By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A visit to Louisville was unkind to Marshall’s baseball team.
The Thundering Herd saw its four-game win streak halted and suffered back-to-back losses at Louisville on Tuesday and Wednesday in a pair of shortened games due to the 10-run mercy rule. The Cardinals won 16-5 in Game 1 and then 18-8 the next day.
“Obviously we had a tough two days here in Louisville, especially on the mound,” Beals said. “They have a strong offense and with the wind blowing out, we didn’t handle it very well. We pitched behind on count entirely too much and we paid for it.”
Marshall (8-8) returns home to Jack Cook Field this weekend for the first Sun Belt Conference series of 2026. The opposition will be provided by Georgia State Panthers. The Panthers (10-8) enter off a 16-6 loss to Mercer in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Game 1 is set for 6 p.m. Friday, with Saturday’s contest scheduled for 4 p.m. and the series finale Sunday to start at 1 p.m.
“At 8-8, we need to take the lessons of these first 16 games and learn from the good and the bad,” Beals said. “It is time to freshen up and begin a new season — Sun Belt season.”
Georgia State swept series with New Orleans and Bellarmine and split a pair of games with in-city rival Georgia Tech, picking up a 9-4 win over the Yellow Jackets on February 24 then losing 4-1 score on March 3.
The Panthers are led by head coach Brad Stromdahl, who is in his eighth year guiding the Panthers.
GSU’s thumper offensively is centerfielder John Beverley, who has a .397 batting average and has scored 13 runs and swiped 10 bases.
The Panthers pitching is paced by left-hander Jake Hembree, who has 21 strikeouts in 20 innings and a 1-1 record.
Will Bartkoski is GSU’s top bullpen threat with three saves this season.
Marshall is getting offensive production from a number of players, with five regular batters hitting better than .300.
Leadoff hitter Evan Buttone is batting .418 with 20 runs and 23 hits. He’s also smashed five home runs and picked up 14 RBIs.
Tyler Kamerer has also been a major offensive contributor with 17 runs, 23 hits and a .359 average.
Herd pitching is dominated by the work of starters Bryce Blevins and Kenyon Collins, who have combined for a 5-2 record, 62 strikeouts and earned-run averages south of 3.
After this weekend series, Marshall heads back to the Bluegrass State for a March 17 matchup at nationally-ranked Kentucky.