— by David Walsh
Marshall played its way into the Sun Belt Conference Tournament first, then secured a spot in the top six to avoid a play-in game. Finally, the Herd enjoyed one final big moment when it secured a No. 4 seed as the highlight for its first trip to the baseball postseason in three years in the league.
A season-ending sweep of Georgia Southern at Jack Cook Field put the Thundering Herd at 31-24 overall and 16-14 in the league and a lofty spot to begin tournament play Wednesday at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Ala. Marshall has an opening-round matchup with No. 5 seed Louisiana at 8:30 p.m.
“We set out how we play. The players bought in 100 percent,” Herd coach Greg Beals said Sunday after the Herd scored two runs in the ninth to tie the game and then won in the 10th inning on a single by Maika Niu. “At this point, this team has really grown and is finding ways to win. It’s great to see. When I came here (January 2023) I had a vision. Come in and do it. I’m really happy. The community gets around baseball. We put a product on the field to see and continue to grow. The seniors here have been here the entire time. They’ve really fostered the culture. The guys are a key element to that. Special pregame today. So happy they to get to see this.”
Eddie Leon, one of the Herd seniors honored prior to Sunday’s game, said this run is a far cry from the days of home games at Power Park in Charleston, George Smailes Field at YMCA Route 2 and a coaching change.
“We’ve been believing we can do this since the fall,” Leon said. “It’s not unexpected. We didn’t know how to win. It’s a culture thing. We were not going to let that happen again. In the fall we made sure the season didn’t go sideways. You’re seeing the first of it. Stay positive. Everyone bought in.”
Marshall enters the tournament on a six-game win streak as it recorded a three-game sweep at Georgia State in its second-to-last regular season series. Over those six games, the Herd has combined to score 68 runs, winning three times by one run in extra innings as well as one game, 10-8.
“This speaks to the culture of our guys. Their competitiveness,” Beals said. “Never a feeling of disbelief in the clubhouse or dugout. We try to create the culture, the guys live the culture. We’re not done. One team’s going to leave Montgomery as champion. We’ll spend every moment thinking about being that team. We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now.”
Other seniors recognized included Tim Baird, Fenix DiGiacomo, Nolan Wilson, Alex McKay, Nicholas Weyrich and Elijah Vogelsong.
On Sunday, Leon enjoyed his sixth game with three or more hits as he finished 3-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs. He has a team-best 63 hits and has has started all 55 games this season.
“We’re never out of it,” Leon said. “There’s not a team in the country we cannot play with. We compete to the last out. We’re a family. Right now is the time of the year to be hot. It doesn’t matter when you get it going. Right now it’s a matter of getting in going. Get in, make things happen and win a championship. As long as it gets done, it doesn’t matter when.”
Pitcher Griffin Miller, a Madison native who played prep baseball at Scott High School, was chosen All-Sun Belt second team and will almost certainly be counted on at some point this week. He is 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA over 79 1/3 innings.
The 10-team SBC Tournament starts Tuesday and continues through Sunday with the championship game. Format is double-elimination after Tuesday’s two play-in games, which will feature seventh-seeded Texas State against No. 10 Appalachian State and No. 8 Arkansas State vs. No. 9 Georgia Southern.
Coastal Carolina (44-11, 26-4 SBC) swept its final six conference series to earn the league’s regular season championship and No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Chanticleers have won 14 straight games.
Southern Miss (41-13, 24-6) is the No. 2 seed, on a 15-game win streak and two-time defending tournament champion. Troy is No. 3 and Old Dominion sixth.