Marshall Baseball Recap
By Ethan Peltier, FM88 Sports
May 19, 2025
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (WMUL-FM) — Marshall baseball capped off an impressive regular season by sweeping the Georgia Southern Eagles in a three-game series at Jack Cook Field over the weekend. The Herd’s offensive explosion across all three games, coupled with clutch performances, secured Marshall its first-ever Sun Belt Conference Tournament berth.
Capped off by a six-game winning streak, Marshall finishes the regular season at 31-24 overall and 16-14 in Sun Belt play—a remarkable turnaround from last year’s 18-37 (9-21 SBC) record.
Marshall’s bats were active throughout the series, racking up 29 runs on 41 hits over the three games. Despite giving up leads in multiple contests, the Herd proved resilient, delivering when it mattered most.
Junior Maika Niu emerged as the series hero, smashing two home runs, including his team leading 12th of the season, and driving in the winning run twice. Niu’s impressive weekend was highlighted by a walk-off single in the series finale to secure the sweep.
In Friday’s opener, Marshall built an early six-run lead but saw it slip away as a tenacious Georgia Southern team stormed back to tie the game. With the score knotted 8-8 in the bottom frame of the eighth, Niu came through with a go-ahead two-run shot to secure the 10-8 victory, clinching the Herd’s place in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Marshall’s offense went right back to work in Friday’s contest, plating multiple runs with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. Niu’s three-run homer in the second extended his home run streak to six games and set the tone early.
On the mound, Tim Baird turned in a dominant relief performance, striking out eight of the nine batters he faced in a season-high effort. The Herd cruised to a comfortable 10-4 win, securing its first ever three-game series victory over Georgia Southern.
In the series finale, the Herd once again took an early lead, only to see the Eagles claw back and take the lead on a sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning. Propelled by late-game heroics, Marshall rallied to force extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Niu delivered a walk-off single, lifting the Herd to a 9-8 victory.
The Herd’s historic season continues next week as the team heads to Montgomery, Ala. for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Marshall enters as the No. 4 seed and will face fifth-seeded Louisiana in a double-elimination series beginning Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. EST.