No. 18 Troy Returns Home for Sun Belt Series with ULM

Friday, April 18

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

ULM

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No. 18 Troy Returns Home for Sun Belt Series with ULM

4/16/2025 4:40:00 PM | Baseball

ESPN+ (Game 1)ESPN+ (Game 2)ESPN+ (Game 3)Listen Live Live Stats Game Notes

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. - No. 18 Troy returns home to Riddle-Pace Field this weekend with a three-game Sun Belt series against ULM Thursday-Saturday.

The Trojans are coming off a successful seven-game trip to Virginia, picking up Sun Belt series victories at Old Dominion and James Madison. Troy enters the weekend against ULM with a 26-11 overall record and second place in the Sun Belt at 10-5. The Trojans are one of four teams in college baseball to win each of its nine weekend series this season.

Troy shook up its starting lineup in the JMU series, moving first baseman Blake Cavill into the leadoff spot for the first time this season. Cavill, who ranks sixth nationally in walks (39), had one of his loudest performances as a Trojan in Saturday's 6-3 win, launching two home runs and driving in a season-high five RBIs.

On the mound, Garrett Gainous and Noah Edders will make their tenth starts of the season, while head coach Skylar Meade has not determined a starter for Saturday's series finale. Gainous has had success against ULM in the past, recording a career-high 12 strikeouts in seven innings of one-run ball against the Warhawks as a sophomore in 2022. Edders will look to continue his dominant junior campaign, as he ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with 52 strikeouts.

Gameday Info

The Matchup: No. 18 Troy (26-11, 10-5 Sun Belt) vs. ULM (19-19, 5-10 Sun Belt)

Game Times: Thursday - 6 p.m. | Friday - 6 p.m. | Saturday - 3:33 p.m.

Location: Troy, Ala. - Riddle-Pace Field

TV: ESPN+

Radio: Troy Sports Radio Network

Live Stats: TroyStats.com

Probable Starters

Game 1

ULM: Joey Cirelli (1-7, 41.0 IP, 6.37 ERA), RHP, Sr.

Troy: Garrett Gainous (5-1, 43.2 IP, 4.12 ERA), RHP, Sr.

Game 2

ULM: Daniel Gonzalez (3-1, 39.1 IP, 5.03 ERA), RHP, So.

Troy: Noah Edders (4-0, 50.1 IP, 4.29 ERA), RHP, Jr.

Game 3

ULM: Brennan Eager (4-2, 33.0 IP, 2.73 ERA), LHP, Fr.

Troy: TBA

Quick Hitters

Troy has been ranked for ten weeks this season (Preseason-Week 9), the most in its Division I history. The Trojans were ranked for six weeks in 2011 and 2013.
Troy is one of four teams in college baseball to win all of its weekend series this season, joining Clemson, Texas and UCLA.
Troy has won each of its last six series against ULM. The Trojans have not lost a series to the Warhawks since 2016.
Troy has swept ULM five times since the two teams began playing in 2007. The Trojans have never been swept by the Warhawks.
Game 1 starter Garrett Gainous recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts in his only career start against ULM on April 8, 2022. Gainous pitched 7.0 innings with two hits, one run, zero walks and 12 strikeouts in a 7-2 Troy win, taking home Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week.
Game 2 starter Noah Edders ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with 52 strikeouts this season. In Sun Belt games, Edders has struck out 32 hitters, also ranking fourth.
Centerfielder Steven Meier and first baseman Blake Cavill each have an on-base streak of 42 games dating back to last season.
Meier has drawn 19 HBPs this season, which leads the Sun Belt and is the third-most in a single season in Troy history.
Cavill ranks sixth nationally with 39 walks this season. He's drawing a walk in 23.1% of his plate appearances.
Cavill batted in the leadoff spot for the first time this season in all three of Troy's games at JMU last week. Meier, who had batted leadoff all season, batted third in Games 1 and 2 before not starting in Game 3.
Brooks Bryan leads the Sun Belt in RBIs (45). He also led the conference with a Troy-record 85 RBIs last season.

Scouting ULM

ULM enters the weekend with a 19-19 overall record under eighth-year head coach Michael Federico. The Warhawks are tied with South Alabama and James Madison for 12th place in the Sun Belt standings at 5-10.
The ULM pitching staff ranks 10th in the Sun Belt with a 5.73 team ERA. The Warhawks rank ninth in hits per nine innings (9.54), fifth in walks per nine innings (4.51) and 13th in strikeouts per nine innings (7.4).
Game 3 starter Brennan Eager, a freshman left-hander, leads the starting rotation with a 2.73 ERA this season. In 33.0 innings, Eager has racked up 32 strikeouts with six walks and a .240 batting average allowed.
Redshirt sophomore Josh Gregoire leads the ULM bullpen with a 0.78 ERA in 15 relief appearances this season. In 23.0 innings, the right-hander has 26 strikeouts, nine walks, and a .164 batting average allowed.
The ULM offense ranks seventh in the Sun Belt with a .263 team batting average. The Warhawks rank seventh in home runs (33) and eighth in runs per game (5.6).
The Warhawks have four regulars in Isaiah Walker (.336), Henry Garcia Jr. (.324), Bryce Blaser (.324) and Colby Lunsford (.315) batting over .300 this season.
Garcia Jr. leads the team in home runs (6) and RBIs (35), while Walker has racked up a Sun Belt-leading 18 stolen bases.

Series History

Troy owns a 36-14 all-time record over ULM. The Trojans began playing the Warhawks in 2007, ULM's first season in the Sun Belt Conference.
Troy has won each of its last six series against ULM. Its last series loss came in 2016.
Troy has swept ULM five times and has not been swept by the Warhawks.