HUNTINGTON — Next time you see Marshall softball Coach Shonda Stanton, call her Farmer Stanton.

See, she’s been busy harvesting a bumper crop of locally grown talent.

Last week, the Thundering Herd received National Letters of Intent from three girls who live within 25 miles of campus. They join four other current Herd players who all hail less than 90 minutes from Huntington.

The three future Herd players are Jessica Watts from Wayne and Morgan Zerkle and Morgan Kelley from Cabell Midland High and Milton. All three were members of the West Virginia Mountain Thunder, a summer travel ball team which recently captured the 18-under eastern national championship.

“I think the greatest asset with these three gals is the pride and passion they have, and they understand the tradition of Marshall University,” Farmer … er, Coach Stanton said. “Anytime you talk to student-athletes, you want them to take pride in their work, on the field and off of it. The great thing about these three gals is that they understand it.

“They have dreamed of becoming part of the Thundering Herd. And, hands down, they’re exceptional students. But they also are great young ladies who will represent our program well.” Stanton said having local talent is just an added benefit.

“For us, when we’re out recruiting, we are looking for studentathletes who can add something to the program,” she said. “With Jessica, she’s a true competitor. She’s a versatile athlete.

“Morgan Zerkle will be one of the faster kids in our program, and that’s saying something because in 2011, we led the nation in stolen bases and were second in 2012. And with Morgan Kelley, her plus is power. Her power potential at the plate is something.”

Watts is a two-time first team All-State selection, three-time All-Cardinal Conference selection, a three-time first team all-academic selection and was selected second team all-conference as a freshman. She was also an ESPN High School Player of the Year nominee last season and a two-time team captain.

Zerkle batted .660 last season. She also was 2011 nominee for Gatorade State Player of the Year and an All-State honorable mention selection in 2010 as a freshman.

Kelley earned first team all-state honors and first team All-Mountain State Athletic Conference in 2012. Rotating between first and third base, she also earned honorable mention honors in 2011 both on the all-state and all-MSAC teams. She batted .385 in 2012; fifth best in the state while driving in 49 runs while scoring herself 23 times. Stanton said the local three all are impact players.

“These three girls are a good mix,” said Stanton, who is starting her 14th season with the Herd. “They’ll help the program. But when we have West Virginia kids on our roster, they’re on our roster not because they’re from West Virginia. It’s because they’re kids we’ve identified as young ladies who will help our program.

“These three girls are talented, impact players who will have an opportunity to make a difference in our program.”

The softball team just finished a stellar 2012 season that saw it advance to the Conference USA championship game. That team was powered by local talent such as pitcher Andi Williamson from Harts, outfielder Ashley Gue from Cabell Midland, outfielder Samantha Spurlock from Huntington High and infielder Alysia Hively from Clay County.

Williamson, Gue and Hively will be back for their senior seasons this spring, and joining them will be freshman infielder Alyssa Cook from Lincoln County.

Watts, for one, said signing to play with the Herd is a dream come true.

“It means everything to me,” she said. “I’ve wanted to play there since I was a little girl. I’m proud that I’ll not only berepresenting the school, the team and the coaches, but I’ll also be representing the entire community.

“Growing up here, I always have gone to Marshall games. Plus, just the entire story of Marshall. It’s special to play for that school.”

Watts said she also is happy to have the stress of signing off her shoulders as she enters her senior high school season.

“It takes a lot of stress off my shoulders,” she said. “I don’t have to send out emails, talk to a lot of coaches about  recruiting and that type of stuff.

“But also, it makes me want to work harder because I know I’ll be out to prove myself.”

Plus, Watts is excited to be joining the Herd with two longtime friends. She has played travel ball with Zerkle and Kelley since they all were about 10 years old.

“I’m a team player, so I’ll do  whatever Coach Stanton asks of me. I think my strongest attributes are my speed, my work ethic and my versatility,” she said. “I like what Coach Stanton does with the team. The team has fun. She makes it fun, but it’s still serious.”

The other two girls who recently signed National Letters of Intent with the Herd are Jordan Dixon and Rebecca Myslenski.

Dixon was a pitcher for Edmond North High School in Edmond, Okla. In the circle for the Huskies, Dixon was the winning pitcher as ENHS won the 6A Oklahoma State Championship this past season. During her team’s state tournament run, Dixon struck out 35 batters in three games. On the season, she compiled a 23-1 record with 224 strikeouts. She also was strong at the plate with a team-high 41 RBI and went 6-for-8 during the state tournament.

