— By David Walsh
HUNTNGTON, W.Va. — Marshall softball got some good news Sunday. The Thundering Herd is going to the NCAA Tournament for the third time and is the beneficiary of a short trip to the tournament site.
Marshall, an at-large entry from the Sun Belt Conference, is matched up against Arizona of the Big 12. The Wildcats (35-16) also received an at-large entry.
Duke, from the Atlantic Coast Conference, is regional host, meaning the location is Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils will meet Howard in the other first-round game.
Regional play is Friday through Sunday. The Blue Devils take on Howard in Game 1 Friday at noon. The Herd and Arizona will play after at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Durham Regional
📅 May 15-17(3) @DukeSOFTBALL@HUBisonSoftball@HerdSB
(6) @ArizonaSoftball#RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/iO90Fgwy02— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 10, 2026
For Marshall (37-17, 17-7 SBC) this is a bit of better fortune after it lost two of three against James Madison at home with a shot to win the Sun Belt regular season title. Last Thursday at the league tournament, the Thundering Herd suffered a 6-0 loss to Coastal Carolina and managed just one hit.
Marshall’s past NCAA Tournament bids came in 2013 and 2017.
The Herd is led on offense by Sydni Burko, the SBC Player of the Year. The third baseman belted 21 homers for a single-season record. The team also set a single-season school mark for homers with 89.
Arizona features Big 12 Player of the Year Sydney Stewart.
Stewart, a catcher, hit .429 with 20 home runs and 76 RBI. She hit .490 in Big 12 play. She was the Big 12’s batting champion.
Regan Shockey was named Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year. The Wildcats had nine players named to the All-Big 12 teams.
After regionals, Super Regionals are scheduled May 21-24 at campus sites. The top eight move on to the Women’s College World Series scheduled May 28-June 5 in Oklahoma City The three-game finale is June 3-5.
The bracket is set! 🥎
👉 https://t.co/qkDzWWahWh
🎟️ https://t.co/QxhUYg5UXP #RoadToWCWS pic.twitter.com/vodddfl1RT— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 10, 2026
The Herd received notice of the bid Sunday on the NCAA Selection Show where the 64 teams were revealed for the tournament.