— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall’s search for a new softball coach didn’t last long and resulted in a familiar name leading one of the Herd’s more successful athletics programs.
MU and Cabell Midland High alumnus Morgan Zerkle is leaving behind a four-year tenure as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) to serve as the Herd’s new head softball coach.
“I’m thrilled for Morgan as her dream is now a reality,” Marshall Director of Athletics Christian Spears said. “How many of us truly get to do that – turn our dream into reality? I’m proud of her for flat-out working her plan and making it happen. She earned this and she has my utmost respect for it. When she tells you her goal was to be the head coach at Marshall, it’s genuine. She will pour herself into the community and into our student-athletes.”
Zerkle played for the Thundering Herd from 2014-2017 and was also a member of Team USA.
“I am feeling immense gratitude, joy, pride and emotion as I come back to Huntington — my home — to lead the Herd,” Zerkle said. “I can’t wait to get started.”
Zerkle was a graduate assistant at Indiana for two seasons upon completing her playing career at Marshall. She went on to accept an assistant coaching position at Miami (Ohio), which qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons as the Mid-American Conference champion. Over those three seasons, the RedHawks finished 125-47-1.
Zerkle’s career in a Marshall uniform was filled with notable accomplishments. She was two-time finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, a four-time All-Conference USA selection and three-time NFCA All-Region honoree while being named as Marshall Female Athlete of the Year twice, as well.
She capped her illustrious career with the Herd as an NFCA All-American Second Team selection while also being a Senior CLASS Award finalist and Senior CLASS Award All-American. She was also the Conference USA All-Sports Female Student Athlete of the Year and CUSA’s Player of the Year after a senior season in which she hit .476 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs while logging 13 doubles, six triples, 39 stolen bases and 48 runs.
Following her senior season, Zerkle joined Team USA and has been a member of that squad ever since. In the 2022 Pan American Games, Zerkle hit .562 with four RBIs and eight runs scored to lead Team USA to the gold medal.
She has also played in the National Pro Fastpitch League with the Scrap Yard Dawgs and has also been part of Athletes Unlimited since 2020.
Zerkle will be introduced Friday morning during a press conference at Dot Hicks Field.