Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
UConn
Marshall Softball Opens 2026 Season at Florida State
2/4/2026 11:40:00 AM | Softball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University Softball begins its 2026 campaign at the JoAnn Graf Classic hosted by Florida State University. Opening day for Coach Morgan Zerkle's side is at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 6 against the UConn Huskies.Â
The Herd will play five games across three days with two contests coming against the Preseason ESPN/USA Today No. 7 Seminoles.Â
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Weekend Information
Dates: Feb. 6-8, 2026
Opponents: UConn, Samford, No. 7 Florida State, Iowa
Place: Tallahassee, Florida
Stadium: JoAnn Graf Field at Seminole Softball Complex
Watch: ACC Network (FSU Games Only)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
X: @HerdSB
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Coach Morgan Zerkle
- Head Coach Morgan Zerkle enters her 3rd season as head coach at her alma mater. 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). Â
- Marshall vaulted up to a 2nd place finish in the Sun Belt Conference in season two under Zerkle. The Herd improved its win total by six games with five more SBC victories from the season prior.Â
- Zerkle - the Milton, West Virginia native - plays professionally for the AUSL's Chicago Bandits. She is also on the active Team USA Softball roster.Â
MARSHALL NOTES
- Marshall returns 13 players from last year with eight newcomers to the roster - including seven freshmen and one transfer.
- Among the returners include Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference member Diamond Leslie. The now-sophomore led the team with a .381 average in 2025. Â
- The Herd has been picked fifth in the SBC Preseason Poll.Â
- "Team 33" will stay in Florida throughout the following week with a pair of midweeks before playing the second weekend in Gainesville.
ABOUT UCONN
- UConn is coming off a 35-win season and a NCAA Regionals appearance as the winners of the Big East Conference in 2025. Â
- The Herd and Huskies will meet for the first time since 2006, UConn leads the series, 2-1. The two sides will meet again later in February for a doubleheader at the Liberty Invitational.Â
ABOUT SAMFORD
- Samford has been picked 2nd in the SoCon Preseason Poll, with junior infielder Olivia Shaw named the league's preseason player of the year.Â
- The Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 2-1 with Friday being the first matchup since 2014.
ABOUT FLORIDA STATE
- Florida State enters 2026 ranked No. 7, coming off a NCAA Super Regional Appearance.Â
- FSU has been picked to win the ACC, with a league-leading five players on the Preseason ACC Team.Â
- The Seminoles lead the all-time series, 5-0.Â
ABOUT IOWA
- Iowa finished 35-18 last season and 15-7 in Big Ten play.
- The Herd and Hawkeyes met in the opening weekend last season in Florida, with Iowa coming away with the victory. Â
For all the latest information about Marshall Softball, follow @HerdSB on Twitter and Instagram.
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