Myslenski will join the Herd after playing for Clear Falls High School in League City, Texas. As a member of the Knights, Myslenski split time between second base and short stop while serving as a two-year varsity captain. She has earned both All-Greater Houston and all-county honors. She also helped her squad reach the Class 4A regional quarterfinal in its firstyear competing on the varsity level.

But for now, Stanton is focusing on this spring. She said the team is young.

“We’ll have 11 new kids this year,” the Herd coach said. “We’re not sure what to expect. We have four known starters, and three of them (Williamson, Gue and Hively) are local.”

HUNTINGTON — When someone following sports mentions “home cooking,” it usually means favorable officiating or other advantages for the home team.

But when future Marshall University golfer Will Evans talks about home cooking, he means something from the stove.

“I was stuck between two schools,” said Evans, a George Washington High School senior who finished fifth in the 2012 West Virginia Class AAA State Tournament. “Two weekends ago, we visited Marshall. Coach (Matt) Grobe took us around campus, and there was nothing I disliked. I liked everything about it.

“Plus, it’s close to home, so I can come home every once in a while and eat a home-cooked meal.”

So, Evans signed with the thundering Herd last week in a ceremony at GWHS.

Grobe also is a big believer in home cooking.

“I think whenever we have a chance to have good West Virginia kids stay in state and come to Marshall, you can’t ask for much more,” said Grobe, who just finished his first season with the Thundering Herd. “I just think we’ve got a kid in Will who’s on the upswing.

“What you see with Will is constant improvement. He has a good work ethic, and over the last four years, he’s just been getting better and better.”

In addition to Evans’ golf abilities, Grobe said the two-time All-State golfer is the complete package and a perfect fit for the Herd family. “I think what we look for is good character kids, and Will has that,” Grobe said. “He’s a good kid and a good student. And, of course, he’s a really, really good golfer. He has all three elements that we look for in our student-athletes.”

Grobe said he has known Evans for a few years, primarily through his friendship with Will’s father, Barry Evans, the head pro at Berry Hills Country Club in Charleston. The elder Evans won the 2002 PGA Professional National Championship and the 2008 West Virginia Open.

“When I was first an assistant pro at Sleepy (Hollow, in Hurricane), Barry was one of those guys I looked up to,” said Grobe, who might know a little about trying to break out of his father’s shadow. His dad, Huntington native Jim Grobe, in the longtime Wake Forest football coach and a former Herd assistant.

“Now to have Will playing for me here at Marshall is really special,” Grobe said. “Barry is a great golf professional, one of the all-time greats. He’s mentored so many professionals, and he’s done a really well with Will.”

Will Evans said it is beneficial to have his father to lean on for advice.

“Everywhere we go, he seems to know everybody,” Will said of his dad. “Everybody looks up to him. He’s a great guy. He just supports me in everything I do, not just golf.

“So, being closer to home and closer to him for college is comforting. Being close makes it easier to come home and hang out with him a little bit.”

Barry Evans might be more excited about Will playing college golf than Will is himself.

“Yesterday was a proud day,” Barry Evans said a day after the official signing. “It’s wonderful. I thought everything about him signing with Marshall made sense.

“I think the world of Matt Grobe. He’s a great guy, and he cares about the kids. Marshall was my first choice for Will, and it ended up being his, too.”

Barry Evans said he’s done all he can to prepare his son for the next level.

“Matt was the first one to say he’s not going to change anything,” Barry Evans said. “Matt is a good player, too. And from what I’ve learned about him, I’m not going to be upset if he’s trying to help Will.

“Will’s got to the point where he helps himself now, too. I had great fun teaching my son. The most fun wasn’t teaching him how to hit the ball though. It was teaching him how to play. He has a good thought process. I know how to play the game, and I think I’ve taught him some of that. You can win tournaments when you’re not playing your best.”

Barry Evans said he’s excited to watch Will play as much as possible for the Herd.

“I’ll do what I can, but I still have a job,” he said with a chuckle.

“I’m gone a decent amount playing in tournaments myself (mostly on the Tri-State PGA circuit, in Pennsylvania and West Virginia). But I’m 51 now, and the competitive desire has waned a little bit. I get more nervous now when Will’s playing and I can’t be there. I am sick to my stomach waiting to hear from him.”

Grobe said the addition of Will Evans is one more piece of the puzzle he’s trying to solve.

“We’re just trying to build a program that has a little bit of depth,” he said. “And Will does help with that. This fall, we realized we have to be strong and a little deeper.

