MONROE, La.-Coming off its
best back-to-back seasons since 2000 and 2001, the ULM baseball team has begun
its preparations for the 2010 season as the Warhawks are a week into fall
practice.
"Things are going well so
far," head coach Jeff Schexnaider said. "We have a great group of seniors who
are leading by example on the field. We are excited about the new guys that
have come in this season. Not only are they talented baseball players, but they
are also extremely hard workers. We have a lot of depth this season, which has
provided competition at a lot of positions."
Over the past two seasons the Warhawks have captured the 2008 Sun Belt
Conference regular season championship, advanced to the 2009 Sun Belt
Tournament Championship Game and won a combined 66 games.
ULM returns five position players that saw substantial action in 2009
and two others that would have been in the starting lineup if injuries hadn't
ended their seasons. Boomer Blanchard, Nick Wade, Matt Laird and Perry Smith
all return as senior starters for the Warhawks, while sophomore Chris Sinclair
played in 20 games and made 10 starts in 2009.
Senior Josh Chappell was ULM's opening-day starter as the designated
hitter, but was lost for the season due to an injury in the opening game.
Junior Josh Gill was also a projected starter last season, but was lost for the year due to an injury.
"Having all of these guys returning makes everyone move a little
faster," Schexnaider said. "They already know the system so they are able to
help teach the younger guys how we play the game."
The Warhawks also return a handful of pitchers that have been through
the tough Sun Belt Conference schedule. The conference has ranked among the top
eight in the nation in eight of the past nine years, including each of the last
five seasons.
Senior Don Williams, who earned three-consecutive Louisiana Pitcher of
the Week honors last season, senior Corey Brown, senior Josh Miller and junior Jordy Poche
anchor the Warhawk pitching staff. The Warhawks will also welcome back senior
Derek Ward, who missed the majority of the 2009 season due to injury.
"Hopefully the strength of our team this year will be our pitching
staff," Schexnaider said. "We have a group of really talented pitchers and they
are going to have to compete on the mound to see who can give us the best
chance to win."
Schexnaider hired one of the top pitching coaches in the country over
the summer when he brought in Lantz Wheeler from Lipscomb University. Wheeler
groomed Rex Brothers into one of the top pitchers in the nation as he was the
34th overall pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft in June.
"Lantz has done a great job working with our pitchers," Schexnaider
said. "He is an extremely hard worker and the players understand that he can
make them better pitchers."
ULM welcomes 16 new players to the roster this season with eight
freshman and eight junior college transfers. The recruiting class was
recognized as one of the best in the nation by Collegiate Baseball.
Fall practice culminates with the annual Maroon & Gold Blood Series
at Warhawk Field from Nov. 9-14. The seniors split the team into two squads
and then play a best-of-five series with the losing team donating blood to a
Monroe-area blood bank.
