Marshall Softball Welcomes Longtime Rival Georgia Southern Eagles for Sun Belt Conference Home Opener

 By Ben Anderson


    After winning its first Sun Belt Conference series of the 2026 campaign on the road against the Georgia State Panthers last weekend, Marshall softball aims to continue its winning ways as it welcomes former Southern Conference rival the Georgia Southern Eagles to Dot Hicks Field this weekend for its Sun Belt Conference home opener. 


    The Thundering Herd has won nine of its last 10 games, including taking two of three against the Panthers, as well as a four-game sweep at Dot Hicks Field in the Marshall March Madness.


    Despite winning two of three in Atlanta last weekend, the series opener did not go the Thundering Herd’s way, as it fell 2-1 on a walk-off double — the first walk-off loss for the Herd in the 2026 campaign.


    Games two and three provided better results for the Thundering Herd. In game 2, Marshall picked up a 3-1 victory behind a stellar performance from sophomore pitcher Maddie Veal, who hurled a complete game and struck out a career-high seven batters. In game 3, the Marshall bats came alive in top of the seventh inning, as the Herd scored four runs off three hits, including a two-run home run from Syndi Burko, to secure a 7-1 victory. 


    Marshall enters this weekend with a 19-9 (2-1 Sun Belt) record, backed by am impressive pitching staff that has an 0.85 ERA over its last 11 games. Georgia Southern enters at 12-15 (1-2 Sun Belt), following a 13-3 run-rule loss on the road against No. 21 South Carolina on Wednesday night, as well as dropping two of three games in its conference opener against James Madison. 


    The Thundering Herd is led by third-year head coach and former MU standout Morgan Zerkle, who comes into the weekend with a 75-60 record. The Eagles are led by Sharon Perkins, who has complied a 480-381 record in 12 seasons at the helm


    Georgia Southern is led by Preseason All-Sun Belt selection Alana Barnard, who has a 3.82 ERA in 56.2 innings pitched across 12 appearances this season. Barnard had an impressive 2025 campaign in the circle, earning All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team honors. She finished the season with a 7-4 record in 15 appearances, including 13 starts and ranked second in the league with a 2.18 ERA across 64.1 innings pitched. She also led the conference by allowing just 57 hits, 25 runs and 16 walks, while holding opposing batters to a .234 batting average. 


    Marshall is led by sophomore center fielder and Preseason All-SBC team selection Diamond Leslie. Leslie enters the weekend with a batting average of .289 and six home runs this season. She had a starlike 2025 freshman campaign, earning SBC First-Team All-Conference after leading Marshall with a .381 batting average, three triples – both top-10 marks in the conference. She also had a team-leading 17 multi-hit games. Her .381 batting average was the third-best mark by a freshman in program history. 


    This is a long-time rivalry that dates back to both programs’ times in the Southern Conference. The Thundering Herd hosted the Eagles in a doubleheader in its inaugural 1994 season, splitting the two games at Rotary Park. Marshall leads the all-time series 25-9 and are 8-2 against the Eagles in Sun Belt play. The Herd has won eight of the last 10 meetings, including 2-3 at the current Dot Hicks Field location.


    Friday’s Game 1 coverage begins with pregame coverage at 5:45 p.m., with FM88 Sports’ Ben Anderson and Alyson Messinger on the call. 


    Saturday’s game 2 coverage begins with pregame coverage at 2:45 p.m., with FM88 Sports’ Ben Anderson and Rhys Owens on the call. 


    Sunday’s game 3 coverage begins with pregame coverage at 11:45 a.m., with FM88 Sports’ Ethan Patrick & Morgan Watson on the call. 


    All three games will be broadcast on the Cutting Edge Sports Radio Network and online on Stream 1 at Marshall.edu/WMUL 


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