Inside The Herd: Bryce Blevins, Baseball

Editor's Note: Inside The Herd is an original series where we highlight our student-athletes and tell their Marshall stories. Every student-athlete at Marshall has a story about their journey and we hope that their stories inspire others to live their Marshall moments as well! Go Herd!

INSIDE THE HERD – Bryce Blevins

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Bryce Blevins did not need much time when asked for one word to describe who he is.

That word? Competitor.

It's engrained in every fiber of the fiery, live-in-the-moment senior starter for Marshall's baseball team.

And it isn't just baseball. It's been that way since birth in Louisa, Ky.

"Ever since I was a little kid, no matter what sport – basketball, ping pong, out in the front yard playing. Blevins said. "It's just in the little things to me. I'm not 6-5 and throw 100, so whenever I go out there, the biggest thing is competing. I'm going to give it my all every single time I take the mound – every single game, every opportunity. I don't take it for granted getting to step on that mound because, as they say a lot of times, you never know when it's going to be your last. That's the biggest thing to me."

The crafty left-handed pitcher for the Herd comes by that mentality honestly.

It is known commonly in sports as a Bulldog mentality – a bit of irony considering that Blevins graduated as a Bulldog from Lawrence County High School, a school within an area of eastern Kentucky known for a hotbed of baseball talent.

For Blevins' upbringing, though, it goes a bit deeper than that. His town is one defined by blue-collar work ethic and a love and pride in community and family that supersedes all other aspects of life.

"Being from Lawrence County, you kind of grow up in that Bulldog mentality of just doing things the right way," Blevins said. You learn how to compete. I live in a small town, so you don't really have a lot of things given to you there. You grow up and understand really truly how to earn – 'reap what you sow' is the easiest way to say it. Everything is earned."

The similarities between Lawrence County, Ky., and Marshall made joining the Thundering Herd a perfect fit for Blevins when coming out of high school.

He saw that from a young age, too, as his uncle Steve Blevins pitched for the Herd before signing with the Minnesota Twins.

"Being around here, the culture was a big thing to me," Blevins said. "At the time, being around people here, I could go out and, even as a young kid, I saw my uncle get talked to the way he did and my family, and it just seemed like everybody was a family around here. That's what truly led me to be here at Marshall."

Since coming to Marshall, Blevins has earned the nomination as one of the Sun Belt Conference's best and most-feared pitchers.

Again, he isn't 6-5. He isn't throwing 100 miles an hour.

But when on the mound, Blevins is staring down some of the best hitters in the country and he's not backing down.

For Blevins, it's a feeling like no other in life.

"It's something special when you're out there," Blevins explained. "Everybody is looking at you every single pitch. If you like being the whole view of everything, being on that mound and being a pitcher is how to do it. When I'm out there, everything just cancels out. All my thoughts, you know, that I may have going on, it comes to an end as soon as I step foot on that field during my day. There's nothing more that I'd rather do than be on that mound every single Friday."

For Blevins, many of those eyes on him while pitching at Jack Cook Field are those of his hometown as many make the hour-long trip from Louisa, Ky., to Huntington for his home contests.

That support – literally surpassing 100 or more fans for his outings – is something that only fuels Blevins to work harder to make them and the Herd faithful proud at Jack Cook Field.

"I'm lucky enough to have such a great university close to home, playing at the highest level of college baseball in Division I at Marshall," Blevins said. "And being able to see all that support from my hometown, they could do many other things with their end of the week on a Friday or Saturday that it's been that I've pitched, but they've chosen to come out and support me. They'll never know how much it means to me."

Blevins' mound persona has brought an energy that embodies what Marshall baseball is about under head coach Greg Beals.

The Herd started to taste success in 2024 after opening the newly-minted Jack Cook Field and Blevins was a big part of that, earning 2024 All-SBC First Team pitcher honors and putting the Herd in the batter's eye of the Sun Belt Conference.

Following that season, Blevins could've taken the option that many Division I athletes do in the current collegiate era – use a strong season early in their career to enter the transfer portal and go to a bigger school.

But that was not on Blevins' radar. His aspirations include leaving a Marshall legacy of being a pillar that helped turn the program around.

"I believe in loyalty," Blevins said. "I wanted to show my loyalty to Marshall by being here and staying those four years. Most people leave after they have a good year at a smaller school and they jump ship. I don't really believe in that….I want us to grow. I want that story of us winning (16) games three years ago and now 33, 34 games last year and who knows what we'll do this year."

Last season, Marshall Baseball took the next step as a contender in the Sun Belt Conference, winning 15 more games than the previous season – one of the best ascent's in Division I baseball in 2025 – and solidifying their stance as a major player by advancing to the SBC semifinals where they fell to eventual national runner-up Coastal Carolina.

Blevins took the mound in the Herd's opening round win in the SBC Tournament and said it was a Marshall Moment that he'll never forget.

"Last year, that conference tournament - we hadn't been there in a few years and to be able to go there and pitch in that first game and get that first win was great," Blevins said. "Everybody is kind of holding their breath and you just relax a little bit and you see that it's all starting to come together."

If Blevins' first start of the 2026 season is any indication, it truly could be a special season for the Herd.

In the season-opener, Blevins threw seven innings, allowing just two hits and striking out seven while not allowing a walk in a 5-2 win over Evansville.

Blevins said the Herd's success last year has paved the way for what could be a storybook ending for his Marshall career.

"When I grow up or my time is done playing here, I want to have a story to tell," Blevins said. "I want to be able to say how I started out at a rec league field winning (16) games to being in the conference championship and winning a conference championship this year and winning 35+ games this year – that storyline of how it just got better and better each year. I want to be one of the reasons – me and the other guys on this team – we got Marshall Baseball where it should be."

Blevins wants his baseball career to continue for a long time, but if not, he wants to use his degree in Education to teach and get into coaching, giving back to the hometown and the Tri-State area that has poured their efforts into him.

That doesn't mean he's looking forward quite yet, though. He's still just focused on his next start.

"I'm a big in-the-moment person," Blevins said. "I don't like looking forward to the next day and whatever's behind me, I like to keep it behind me. I'm a big 'right now' person."

For now, Blevins is excited for his next Marshall Moment – and he's going to soak in every single one he can.

"It's really special," Blevins said. "I've enjoyed every single moment I've been here at Marshall University. It's meant the world to me to be able to come here to this university and see how truly special it is. People talk about it when you're around in the city about how special it is, but I think once you get to be in it and you get to see it in first-person, you really realize how special it is here."

To watch the full-length video on Bryce Blevins, click HERE.

INSIDE THE HERD

Name: Bryce Blevins

Sport: Baseball

Position: Starting Pitcher

Year: Senior

Major: Education

Hometown: Louisa, Ky.

Awards/Accolades

- 2024 All-SBC First Team Pitcher

- 4x SBC Pitcher of the Week

- Has 29 career starts & 195 innings pitched for Marshall

- Earned Herd's first win of 2026 with a 7-inning, 2-hit performance in which he struck out 7 in the season-opener

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