First and Ben

 By Ben Anderson      The 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament is just three days away and the Marshall Thundering Herd will be competing in the Durham Regional.      The other three teams in the regional will be the Arizona Wildcats, the Herd’s first day opponent, the Howard Bison, and host The Duke Blue Devils.      Let’s take a deep dive into the Durham regional, starting with the Arizona Wildcats of the Big 12 conference.      The Wildcats' postseason appearance marks Arizona's 38th selection all-time and is the 11th time in program history that Arizona will be on the road for a regional. Arizona swept the last two road regionals that the Wildcats have played in – the 2024 Fayetteville Regional and the 2022 Columbia Regional.        The Wildcats are heading into the big dance with a 35-16 (16-8 Big 12) record and ranked No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 Rankings. Arizona has one of the most domin...

 By Ben Anderson      The historic season continues for Marshall Softball, as it will be going dancing for just the third time in program history and the first since 2017 by earning an at-large bid to the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament, playing in the Durham Regional.      Marshall is paired with another at-large team, the Arizona Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference. Duke, the No. 12 seed from the Atlantic Coastal Conference, and the hosting team of the regional will take on the Howard Bison, who are coming off its second consecutive MEAC Tournament championship.      This comes off the heels of a long struggle for the Thundering Herd over the last two weeks of the regular season and the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Marshall dropped two of three games on the road against Louisiana and at home against Duke, before falling in the SBC Tournament quarterfinals 6-0 against No. 10 Coastal Carolina. The Herd’s other two appearances came in 2013...