Coach Smith Excited for First Full Fall Ball Practices

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – It has been an exciting week for first year Marshall softball head coach Megan Smith as she got to see her new team out on the field in full practice this week for the first time.

After a few weeks of individual workouts, the Marshall softball team stepped out onto the field for the start of 20-hour weeks this past Wednesday. The brand new staff of coach Smith, assistant coach Corey Lyon and pitching coach Maddie Holub get to work with the whole team for more than just two hours a week.

"We had a great few weeks of individuals, but our entire staff was excited to start team practice," coach Smith said. "Every player has been really working hard to learn our system and to focus in on fundamentals. We have seen a lot of growth and improvement in every aspect of the game and I have really been impressed with how our team pushes and supports each other as teammates.

"This is a special group of players and it is so much fun to go out on the field and work with them every day."

Coach Smith comes to Marshall after spending the past nine seasons leading the Kansas Jayhawks. Coach Lyon joined the Herd after four seasons at the helm at Louisiana-Monroe and coach Holub spent the past four years leading the pitching staff at Saint Leo University.

Marshall brings in a good mix of returners and newcomers to the 2018-19 squad. The team features 12 returners with lots of game experience, and eight newcomers including three transfers.

Coming back for the 2018-19 season are six seniors who all have had significant time on the field. Abigail Tolbert and Ali Burdette combined to pitch over 250 innings in 2018 and earned 16 wins. Catcher Hayden Ellis is returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined her for much of last season but has played in 76 career games with 34 starts. Infielder Samantha Loose was a member of the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2016 and has played in 77 games. Outfielder Abigail Estrada has 72 starts and 137 games played to her credit, and came through with the walk-off single in the 2017 NCAA Regional win over DePaul. They are joined by Hannah Giammarino, an outfield transfer from Bowling Green who played in 98 career games for the Falcons.

The junior class features two returners in Kailee Williamson and Blakely Burch. Williamson pitched a career high 104 innings in her sophomore season and earned eight wins with 65 strikeouts. Burch jumped right into the starting lineup at third base after she transferred from USC Upstate after the 2017 season. Burch played in 48 games with 43 starts. Joining Williamson and Burch are transfers Brooke Burns and Sierra Huerta. Burns, an infielder, comes to the Herd after spending two seasons at UNC where the former finalist for South Carolina high school player of the year played in 38 games. Huerta spent two seasons at Moorpark College where she bat .469 and slugged .859 for the Raiders.

Returning in the sophomore class are Armani Brown, Rachel Rousseau, Aly Harrell and Katie Adams. All four players made significant contributions during their freshman seasons in 2018. Brown had just moved her way into the starting lineup at second base before an injury derailed the rest of her season. Rousseau came through in several clutch situations including a two RBI, walk-off double in the regular season finale against the eventual C-USA Tournament champions Middle Tennessee. Harrell was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year while setting a Herd rookie record with 11 home runs. Adams played in 30 games while backing up all-conference catcher Taylor McCord. Adams recorded nine hits including two doubles.

Five freshmen join the Marshall softball family for the 2018-19 season. The rookies for this season are outfielders Chloe Lee (Tampa, Fla.), Rachel Pennington (West Hamlin, W.Va.), and Carson Lyon (Sterlington, La.), catcher Caitlin Myers (Charles Town, W.Va.) and left-handed pitcher Mya Stevenson (Mesquite, Texas).

For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.

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Marshall University Athletics

Coach Smith Excited for First Full Fall Ball Practices

Players Mentioned

Katie Adams

Armani Brown

Blakely Burch

Ali Burdette

Hayden Ellis

Abigail Estrada

Aly Harrell

Samantha Loose

Taylor McCord

Rachel Rousseau

Abigail Tolbert

Kailee Williamson

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