Morgan Zerkle

Morgan Zerkle is a 5-foot-8 professional softball outfielder from Milton, W.Va. She was acquired in the 7th Round of the 2025 Inaugural Draft following a collegiate career at Marshall.

Personal Life

Hobbies: Enjoys traveling and spending time outside. Went to a surf camp with fellow AUSL player Sydney McKinney in December 2024.

Career: Named head softball coach at Marshall University in June 2023. Member of the AUSL Player Executive Committee.

Education: Graduated with a degree in exercise science and earned a master's degree in kinesiology.

Background: Did not become a left-handed hitter until her junior year of high school. Wears No. 18 because she likes even numbers.

Professional Experience

Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball, AUX & AUSL (2020–)

2026 AUSL Postseason (Chicago Bandits): Zerkle earned the starting assignment in all three of the Bandits' postseason games, batting .400 (4-for-10) with three runs batted in. She notched two hits against Utah in Game Two of the AUSL Championship, and drove in two runs to help Chicago secure a Play-In Game win over Portland.

2026 AUSL Regular Season (Chicago Bandits): Zerkle tied for seventh in the AUSL with a .333 batting average, tying for fourth in the league with 27 hits while holding a share of second place with six doubles. She led the league with three triples, and ranked second in the AUSL with five stolen bases on six attempts. She tied for the league lead with 91 plate appearances and ranked third with 81 at-bats, posting a .413 on-base percentage to rank eighth in the circuit. Zerkle closed out the regular season by hitting safely in seven of her final eight games, including a three-hit performance against Carolina on July 15. She also tallied two hits, including a triple and a home run, at Portland on July 10. On July 2, she led the Bandits to a victory over Portland with a 3-for-3 effort, including a double and a triple, driving in four runs. She also had three hits against Utah on June 11, and hit her first home run of the season against Oklahoma City on June 14 as part of a 2-for-4 outing.

2025 AUSL All-Star Cup: Collected 586 leaderboard points. Starter in all 10 games who tied for fourth in the league after being hit by a pitch twice. Boasted a .258 batting average with three RBIs.

2025 AUSL Regular Season (Bandits): Second-leading hitter in the AUSL with a .419 average while pacing the league in hits (39), doubles (9), and home runs (9). Led the circuit with 93 at-bats and 75 total bases. Second in the league with 25 runs scored, 26 RBIs, an .806 slugging percentage, and a 1.239 OPS. First player in AUSL history to hit an inside-the-park home run.

2024 Championship Season: Secured an 18th-place finish with 1,330 leaderboard points. Starter in all 15 games who batted .316. Ranked second in the league with nine walks, a .447 on-base percentage, and a .973 OPS. Became the first player in AU history to reach 10,000 career leaderboard points and appear in 100 career games.

2024 AUX Season: Garnered a seventh-place finish with 1,196 leaderboard points. Batted .364 with 16 hits, two home runs, and nine RBIs. Established AU X single-season standards with five stolen bases.

2023 Championship Season: Posted 1,110 leaderboard points (30th place). Fourth-leading hitter in the league with a .366 batting average and third with a .481 OBP.

2023 AUX Season: Accumulated 866 leaderboard points (14th place). Starter in all 10 games, hitting .289 with 11 hits.

2022 Championship Season: Collected 1,046 leaderboard points. Posted a .319 batting average with two home runs and six RBIs.

2022 AUX Season: Placed fourth with 1,338 leaderboard points. Batted .385 with 15 hits and nine runs scored.

2021 Championship Season: Finished sixth with 1,576 leaderboard points. Hit .300 with 15 hits, 14 RBIs, and went a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases.

2020 Championship Season: Earned a share of fifth place with 1,710 points. Posted a .426 batting average and tied for the league lead with seven stolen bases.

Other Professional Experience (2017)

NPF: No. 26 overall selection in the 2017 NPF Draft by the Scrap Yard Dawgs. Appeared in 15 games with a .269 batting average.

International Experience (2016–2026)

Team USA: Won a Gold medal at the 2022 Pan American Championships, hitting .538. Earned a Silver medal at the 2017 World Cup of Softball and Japan Cup. Member of the 2026 National Team pool and competed in the 2025 Down Under Series.

College Experience: Marshall (2014–2017)

Career Statistics: Started 193-of-194 career games, authoring a school-record .451 batting average with 13 home runs and 104 RBIs. Scored 181 runs and registered 289 hits, including 25 doubles and a school-record 14 triples.

Senior Year (2017): Second-Team NFCA All-America recognition. Conference USA Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year.

Sophomore Year (2015): Set single-season program records with a .506 batting average, 89 hits, and 62 runs scored. Led the NCAA with 48 stolen bases.



Awards & Honors

All-America: Second-Team NFCA All-America selection in 2017.

Conference Honors: Three-time First-Team All-Conference USA selection.

Academic: CoSIDA Academic All-America recipient as a sophomore and senior. Finalist for the Senior CLASS Award in 2017.