Herd Softball Travels to Nationally No. 1 Ranked Oklahoma

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University Softball travels to the home of the four-time defending NCAA Champions, No. 1 ranked Oklahoma for the three-day Norman Tournament.

The Herd faces the top-ranked Sooners twice, as well as the Kansas Jayhawks twice from Love's Field, with an additional game at historic Marita Hynes Field against UMKC.

Weekend Information
Dates: Feb. 28-Mar. 2, 2025
Opponents: Kansas, #1 Oklahoma, UMKC
Place: Norman, Oklahoma
Stadiums: Love's Field (Oklahoma/Kansas), Marita Hynes Field (UMKC)
Watch: SECNetwork+ (Oklahoma Games Only)
Twitter: @HerdSB

Coach Morgan Zerkle

Marshall enters its second season under Head Coach Morgan Zerkle. The 2017 All-American for the Herd led the team that season with a .476 average en route to a NCAA Tournament appearance. The Herd has made two NCAA Regionals in its history (2013 & 2017).
Zerkle - the Milton, West Virginia native - has been drafted to the AUSL's Bandits this past January, alongside Assistant Coach Sydney McKinney.

MARSHALL NOTES

The Herd is 5-7 entering its final road weekend before its home opener Friday, Mar. 7. Marshall defeated Elon and Villanova its last time out in Clemson, before dropping a pair to the hosts.
Marshall returns 12 players from last year with 11 newcomers to the roster - including seven freshmen and four transfers. One of the seven freshmen is outfielder Diamond Leslie who hit three triples over the weekend in Clemson.
For Marshall, it will be its first-ever meeting against the Sooners. It will be the first time the Herd has faced the No. 1 ranked team in the nation since 2008 when MU faced Arizona State. Marshall is 0-3 all-time against the NCAA's top-ranked team.
For extended game notes for the Herd, view HERE.

ABOUT KANSAS

Kansas is 7-5 overall with an opening day loss to Clemson as its only mutual opponent so far to the Herd. KU defeated Texas State last weekend in San Marcos.
The Jayhawks are third in the Big 12 in Team ERA (2.23). KU's Kaelee Washington has the best-mark of opposing batting average in the league (.145), slightly ahead of Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma is the four-time defending NCAA Champions and ranked No. 1 in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball Top-25 poll. Manager Patty Gasso is in her 31st season in Norman with a 1528-352-5 record.
The Sooners have a pitching staff with a team ERA of 1.38. One of the staff's leaders is senior and former Louisiana pitcher Sam Landry.

ABOUT UMKC

UMKC (Kansas City) enters the weekend 0-9. The Roos will play three games before getting the Herd Saturday.
Senior Kendyl Anderson leads the team with a .316 average in 19 at-bats.

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!

Herd Softball Travels to Nationally No. 1 Ranked Oklahoma

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Diamond Leslie

Marshall University Athletics

Herd Softball Travels to Nationally No. 1 Ranked Oklahoma

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Diamond Leslie

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