Marshall Softball Travels West to Arizona

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall softball team (6-4) travels to Tucson, Arizona for the 2024 University of Arizona Hillenbrand Invitational. It will be the first time since the 2008 season the Herd will be playing games in the Grand Canyon State.

Marshall will open with Drake at 3 p.m. eastern (1 p.m. local) Friday. Coach Morgan Zerkle's Herd will also face the 23rd-ranked Wildcats twice, as well as Central Michigan and the Indiana Hoosiers, led by former MU head coach Shonda Stanton.

Weekend Information
Dates: Feb. 23-25, 2024
Opponents: Arizona, Central Michigan, Drake & Indiana
Place: Tucson, Arizona
Stadium: Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium
Watch: FloSoftball ($) (Non-Arizona Games)
Watch: Pac12 Plus (Arizona Games)
Stats: Live Stats
Twitter: @HerdSB

Coach Morgan Zerkle

On June 26, 2023, Morgan Zerkle was named the 5th head coach in the history of the Marshall softball program.
Zerkle - the Milton, West Virginia native - collected an abundance of team-records for Marshall as a player from 2014-17. Zerkle has spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio).
On coaching for Marshall, Zerkle said, "I am feeling immense gratitude, joy, pride and emotion as I come back to Huntington – my home – to lead the Herd, I can't wait to get started."

PRE-GAME NOTES

Marshall is 6-4 after the first two weeks of the season at FAU and East Carolina.
Redshirt-sophomore Brooklyn Ulrich leads the Herd with a .407 average, with 11 hits and two doubles. The team's trip to Arizona will be a homecoming for Ulrich and fellow Grand Canyon State natives Sydney Bickel and Bub Feringa.
MU's trip west will be the final of three opening weekend road trips before returning home for next Wednesday's home opener from Dot Hicks Field.

ABOUT THE ARIZONA WILDCATS

Arizona is ranked #23 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Today Softball Preseason Poll.
The Wildcats are 10-1, with its lone loss coming against Arkansas last Saturday.

ABOUT THE CENTRAL MICHIGAN

The Chippewas opened the 2024 season last weekend at South Alabama, going 1-4.
CMU was picked third in the MAC Preseason Poll, behind only Miami (Ohio) and Ohio.

ABOUT THE DRAKE BULLDOGS

The Bulldogs went 4-1 in their opening weekend inside the UNI-Dome. Freshman catcher Allie Bishoff hit .556 in the team's first five games.
Drake was picked eighth in the MVC Preseason Poll.

ABOUT THE INDIANA HOOSIERS

Led by Stanton, the Hoosiers have been a top team in the Big Ten, finishing runner-up last season and advancing to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Indiana is 8-2 this season.
IU's Brianna Copeland was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Monday following a 3-0 week with a 0.79 ERA.

For all the latest information about Marshall softball, follow @HerdSB on Twitter and Instagram.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Bickel

Bub Feringa

Brooklyn Ulrich

Marshall University Athletics