Topic: H-D: Herd softball team has momentum

[biggreenarms]

HUNTINGTON — ­Marshall University’s softball team definitely is going into the 2014 Conference USA tournament with momentum.

The Thundering Herd struck for five runs on five hits — ­three for extra bases — ­in the bottom of the sixth inning Sunday to defeat Louisiana Tech, 8-4, at Dot Hicks Field to sweep the final three-game C-USA series of the regular season.

“That was a good way to end the weekend,” said Kaelynn Greene, who collected two hits to become the school’s single-season leader with 77. “It helps our confidence. It gave the power hitters, the contact hitters more confidence. It made all of us better.”

Coach Shonda Stanton’s youthful Thundering Herd  — ­the 20-player roster shows 16 freshmen and sophomores — ­started with a 6-18 record, but is 20-12 since.

Marshall heads to the C-USA tournament it won last season from the No. 4 slot as the No. 7 seed with a 26-30 overall record and 13-11 mark in conference games. Marshall matched its league win total from 2013.

The Herd meets second-seeded UAB (31-24, 15-8) in the opening game of the tournament at 11 a.m. Thursday at FAU Softball Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.

“We’re exactly where we want to be,” said Savanah Webster, who with Taylor Winton, are the only seniors on the team. “We’re definitely going in hot. The biggest thing is to get into position to win it again.”

Marshall and UAB did not meet this season. C-USA has 13 softball members and only eight weekends of league play.

UAB beat UTSA, 5-3, Sunday to capture its seventh series win in 2014. The Blazers set the season school record with 54 home runs. Pitcher Leigh Streetman (19-14) has 58 career wins, tying her for the program lead.

Marshall is in the same half of the bracket with No. 3 FIU and No. 6 East Carolina. The Herd swept FIU and took two of three from East Carolina in the regular season. C-USA regular-season champion Tulsa is in the other half of the bracket.

“Honestly, we wanted to stay off the same side as Tulsa and face them in the championship game,” Stanton said.

Marshall made a March 5-7 visit to Boca Raton. Florida Atlantic took two of three from the Herd.

In a weekend tournament, the Herd beat Michigan State (2-1) and lost to South Alabama (1-0).
“We wanted to get back to Boca and made it,” said freshman Morgan Zerkle from Milton who has a school-record 46 stolen bases. “We’re having fun now, winning doing what we need to do to get a championship.”

The Herd’s team batting average is .292 and the 270 runs scored is second in Herd history to the 278 in 2003. There’s still time to better that mark. Marshall’s speed factor is reflected in the Herd leading C-USA in stolen bases.

“It ranks right up there with the combination of speed and power,” Stanton said when asked if this club is one of her all-time best when it comes to offense. “We’ve always had (success with the bat).

“But as far as the package, the combination of what we’re able to do, we’re more consistent (hitters) one through nine. Our weakness has always been defense. Once we can figure out defense, we’ll win five or six more games, easy.”

Freshman Jordan Dixon (18-20) is the Herd’s No. 1 pitcher. Her ERA is 4.60. She’s struck out 232 in 227 innings and hit 46 batters in 50 appearances. Lindsey Fadnek took over from Dixon in the second inning Sunday and allowed just two hits and one run the rest of the way.

“She didn’t have it early and I know I’ve got a great pitcher in Fadnek,” Stanton said. “She stepped up and earned every inning she got. She earned the right to stay and finish.”

The six seniors on the 2013 Herd roster made quite an impact on the team’s success. But when they were younger, they struggled. The young players in 2014 have shown steady progress.

“So many people had questions, doubts,” Stanton said. “I wish you’d go back and look at the record book. This group is ahead of that. People don’t understand it’s a process. You have to develop these kids.”

Despite the early struggles, Stanton remained patient. It would have been quite different a few years ago.

“I told these kids that the only thing we will be is consistently inconsistent,” she said. “I knew we’d sweep some weekends and I knew we’d get swept some weekends, because there was going to be no in-between. We’d be very good, or very bad. And if you look at what we’ve done over the course of the season, that’s exactly what we’ve done.

“These kids will get hot and they’ll get confidence. It’s all confidence at this level.”

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/marshall/x4605734/Herd-softball-team-has-momentum