“We’re trying to get to a place where all of our players, 1 through 10, are solid. That way, we’ll have no off years. We just want to get a little deeper and have everybody pushing the guy ahead of them.” Will is eager to do his part.

“I’ve played in a ton of junior tournaments, but I’m eager to compete against other college athletes,” he said, adding that his decision came down to Marshall or the College of Charleston (S.C.). “I’ve played golf for years, but I wasn’t real serious about it until the seventh grade.

“Now, I’ve signed with a Division I program. It’s a dream come true.

HUNTINGTON — The season began so strong for Marshall’s men’s soccer team.

As September drew to a close, the Thundering Herd was 7-0-1, having given up only one goal.

Two weeks later, the Herd still boasted an impressive 10-1-1 mark and only four goals allowed.

Then, the wheels seemed to come off the train. In its final five games, the Herd went 1-4 to finish at 11-5-1. Each of those matches were decided late in the contest, but the results were the same.

Coach Bob Gray summed it up in one word: Frustrating.

“It was extremely disappointing,” he said of the end of the season. “We really had a pretty solid season, and to end on that note was tough. Especially knowing the last few games we played against some strong competition came down to literally last minutes of the game. “We lost to UAB in the 89th minute, to SMU in sudden death overtime, and on a goal to UCF with six seconds on the clock. “Any of those wins would’ve put us in the Conference USA tournament … Just very frustrating.”

After the bitterness of the abrupt end of the season sunk in, Gray said it still was a good season.

“We reached a lot of our goals,” he said. “And we had an undefeated non-conference for the first time ever.

“We just couldn’t score goals when we needed to at the end.” Marshall’s defensive was a bright spot all season, allowing only eight goals.

“In all of my years of coaching, I’ve never had a more cohesive defensive unit,” said Gray, who just finished his 36th year of coaching, half of them at Marshall.

“And that starts with goalkeeper Daniel Withrow.” Gray said Withrow’s senior season excellence was only icing on the cake of a phenomenal college career.

Last week, he was named Co-Conference USA Player of the Year. “His maturity level was so important this year,” Gray said of the Rochester Hills, Mich., native. “He took on captain’s role, and he was one of the better captains I’ve had in a long time in terms of what his expectations were of players and the team.

“He was a very good role model, and it all bodes well for him moving forward.

“I’d be shocked if he doesn’t latch onto a professional team. We can expect to see him on an MLS team next fall.”

Withrow broke the school records for single-season and career shutouts. His 9.5 clean sheets and 0.52 goals against average were the best marks in the league and fifth-best in the nation.

“We knew we’d be in every single game,” Gray said. “I think we only gave up more than one goal twice all season. From Page 10 “A lot of teams didn’t want to play us. They knew they were going to be in for a tough battle.”

In addition to Withrow, Tom Jackson, Devin Perkins and Jack Hawkins received places on the C-USA Second, Third, and All- Freshman teams, respectively, while Zach Hunter was named to the C-USA All-Academic team late last week.

Gray also praised Jackson on his senior season and his shot at pro ball.

“He’s got the physical size and ability to get things done,” Gray said of the New Zealand native.

“The shame of it is that our season started to slip when he was injured. I don’t think he ever fully recovered this season.

“We needed his goal-scoring power at the end, but the ball didn’t bounce our way.”

Gray said the eight seniors — Withrow, Jackson, Perkins, Aaron Dini, Peter Bulat, Eddy Prugh, Fayanga Keita and Cade Parton — will be tough to replace.

“But the good news is we had one of the best freshman classes we’ve had in a long time,” he said. “At one point this season, we had four freshmen starting for us.”

Plus, next year brings a brand new home for Herd soccer, with groundbreaking set for this month.

This season, the team essentially lived on the road. With no facility, the men played most of its home games at Hurricane High School, as well as a couple of other facilities.

“We aren’t using it as an excuse, but I think the travel caught up with us at the end of the year,” he said. “The wear and tear of the travel is hard.

“And Hurricane is a great facility, but it isn’t our setting. It’s not what we’re used to. Not an excuse, but it I think it did wear on us. “Next year, we have at least 12 home games.”

Gray said little things will make the program stronger, too.

“People don’t realize that we’ve never had our own locker room,” he said.

“We’ve used the visiting football locker room as our locker room. We had to schedule practices around football and other events at the stadium.

“Now, we’ll have total control and everything in one spot. “It’s going to be an enormous boost for recruiting. We think we’ll see bigger and better crowds. We can’t wait. It’s going to be amazing.”

