RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech baseball team gets set for a pair of midweek contests against in-state foes UL-Lafayette and ULM.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: UL-Lafayette
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 11 | 6 p.m. CT
Location: M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park (Lafayette, La.)
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Radio: Sportstalk 97.7 FM | LA Tech Athletics app
 
Opponent: ULM
Date/Time: Wednesday, April 12 | 6 p.m. CT
Location: J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park (Ruston, La.)
TV/Stream: CUSA.tv
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Radio: Sportstalk 97.7 FM | LA Tech Athletics app
Tickets: LATechSports.com/Tickets
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (16-16)
LA Tech is coming off a conference series win over Rice in Houston, taking two of three from the Owls at Reckling Park.  The Bulldogs prevailed 6-4 and 5-4 in games one and two respectively, and then was shutout in the third and final game of the series, 4-0. 
 
Quality pitching was the catalyst for the two victories.  The triple threat of Jonathan Fincher, Landon Tomkins, and Ethan Bates secured the first win as they combined for 10 strikeouts.  Tomkins improved to 4-0 while Bates notched his sixth save. 
 
In game two, it was Alec Sparks who had perhaps his best outing of the season.  He picked up his third win, going 5.2 innings while allowing just one run on two hits with seven strikeouts.  Bates came on to get the last two outs and secure his seventh save, which ranks first in C-USA and top 10 in the country.  Reed Smith, who did not see action against Rice, is slated to make his seventh start when the Bulldogs face the Ragin' Cajuns.
 
Meanwhile at the plate, Bates had an OB% of .700 versus the Owls while hitting .500. The Bulldogs added to their home run total as well, getting three more to give them 44 on the season (Philip Matulia hit his team-leading 12th homer while Brody Drost went back-to-back games with a home run for his only two hits of the series).
 
ABOUT UL-LAFAYETTE (23-9)
ULL enters Tuesday having won five straight games, including a series sweep over Marshall in West Virginia.  The Ragin' Cajuns are 5-2 in midweek games this season and are 16-5 at home.
 
The team has a combined batting average of .288, anchored by outfielder Heath Hood who has a team-best .376 batting average.  He leads the team with 44 hits and has also swiped 23 bases on 26 attempts.  As a team, the Ragin' Cajuns have 98 stolen bases, which ranks fourth in the nation.
 
On the mound, ULL has a team ERA of 4.09.  Right-hander Brendan Moody is scheduled to get the start.  He has made 12 appearances on the season, including four starts, throwing 29.2 innings with an ERA of 4.55.
 
ULL leads the all-time series over LA Tech, 69-57 (since 1970).  The two programs have played two midweek games every season since 2016 with the Bulldogs holding a 9-5 advantage during that time span. 
 
They split last season's meetings with LA Tech winning 7-3 and ULL taking the second contest, 8-6.  Both of those games were played at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.  The two will meet up in Ruston again on May 9.
 
ABOUT ULM (12-20)
ULM is coming off a series win at Appalachian State, taking both contests by scores of 12-3 and 3-2 (the third game was canceled).  After dropping their first seven conference games, the Warhawks have won three of their last four Sun Belt games.
 
They own a team batting average of .247 with outfielder Shawn Dalton Weatherbee leading the charge at .275.  He also has an OB% of .404 and has been hit by a pitch 18 times this season, the third most of anyone in the country.
 
Collectively, the Warhawks have a team ERA of 5.49.  Defensively, ULM is one of the best in the nation at turning double plays, having turned 28 of them, which ranks 16th in the country.
 
LA Tech leads the all-time series over ULM, 75-52 (on record).  The Bulldogs have owned the season series against the Warhawks as of late, winning 15 of the last 17 meetings (dating back to 2007).  The Warhawks did snap the Bulldogs five-game winning streak three weeks ago in Monroe, taking the game 10-6.
 
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