Team Zerkle

If you happen to be scrolling through your TV channels Sunday night, discover 'Team Zerkle' playing on ESPN2, and think that name sounds familiar for some reason, you would be correct.

That's because Morgan Zerkle, the Miami RedHawks' assistant softball coach, is also a captain for one of the four teams starting play in the Athletes Unlimited professional softball league this weekend.

Zerkle, a 2017 All-American outfielder at Marshall University, is one of 60 pro softball players participating in Athletes Unlimited this summer in Rosemont, Ill. The player-run league is an innovative concept that features an individual leaderboard throughout the five-week season, with salary bonuses paid out to players based on where they finish from No. 1 to No. 60. Athletes can earn points for hits, stolen bases, game MVP honors, as well as team performances (winning a game or even winning a particular inning).

The four teams play games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on the ESPN family of networks, with the top point-getters from the week being named captains for the following weekend's matchups. Each Monday, those captains will draft new 15-member teams in a live-streamed event, so Zerkle will end up playing as teammates with the overwhelming majority of the league at some point between now and the end of August.

Zerkle finished in the top six of the player standings in Season 1, Season 2, and also the shorter AUX spring season this past June. Her performance earned her a nod as one of the captains this week when Season 3 gets underway.

"You start with those four captains, and then it's like picking for kickball teams," said Zerkle. "You pick your player, and we're in a Zoom room, so once you pick someone, you can talk to them about who you should pick next…

Morgan Zerkle

"I'm a numbers person, so I look at everyone's on-base percentage, home runs, and batting average to figure out who the hot hitters are.

"If you're a captain, you not only pick your team, but you run practice during the week, and then you make the lineup for your games."

That role comes naturally for Zerkle, who just finished her third year on the RedHawks' coaching staff. She got her first taste of drafting and leading an AUX team last month, and enjoyed the opportunity. "It was cool to combine both worlds a little bit," Zerkle said. "Some people aren't comfortable when they get named captain, but [my Miami experience] obviously helps in the league."

Playing professionally during the summer also helps Zerkle as a coach when she returns to Oxford. "Being in AU, you're around 60 of the best athletes in the country," she said. "We're practicing together, so if you're hitting at practice, you can see, 'What are other athletes doing?' You can have conversations about hitting. You can ask them, 'What do you do to train?'

"So that conversation amongst 60 of the best softball players in the country is super helpful. If you're open to learning what other people do, it can be great. The best way to learn is from other people who do it really well."

Zerkle also said experiencing different situations on the diamond as a player gives her unique insight to help the RedHawks when they encounter something similar in a game. "I can recall, 'Okay, when I was in this situation, this is what I was thinking.' Or, 'This is how I do it physically, and it works for me; it may not work for you, but why don't you try this?'

"I can't imagine a better thing to do in your summer to help you with coaching other than playing," said Zerkle.

Miami head coach Kirin Kumar agreed. "The girls are able to watch her play at the highest level of softball, so they respect her for that," said Kumar. "They can watch her do what she tells them to do."

Zerkle has played professionally ever since she graduated from Marshall, and takes pride in the career she's built over that time span. Although no one outside her home state of West Virginia recruited her as a high-schooler, her standout college career (including a trip to the NCAA regionals as a senior) led to getting drafted into the National Pro Fastpitch league in 2017 and then earning a spot on Team USA that summer. At the national team tryout, Zerkle racked up five extra-base hits in 12 at-bats!

"It was really satisfying to have that moment to not only prove myself, but I did it undeniably," Zerkle said. "That's always been my thing: Unless I 100% give anyone no doubt, I'm going to get looked over because of where I've come from and where I've been…

"I went from not getting recruited and being in a much smaller softball environment to finally getting exposure that I thought I had earned and deserved," Zerkle said. "It was always like, 'Well, if someone just gave me a chance, I could do well.' And now I finally have these opportunities!" Karli Spaid and Morgan Zerkle

Zerkle's on-field success after college has served as not only a springboard to her current spot in Athletes Unlimited, but also as an inspiration to her student-athletes at Miami.

"We always talk about, 'You can do big things at mid-majors,' and to actually see people do it makes people believe it," said Kumar. "[Our players] can actually see it every day; they're seeing it through Morgan.

"They're like, 'Oh, I can still be an All-American. I can still go play pro if I want to. I can still do all of that -- it doesn't matter. I don't have to be at these big schools; it's fun beating them!'

"We can talk about it, but actually seeing it happen adds more value."

Zerkle has no plans to stop playing anytime soon, at least as long as she's continuing to improve as a ballplayer. "I feel like I haven't reached my peak yet!", Zerkle said. She appreciates the chance to play a role in helping grow the popularity of women's athletics in the United States, something that especially stood out during the AUX doubleheader on June 23, a date that marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of Title IX.

"It was awesome, because I think the whole idea of Athletes Unlimited is to grow the game, to do something different that's never been done before, and to allow more opportunities for people to play," Zerkle said.

"We're now in Season 3, and every single game is on an ESPN channel; that growth is really cool to be a part of and to see. Even though it's not where softball and women's sports could be [yet]…it's still a lot of progress and it feels good to be a small part of that...

"I've talked to people all over the country that say, 'Oh, you play professional softball? I didn't know there was professional softball!' Now that it's actually in front of people, I think it is going to help that exposure a lot.

"And people are going to get hooked because it is such an exciting game."

So when you're looking for something to watch this weekend during the RedHawks' offseason, check out a game or two on ESPN2.

Download the Athletes Unlimited app.

Follow along with the player standings and see if you can figure out the scoring system. (Unlike 'Whose Line is it Anyway?', the points DO matter!)

Watch a few highlight-reel catches…like this one…or this one…or this one…or this one...or this one from Morgan herself.

In other words...

Join Team Zerkle.

But watch out: You just might get hooked.

Find more Front Row Features at MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures.

Season 3 of Athletes Unlimited softball gets underway Friday night, July 29 on ESPN2 and ESPN+. For the complete schedule, click here.

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