Marshall Thundering Herd softball

Marshall Thundering Herd
2026 Marshall Thundering Herd softball team
Founded1994
UniversityMarshall University
Head coachMorgan Zerkle (2nd season)
ConferenceSun Belt
LocationHuntington, West Virginia, US
Home stadiumDot Hicks Field (capacity: 325)
NicknameThundering Herd
ColorsKelly green and white[1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
2013, 2017, 2026
Conference tournament championships
1995, 2013
Regular-season conference championships
2003, 2005, 2017

The Marshall Thundering Herd softball team represents Marshall University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Sun Belt Conference. They are currently coached by head coach Morgan Zerkle. They play their home games at Dot Hicks Field. The Thundering Herd have made three NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 2026.[2][3]

Dot Hicks Field, home of Marshall Softball.

Venue

Built in 2008, Dot Hicks Field is a softball facility that features a clubhouse, grandstands, pressbox and concession building, warmup areas, and the playing field.[4] The field is named after Dorothy "Dot" Hicks, who was a donor and former coach of Marshall's volleyball, badminton, women's tennis and women's golf teams.[5] An inaugural double-header took place on March 15, 2008. The Thundering Herd lost to Houston in both games, 17–2 and 10–2 respectively.[6] Marshall set a home-attendance record crowd of 2,768 at The Dot on April 18, 2023, when they hosted and lost 3–1 to #13 ranked Alabama.[7]

Individual awards and honors

Name   Year(s)  
NFCA All-American Selection Autumn Owen (C) 2023 All-American Third Team
Mya Stevenson (OF) 2022 All-American Third Team
Morgan Zerkle (SS) 2017 All-American Second Team
Jordan Dixon (P) 2017 All-American Third Team
Rachel Folden (C) 2005 All-American Third Team
2006 All-American Second Team
2007 All-American Second Team
2008 All-American Third Team
  Conference Player of the Year   Sydni Burko 2026 Sun Belt
Morgan Zerkle 2017 C-USA
Rachel Folden 2008 C-USA
Rachel Folden 2006 C-USA
Sierra Davenport 2004 MAC
  Conference Pitcher of the Year   Sydney Nester 2022 C-USA
Jordan Dixon 2017 C-USA
Randi Nielson 2003 MAC
Conference Freshman of the Year Aly Harrell 2018 C-USA
Elicia D’Orazio 2015 C-USA
Rachel Folden 2005 MAC
Amanda Williams 2003 MAC
Dawn Matoy 1997 Southern
Stefanie Cook 1995 Southern
Brandi Northrup 1994 Southern
Conference Coach of the Year Shonda Stanton 2017 C-USA
Shonda Stanton 2005 MAC
Shonda Stanton 2003 MAC
Louie Berndt 1997 Southern
NFCA Golden Shoe Award[8] Elicia D'Orazio 2017
Morgan Zerkle 2015

NCAA Regional appearances

NCAA Regional Results
2013 Lexington, KY Regional

Lost to Kentucky, 1–2
Defeated Notre Dame, 3–1
Lost to Virginia Tech, 2–3

2017 Lexington, KY Regional

Lost to Illinois, 2–3
Defeated DePaul, 2–1
Lost to Illinois, 2–10

2026 Durham, NC Regional

Lost to Arizona, 5-7
Defeated Howard, 4-2
Lost to Duke, 1-11

Year-by-year results

Season Conference Coach Overall Conference Notes
Games Win Loss Tie Games Win Loss Tie
1994 SoCon Louie Berndt 38 17 21 0 6 1 5 0
1995 SoCon Louie Berndt 57 28 29 0 12 4 8 0 SoCon tournament champions
1996 SoCon Louie Berndt 62 38 24 0 15 4 11 0
1997 SoCon Louie Berndt 61 36 25 0 15 8 7 0
1998 MAC Louie Berndt 55 16 39 0 28 5 23 0
1999 MAC Louie Berndt 52 24 28 0 25 8 17 0
2000 MAC Shonda Stanton 52 25 27 0 24 15 9 0
2001 MAC Shonda Stanton 58 35 23 0 24 15 9 0
2002 MAC Shonda Stanton 46 18 28 0 24 11 13 0
2003 MAC Shonda Stanton 58 41 17 0 24 20 4 0 MAC champions
2004 MAC Shonda Stanton 58 31 27 0 24 12 12 0
2005 MAC Shonda Stanton 58 38 20 0 24 20 4 0 MAC champions
2006 C-USA Shonda Stanton 56 33 23 0 24 15 9 0
2007 C-USA Shonda Stanton 58 32 26 0 24 11 13 0
2008 C-USA Shonda Stanton 55 26 29 0 22 11 11 0
2009 C-USA Shonda Stanton 51 31 20 0 21 11 10 0
2010 C-USA Shonda Stanton 55 24 30 1 24 3 20 1
2011 C-USA Shonda Stanton 53 19 33 1 23 5 17 1
2012 C-USA Shonda Stanton 57 36 21 0 24 15 9 0
2013 C-USA Shonda Stanton 58 36 22 0 23 13 10 0 C-USA tournament champions, NCAA Regional
2014 C-USA Shonda Stanton 59 28 31 0 24 13 11 0
2015 C-USA Shonda Stanton 50 35 15 0 22 14 8 0
2016 C-USA Shonda Stanton 56 30 26 0 24 13 11 0
2017 C-USA Shonda Stanton 54 42 12 0 24 20 4 0 C-USA champions, NCAA Regional
2018 C-USA Jennifer Steele 55 25 29 1 23 13 9 1
2019 C-USA Megan Smith 64 42 22 0 24 17 7 0
2020 C-USA Megan Smith 25 18 7 0 0 0 0 0 Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 C-USA Megan Smith 33 20 13 0 16 8 8 0
2022 C-USA Megan Smith 53 35 18 0 24 15 9 0
2023 Sun Belt Megan Smith 55 45 10 0 22 17 5 0
2024 Sun Belt Morgan Zerkle 53 25 28 0 24 10 14 0
2025 Sun Belt Morgan Zerkle 54 31 23 0 24 15 9 0
2026 Sun Belt Morgan Zerkle 57 38 19 0 24 17 7 0 NCAA Regional

[9]

Former players

Marshall Thundering Herd Softball Alumni

References

  1. ↑ Marshall University Brand Guidelines (PDF). Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  2. ↑ Treacy, Jim (2026-05-10). "Herd softball is heading back to NCAA's". WSAZ. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
  3. ↑ Patterson, Jeff. "NCAA softball bracketology: Final predictions for 64-team bracket on Selection Sunday". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
  4. ↑ "Dot Hicks Field - Marshall University". Herdzone. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  5. ↑ "Dorothy "Dot" Hicks (1990) - Marshall University". Herdzone. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  6. ↑ "#13 Houston Spoils Marshall Softball's Home Opener". Herdzone. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  7. ↑ "Record Crowd Sees Herd Softball Battle #14 Alabama". Herdzone. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  8. ↑ "New Balance / NFCA Golden Shoe Award Winners". nfca.org. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  9. ↑ "2019 Marshall Softball Record Book" (PDF). Marshall University. p. 60. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
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