"From The Broadcast Booth"
2026 ULM Baseball End of Season Deep Dive
Welcome to “From the Broadcast Booth,” a new blog to accompany all of the other things we do for the Warhawk Radio Network from Van Wagner. I’m hoping to make an entry every week, but sometimes life gets in the way, so I’ll do my best to provide you some more bonus content that goes with our on air broadcasts and podcasts.
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This first entry comes from the work I’ve done over the past few days putting a bow on the 2026 ULM Baseball season.
For those that follow me on social media, you already know that this is one of my favorite all-time teams that I’ve ever covered. This group was so much fun to be around each and every day. You could feel how much they cared about each other, how much the pitchers and hitters got along, and you could see the culture that Ford Pemberton and his staff created in their first year leading this program. They made significant progress in building this program in what is a power league in baseball. Mid-majors don’t get five bids to the NCAA Tournament. Power leagues do.
When you look back at 2026, this team was really a handful of at bats, a handful of pitches, a handful of plays away from qualifying for the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Montgomery for the first time since 2022. As a broadcaster, I sit here and wonder about what would be different if ULM pulled out the 13-inning win over Georgia State on April 2? What if ULM could have snuck out a second win against Arkansas State or James Madison? What if ULM steals a game in the doubleheader at Southern Miss? But, unfortunately, those games didn’t go the Warhawks’ way. However, this is still a team that swept a team that earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in Texas State, and a team that won a road series over another team that earned an at-large bid in the Ragin’ Cajuns. Great progress was made, and there’s more on the horizon.
In wrapping up the season, I’ve compiled a list of statistical and record accomplishments of this team. First, some comparisons to 2025 to illustrate the growth in 2026, and then the last time ULM hit some statistical accomplishments. Finally, there’s new entries to the record book. They are as follows:
Hitting Comparisons between 2026 and 2025
· Team batting average jumped by 40 points (.294 in ’26, .254 in ’25).
· Team on-base percentage jumped by 53 points (.396 in ’26, .343 in ’25).
· Team slugging percentage jumped by 73 points (.457 in ’26, .384 in ’25).
· 133 more at bats in 2026 (1,886 to 1,753).
· 126 more runs scored in 2026 (402 to 276, 7.3 runs per game to 5.0 runs per game).
· 109 more hits in 2026 (554 to 445).
· 37 more doubles in 2026 (118 to 81).
· 18 more home runs in 2026 (57 to 39).
· 117 more RBIs in 2026 (373 to 256).
· 188 more total bases in 2026 (861 to 673).
· 58 more bases on balls in 2026 (242 to 184).
· Hit by a pitch 34 more times in 2026 (98 to 64).
· Strikeouts were relatively even between the two years, despite 133 more at bats in ‘26 (421 to 419).
· Hit into a similar number of double plays between the two years, despite 133 more at bats in ’26 (29 to 27).
· 12 more sacrifice flies in 2026 (29 to 17).
· 19 fewer sacrifice bunts in 2026 (21 to 40).
· Stolen bases were fairly similar (77-95 in ’26, 75-92 in ’25).
Pitching Comparisons Between 2026 and 2025
· Threw 14.2 more innings in 2026 (475 to 460.1).
· ERA was down slightly in 2026 (6.33 to 6.49).
· 27 more hits allowed in 2026 with 14.2 more innings pitched (557 to 530).
· 4 fewer runs allowed in 2026 despite 14.2 more innings pitched (369 to 373).
· 2 more earned runs allowed in 2026 with 14.2 more innings pitched (334 to 332).
· Issued 26 more walks in 2026 with 14.2 more innings pitched (259 to 233).
· Struck out 61 more batters in 2026 with 14.2 more innings pitched (442 to 381).
· WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) was slightly higher in 2026 (1.72 to 1.66).
· Wild pitches were down slightly in 2026 (49 to 53).
· Hit batters were up in 2026 with 14.2 more innings pitched (86 to 73).
· Balks were down significantly in 2026 (3 to 15).
· Opponent batting average was similar between the years (.295 in ’26, .292 in ’25).
Fielding Comparisons Between 2026 and 2025
· Fielding percentage down slightly, with the ’25 team setting a new program record and ’26 finishing tied for second in program history (.971 in ’26, .974 in ’25).
· Committed a few more errors in 2026 (58 to 51).
· One of the Sun Belt’s and nation’s best at turning double plays (47 to 33).
· Allowed significantly fewer stolen bases (69 to 118).
· As a result of allowing fewer stolen bases, fewer runners were caught stealing (20 to 32).
Individual Comparisons Between 2026 and 2025
· Five qualifying players (Kade Dupont, Davis Mauzy, Bryce Blaser, Garrett Wiethorn, and Jake Haggard) hit over .300 in 2026, compared to one qualifying player hitting over .300 (Isaiah Walker) in 2025.
· Six players (Haggard, Marcus Aranda, Blaser, Mauzy, Dupont, Dayne Wray) collected over 30 RBIs, three (Haggard, Aranda, Blaser) had over 40 RBIs and two (Haggard, Aranda) had over 50 RBIs in 2026 compared to two players (Walker and Henry Garcia).
· Six players (Mauzy, Blaser, Dupont, Haggard, Micah Dean, Wiethorn) picked up 50 or more hits, and four players (Mauzy, Blaser, Dupont, Haggard) had at least 60 hits, compared to four players with 50 or more hits and one with more than 60 hits last year.
· Seven players (Blaser, Dupont, Haggard, Mauzy, Dean, Wray, Zach White) with at least 10 doubles in 2026, while three players reached the mark in 2025.
· Four players (Aranda, Haggard, Wray, Dean) hit at least six home runs, while no player hit more than six home runs last season.
· Three players (Aranda, Mauzy, Dupont) had a .500 or greater slugging percentage while one player accomplished the feat last year.
· Four players (Dupont, Mauzy, Blaser, Wiethorn) had a .400 or greater on base percentage, with only one player hitting the mark in 2025.
The Last Time a Warhawk Hit These Numbers
· Kade Dupont’s .365 batting average was the highest by a qualifying batter since Ben Soignier in 2009.
· Dupont was hit by a pitch 22 times, the most since Shawn Dalton Weatherbee was hit by 23 pitches in 2023.
· Dupont’s .480 on base percentage was the highest since Ryan Cupit’s .485 mark in 2022.
· Marcus Aranda’s 13 home runs were the most since Mason Holt clubbed 16 homers in 2022.
· Jake Haggard’s 57 RBI were the most since Chad Bell’s 61 RBI in 2019.
· Davis Mauzy and Bryce Blaser scored 51 runs, the most since Easton Winfield scored 51 times in 2024.
· Mauzy’s 108 total bases were the most since Winfield had 112 in ’24.
· Blaser’s 43 bases on balls were the most since Ryan Cupit set the new school record with 59 walks in ’22.
· Blaser’s 17 doubles were the most since Trent Tingelstad picked up 19 in 2019.
New Record Book Entries
· ULM pitching struck out 442 batters, the fifth-most in school history.
· ULM’s .971 fielding percentage is tied for second-best all time, tied with the 2012 club.
· ULM’s 58 errors were the third fewest committed in a single season.
· Jake Haggard’s 57 RBI were tied for the eighth most in a single season.
· Haggard also set several career marks, finishing fifth in career games played (203) and career at bats (707), and tied for sixth in career RBI (141).
· Bryce Blaser’s 43 walks were tied for ninth most in a single season.
· Blaser also clubbed 44 doubles in just three seasons to finish seventh in career doubles, and played in the third fewest career games of anyone on the list.
· Adam Tubbs tied for eighth with 58 career relief appearances.