PRESS RELEASE: MARSHALL ATHLETICS
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Vice President and Director of Athletics Gerald J. Harrison announced on Thursday that Marshall Softball head coach Morgan Zerkle has agreed to a contract extension to remain as the leader of the Herd.
The contract extension runs through the 2030 season with provisions that could extend the deal for future seasons, as well.
“Morgan Zerkle represents everything we want Marshall Softball and Marshall Athletics to be,” Harrison said. “She is an elite coach, an incredible mentor for young women and a relentless competitor who has built a championship-caliber culture rooted in the Herd Mentality. Under her leadership, our softball program has achieved historic success while continuing to elevate the student-athlete experience in every way – academically, athletically, personally and within our community.”
Zerkle’s new contract comes after a successful season for the Herd, which led to the team earning only the third NCAA Tournament berth in program history and the first since 2017 – when Zerkle was an All-American for the team.
“Marshall University continues to give me the opportunities of a lifetime, and I am thrilled to continue serving the community and people that I love so much,” Zerkle said. “I want to thank President Brad Smith and Athletic Director Gerald Harrison for their belief in me and support of an ambitious softball program that I hope to keep building for years to come. I also want to thank my student-athletes and their families for their trust, loyalty and love. I couldn’t do it without them. Go Herd!”
Marshall finished the 2026 season with a 38-19 record and competed in the Durham Regional of the NCAA Tournament after a year in which the team finished with an RPI of 28 and earned the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt standings after going 17-7 in SBC play.
In the 2026 campaign, Marshall hit 95 home runs as a team, shattering the previous single-season record of 79 home runs set in 2019.
On Tuesday, Marshall sophomore Sydni Burko was named as a D1Softball.com Second Team All-American at third base after a season in which she was named as the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.
Burko set Marshall’s all-time single-season marks with 24 home runs and 146 total bases while also leading the Sun Belt in slugging percentage (.854, 5th in MU history).
Burko’s 24 home runs led a season in which Marshall had three players hit 15 home runs for the first time in program history. Joining Burko in that category were sophomore Ava Blake (18) and junior Bella Gerlach (15).
Of the 95 home runs hit in the 2026 season, 89 are slated to return to the Herd in 2027, along with 27 wins in the circle with pitchers Jules King and Maddie Veal, meaning that the future for Herd softball is bright – and now, solidified with Zerkle at the helm.
“President Smith and I are absolutely thrilled that Coach Zerkle will continue to lead our program into the future,” Harrison said. “We believe Marshall Softball is one of the premier mid-major programs in the country, and Morgan is one of the brightest rising stars in collegiate athletics. The passion, discipline, integrity and vision she brings to our university every single day make her incredibly special to Marshall. Today is a tremendous day for the future of Herd Softball, and we cannot wait to continue chasing championships together.”
In addition to Zerkle’s new deal, the agreement also increases allocations for assistant coaches and support staff for Zerkle to utilize in the future development of the program.
Zerkle has proven to be one of the nation’s top head coaching talents in her first-ever head coaching gig.
In three years leading the Herd, Zerkle has compiled a 94-70 record, which includes this year’s team, whose 38 wins tied for the fifth-most in a single season in Marshall history.
The head coaching success comes after Zerkle’s standout collegiate career with the Herd, which saw her earn All-American status, USA Collegiate Player of the Year Finalist honors and Conference USA Player of the Year honors in 2017 while leading Marshall to the NCAA Tournament.
She has since gone on to represent Team USA while also embarking on a successful professional career that has made her one of the AUSL’s most recognizable stars – all while representing Marshall.
The Milton native has not only been a leader in the clubhouse as a player, but also as the head coach and as an ambassador in the community, which Harrison said is paramount for ultimate success of the Herd Mentality.
“What makes this even more special is that Morgan is a West Virginian and truly a daughter of Marshall,” Harrison said. “She understands the pride, toughness and passion that comes with representing this university and this state. Our student-athletes see that authenticity every single day in the way she leads, serves and competes. There is something incredibly powerful about having someone who genuinely loves Marshall leading one of our flagship programs.”
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