University Marshall University Nickname Thundering Herd Founded 1896 Conference Conference USA | Location Huntington, WV Colors Kelly Green and White Head coach Jeff Waggoner League Division I (NCAA) | |
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Home stadium Appalachian Power Park
(Capacity: 6,200) Arenas/Stadiums Appalachian Power Park, Kennedy Center Field | ||
The Marshall Thundering Herd baseball team represents the Marshall University in NCAA Division I college baseball and competes in Conference USA. The current head coach of the Herd is Jeff Waggoner. Marshall currently plays their conference home games off-campus in Charleston, West Virginia at Appalachian Power Park.
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Home venues
History
Marshall baseball was a winning program right from the start. The Herd won the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (which Marshall helped to found in 1924 as what would be known as the WVIAC) in 1928-29-30-3 under former Ohio State University and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Johnny "Blood" Stuart, then won the Buckeye Conference 1933-34-35 under Marshall and West Virginia University Halls of Fame member Roy "Legs" Hawley. The Herd then won the Southern Conference in 1978 and 1981 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1973 and 1978, all under legendary baseball Head Coach Jack Cook. Marshall finished as runner-up in the 2008 C-USA Baseball Tournament, falling in the finals to Houston, 3–2, but winning a MU record 30 games without a home field to use in Huntington for the entire season (Marshall has played C-USA games at Charleston's Appalachian Power Park since joining the league in 2006). For the first time since 1994, MU had players drafted in the June 5–6 Major League Baseball Draft with a school-record three being selected, plus one recruit in 2008. Steve Blevins, who tied the single-season wins mark with a 9–3 mark, signed with the Minnesota Twins on June 11, while Nate Lape was drafted by the Colorado Rockies and Tommy Johnson by the Seattle Mariners. Lape and second baseman Adam Yeager played in the Cape Cod League, the premier wooden bat summer college baseball league, for the Brewster Whitecaps. In 2015, outfielder Corey Bird was an All-Cape Cod League selection, then hit .300 for the 2016 Herd and led C-USA in stolen bases. In 2016, Marshall finished second in C-USA by 1/2 game behind Florida Atlantic, and the Herd advanced to the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament, losing to eventual champ Southern Miss on the Golden Eagles home stadium, 3-2, in the semis. The Herd won a Marshall record 34 games (and lost only 21), posted the first winning season since 1994 and made the C-USA Tournament for the first time since 2010. Marshall was 13-2 in the final five series of the year in the league and swept three in a row on the way to winning eight C-USA series, also an all-time high. Senior Chase Boster became Marshall's biggest winning when he passed both Albie DeYoung and Grant Harper with his 20th win of his career, finishing 8-3 on the season.
Marshall has an all-time record of 1,363–1,532–12 (at end of 2016 season, 110 seasons all-time since 1896).