— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The Marshall single-season home run record already is broken and continues to grow. Might as well have the individual homer mark to go with it.
Sydni Burko, a former standout at Cabell Midland, took care of that matter Thursday when she hit homers her first two times up to bring her season total to a program record 21.
Burko’s leadoff homer set the tone for the evening and the Thundering Herd belted five home runs en route to the win, 7-3, over James Madison at Dot Hicks Field. Burko added a two-run blast her next time up.
“Such a blessing to win,” Burko said. “It’s a testament to my coaches. It’s a tribute to my teammates. They push me at practice to make me better. It’s a great feeling.”
THE NEW SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUN RECORD HOLDER, SYDNI BURKO!!! 👑 pic.twitter.com/XRnYYUBGL6
— Marshall Softball (@HerdSB) April 30, 2026
Ava Blake, Diamond Leslie and Bella Gerlach each left the yard in the win as well.
The Dukes finished with three solo homers as all 10 runs were scored via the long ball.
Marshall (37-14, 17-5) entered the final series of the regular season tied for first in the league with UL Monroe, and it remains that way after ULM held on for a 7-6 win Thursday against Southern Miss.
Burko said taking Game 1 in the series is huge — and she helped set the tone.
“We talked about it this morning,” Burko said of the wind blowing out. “Let’s take advantage of it. The first game is a big one. Show up, handle business, handle it again tomorrow. Keep it rolling. That first one set the tone. We just feed off each other. We are so talented from top to bottom. Every body can get the job done. It starts with being best friends. We have a common goal. Show up, handle business and win.”
Morgan Zerkle, in her third season as Marshall coach, enjoyed seeing Burko get the record. Zerkle also played at Cabell Midland and then Marshall. Zerkle’s family got both home run balls.
“She’s so special,” Zerkle said. “Local and I’ve watched her since she was 7 years old to now. Having that success you can’t predict. It’s fun to watch and see her have one of those special moments.”
Marshall raised its single-season homer output to 88.
Zerkle liked seeing that punch again and the response from her team after they lost two of three last weekend at Louisiana.
“I was glad to see the offense come alive again,” Zerkle said. “I did think the matchup against their pitching was good. The (home run) power. It starts with bat speed and work in the weight room. Then you have to be on time for a good pitch and have the abilities to get it over there (fence) when it happens. The wind blowing out. Nice to see but some of them don’t even need it.
“Burko set the tone. We had good at bats from inning one. We hit line drives a people We knew it was going to come. We had a good progression and started to find holes. Last weekend we felt the pressure. We learned from that. To be at home, the Dot, we’re relaxed. There’s so much to home field advantage. It’s Senior Weekend, we’re having fun and that’s when we play our best. We have the fans. We have huge support from the community.”
James Madison is 25-23 and 11-11 in the SBC.
The series continues Friday with the second game at 5 p.m. The finale is Saturday at noon. Then all Sun Belt teams head to the SBC Tournament next week in Lafayette, La.