Marshall University Athletics
Zerkle Named Capital One Academic All-American
5/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Marshall sophomore center fielder Morgan Zerkle (Milton, W.Va.), who ranked among the nation's leaders in batting average and stolen bases this season, has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division I Softball Team, the organization announced Friday.
The team recognizes softball players throughout Division I for their academic success -- as well as their play on the field -- and divides them into three teams.
Zerkle has a 3.62 GPA in exercise science and is one of only four sophomores to be named to the team. Â She is the first player in Herd softball history (dating to 1994) to be named a Capital One Academic All-America choice.
The 2015 season proved to be a monumental one for Zerkle, who now owns many Marshall and Conference USA records.
Her .506 batting average was the highest in school single-season history and ranked third in Division I in 2015. She also set a C-USA record for batting average. Zerkle finished first in Division I with .94 stolen bases per game and had 47 steals, one shy of her school record (2014 season). She also ranked eighth in runs per game with 1.24 (first in C-USA).
The sophomore also set MU single season records for hits (89), runs (62) and became the fastest player to 100 hits (76 games).
Zerkle also was named to the C-USA All-Academic Team, as well as the CoSIDA All-Academic Team. For her on-field performance, she earned a spot on the all-conference first team and was named C-USA Player of the Year by College Sports Madness. She was C-USA Player of the Week twice in 2015.
Herd Coach Shonda Stanton said she was pleased with Zerkle's play on the field and her hard work in the classroom.
"Z had a sensational sophomore year," Stanton said. "She is an incredible example of a student athlete and an exceptional role model. We played almost 40 games on the road and she earned a 4.0 and hit over .500. Even though the numbers speak for themselves, you can not quantify the amount of self-discipline and dedication such an achievement requires. We are really proud of her."
A link to the entire Capital One Academic All-America Team is available here.