HUNTINGTON — This season, Marshall University’s women’s soccer team nearly doubled its victory total, found a promising freshman for the future and just missed the cut for the Conference USA Tournament.

Despite the bright spots, Coach Kevin Long still found the 2012 campaign “disappointing.”

“We thought coming out of the early parts of the season we were better and improved,” Long said of the Thundering Herd’s 7-11-1 season (3-7-1 Conference USA). “We thought things were going to be promising.

“Then, to not make it to the conference tournament … well, it was disappointing. Because, as we’re seeing, once in the tournament, it’s anybody’s ballgame.”

On Sept. 28, the Herd had a 6-6 record. But in the last month of the season, the Herd struggled to score goals. In fact, the team was outscored 21-4 in its last eight games and posted a 1-6-1 record.

“It’s another year where we are closer to where we need to be,” Long said. “We bring back some strong players and we have a other good recruiting class, but we do lose a great senior class.”

The seven members of the departing class are Chelsey Maiden, Sarah Vinson, Lindsey Kerns, Paige Oechsle, Annabelle Bramwell, Erin Blakely and Robin Waskowski.

Maiden, a forward from Vienna, missed the last four games of the season because of injury. Still, she led the team with 16 points (6 goals, 4 assists).

“The stretch run would’ve been less insurmountable if Chelsey had been healthy,” Long said. “She was an offensive player we could trust game in and game out. But during her career, she certainly made an impact on the program.”

Vinson made an MU-record 76 consecutive starters during her career.

“Sarah is a player who has done it on all parts of the student-athlete front,” Long said, noting that the Amelia, Ohio, senior finished her career with a 4.0 grade-point average and was named last week tothe C-USA All-Academic first team for the third consecutive year.

“We moved her from midfield to center back this year. She was phenomenal. Her presence on the back line was a solid anchor on our team. She’s played consistently at a high level her entire career. She probably destroyed the team’s minutes played column. She only was taken out for parts of two games in her entire career.

“And Paige did a good job the last two seasons as center back. She helped keep scores manageable. And with Kerns in goal, if you had said five years ago that she would start a lot of games for us as goalkeeper, not too many people would’ve believe that. But she got after it. She started every game for us this last season.”

Long, who just finished his fifth season leading the Herd, said he also is eager to play in the new-look C-USA. Four of the eight teams that made the conference tournament won’t be in the league next season.

“Who’s going to fill in those spots?” Long asked. “We were the first team to miss the cut for postseason play this year, and now four of those teams that were blocking us are gone.”

Next season is another one full of promise for the Herd, especially after the breakthrough season of freshman forward Erin Simmons.The Gahanna, Ohio, native started 18 matches for the Herd and shared the team goal-scoring title with Maiden at six each. She had two multi-goal games, converted all three penalty kick chances on the season and had three match-winning goals. She was named to the All-Conference USA third team and All-Freshman team.

"Who knew?” Long said when asked about Simmons. “Here’s a kid who is quiet when she plays. She doesn’t bat an eye when you ask her to do something. She just finds success. In the last game  against East Carolina, she didn’t quit until the end. She hit the post from 30 yards out.

“She’s a very good player, and we are fortunate to have her … Freshman … Her future is very bright.”

Long said maybe Simmons’ success should have been expected. “It’s almost like she was starving for the style of play we were offering,” he said. “When she started playing, it was like, bam, and she was able to thrive. And, after all, she was a high school All- American. So maybe it wasn’t a surprise. Maybe that’s all she does.”

Most of all, Long said he and his team is excited to be able to play at the new 1,000-seat home soccer stadium next season. Groundbreaking is scheduled Nov. 16 at the old Veterans Memorial Field House site.

 The Herd men’s and women’s squads played all of their matches on the road this season, with home games at area high schools.

“Playing From Page 12 a home game is going to be a sweet moment,” Long said. “This past year, the team weathered the travel pretty well. It got old, but they handled it mentally.

Take away all of the travel and the wear and tear it does on the body and mind, who knows if we’re fresher for the stretch run. That’s a good question.”

Long said his team is eager to welcome fans and visiting teams to its new home.

“First, the facility is going to be outstanding,” he said. “It will be a fun field to play on. And what we haven’t been able to do for a while is to play in front of a home crowd. That’s going to be exciting. The brand new facility is going to be good for both us and the fans, and that’s going to be a great mesh.

“We can’t wait.”