CONWAY, Ark. – The ULM softball squad will face four teams in three days at the UCA Invitational at Farris Field beginning tomorrow on a 1:30 p.m. first pitch versus the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Other teams in the tournament include Belmont, Middle Tennessee, South Dakota State and UCA.
The Warhawks (8-3) went 4-1 last weekend at the Tennessee State hosted Tiger Classic in which junior left fielder Rochelle Roberts was named Co-MVP and later deemed Sun Belt Conference Student-Athlete of the Week for her efforts. Junior pitcher Melanie Coyne was also named to the All-Classic Tournament Team after notching a 3-1 record.
ULM leads the Sun Belt in stolen bases per game (3.6), triples per game (.7) and fielding percentage (.979). Roberts leads the SBC in stolen bases as she has converted 15-15 stolen base attempts. Roberts and freshman Sydney McKay are tied for first in the SBC with two triples. McKay earned both triples during the tournament and drove in a team-high eight runs during the five-game span.
Junior designated player McKinley Marks (.429) and senior first baseman Amye Barre (.412) also had productive weekends at the plate. Barre, Marks and sophomore second baseman Cheyanne Lyon each hit a home run in the Tiger Classic.
For the second straight year, Coyne has taken the role as the ace of the pitching staff. The Huntington Beach, Calif. native has compiled a 5-2 record with a team-low 2.26 ERA. She also earned a save this weekend after holding on to a 4-3 win against TSU. Freshman Casey Waterman earned her first win of the season over the weekend after pitching four relief innings in that contest.
Feb. 26 | UAPB | 1:30 p.m.
The Lady Lions (4-6) are looking to get back on track after losing their last six contests. Junior catcher Paige Garcia is UAPB's offensive catalyst as she is the only student-athlete with double-digit RBIs (16) and two home runs. Junior Hailey Forbes is the only pitcher that has thrown more than 10 innings as she has 20 innings pitched under her belt thus far.
Feb. 27 | MTSU | 9 a.m.
The Raiders (6-4) are on a four-game winning streak after defeating Maryland-Baltimore Country twice, Alabama State and Nicholls to conclude the Black and Gold Tournament which was hosted by ASU.
MTSU has an All-Conference USA catcher in sophomore Morgan Harris, but the Raiders' offense has been recently ignited by freshman Kirstyn Cuccia (.400) and sophomore Kristin Uselton (.379). The duo represent the only two MTSU hitters to record double-digit hits this season.
Senior Kelci Cheney (4-3, 2.50 ERA) has logged 42 of the Raiders' 66 innings pitched while counterpart sophomore Pattie Taylor (2-0, 1.65 ERA) has been effective in relief, maintaining an 8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Feb. 27 | Belmont | 1:30 p.m.
The Bruins (0-9) are still looking to pick up their first win of the season. Freshman Jordan Spicer leads Belmont offensively at .370 in addition to a team-high four doubles. The Hendersonville, Tenn., native also ties a team high with four RBIs along with senior Jess Wilson. Bruin ace Shelby Willard (0-4, 3.00 ERA) has limited hitters to a .235 batting average against.
Feb. 28 | SDSU | 9 a.m.
The Jackrabbits (1-9) went 1-4 at Sun Belt foe UT Arlington's Maverick Invitational this past weekend, including two losses to UTA. SDSU did pick up its first win of the season in a 7-6 triumph over Princeton.
Chosen to finish fifth in the Summit League, the Jackrabbits' offensive firepower starts with sophomore catcher Jordyn Sturgeon, who spearheads SDSU with a .370 batting average and three home runs.
Jackrabbit pitchers Ashlyn Bender (1-4, 6.07 ERA) and Bryana Clark (0-5, 6.62 ERA) have tossed 54.1 of 66.1 innings. The two have combined for four complete games with Bender hurling three.
Live stats for each game can be found
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