .347 slugging percentage and a .353 on-base percentage. ULM is third in the Sun Belt with nine sacrifice bunts and fourth in stolen bases and stolen bases per game (1.89).
 
ULM's projected rotation will see lefty Cam Barlow (1-2, 3.98 ERA) on Friday, right-hander Cole Cressend (1-3, 6.86 ERA) on Saturday, and lefty Chipper Menard (2-1, 6.10 ERA) on Sunday. The Warkhawks have a combined 5.47 ERA and opponents are batting .266 against them.
 
The Series
This weekend marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
What's Next
ODU returns to The Bud next Wednesday for the first meeting of a home-and-home series versus Liberty. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
Voucher Books!
The 2022-23 Old Dominion voucher book is available for sale on ynottix.com. For the cost of $50, you get 25 tickets that can be presented at the gate for admission to any regular season home game at Bud Metheny Ballpark. Single-game tickets can also be purchased for $5.
  

Original source can be found here