Warhawk softball is armed with three preseason All-Sun Belt players, a new coach and a new state of mind.

ULM is playing behind the motto, “22 strong,” which means the each member of the team supports on another fully. Head coach Corey Lyon said that the team’s greatest strength is that chemistry. He said that each girl plays for the team, rather than themselves

Freshman pitcher Paige Porter said that she is excited for the upcoming season.

“I’m ready to get it started and figure out what this team can do because I think that we’ll surprise a lot of people,” she said.

A trio of preseason All Sun Belt players will lead the Warhawks. Redshirt senior Miyuki Navarrete, senior Alexis Cacioppo and sophomore Rochelle look to provide sparks at the plate.

Lyon said that the team has a lot of potential in the batters box and on the basebaths. He said the combination of power and speed could make the offense dangerous. Last year the Warhawks led the country in steals per game.

He did note that the pitching staff is largely unproven. The team will miss the impact of pitcher
Samantha Hamby, who played her last season last year. Hamby was the go-to pitcher for the Warhawks.

She was also the only ULM player to start 10 or more games.

The team will kick off their season with the Lady Techster Invitational in Ruston Feb. 5. The final tuneup before conference play will be Louisiana Tech March 4 in Monroe.

The Warhawks will start the Sun Belt games on March 7 and 8 in Boone, North Carolina with Appalachian State. The team will go through conference with a few non-conference games, such as a game at LSU on March 31, before closing the season with a series with UL-Lafayette.