Marshall baseball will face a win or go home situation Tuesday as the Thundering Herd begins the 2026 Sun Belt Conference tournament against Louisiana in Montgomery, Alabama.
No. 10 seed Marshall (23-31) takes on the No. 7 seed Rajin’ Cajuns (34-21) at 4 p.m. at DABOS Park in a single-elimination opening-round contest.
The matchup serves as a rematch of last year’s tournament opener, when Louisiana defeated Marshall 9-5 before the Herd responded with a 17-13 elimination-game victory later in the week.
Marshall enters the postseason led by one of the nation’s top hitters in Evan Bottone, who paces the Sun Belt with 82 hits and a .387 batting average while ranking second in the conference with 57 runs scored. Bottone has collected 28 multi-hit games this season, including 12 contests with at least three hits.
The Herd offense has produced a .280 team batting average with 518 hits, 105 doubles and 45 home runs this season. Tyler Kamerer is batting .323 with 20 doubles and 55 runs scored, while Jackson Halter leads Marshall with 11 home runs and 52 RBI.
Marshall is expected to hand the ball to Bryce Blevins, who has emerged as one of the Sun Belt’s most durable starters. The right-hander leads the nation with 102 innings pitched and owns an 8-4 record with 86 strikeouts. His eight wins are tied for second in the conference, and another victory would give him the program’s career wins record.
Louisiana closed the regular season by taking two of three games from nationally ranked Coastal Carolina and enters the tournament with victories in seven of its last 10 games.
The Ragin’ Cajuns rely heavily on pitching and speed. Louisiana ranks near the top of the Sun Belt with a 4.77 team ERA and has stolen 105 bases this season.
Projected starter Cody Brasch has been one of the conference’s most effective arms, posting a 5-2 record with a 2.24 ERA and 74 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .182 batting average.
At the plate, Louisiana is led by freshman catcher Colt Brown, who is hitting .312 with 42 RBI, while Lee Amedee is batting .308 with 43 RBI. Jaquae Stewart’s 14 home runs pace the Cajuns, and Dawson Stewart leads the club with 52 RBI.
The winner advances deeper into the double-elimination bracket, while the loser sees its season come to an end.
Sun Belt Conference tournament
When: Tuesday-Sunday
Where: DABOS Park, Montgomery, Alabama
TV: All games will be streamed on ESPN+
Tuesday
Game 1: No. 10 Marshall vs. No. 7 Louisiana, 4 p.m.
Game 2: No. 9 Georgia State vs. No. 8 Old Dominion, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Game 3: No. 6 Texas State vs. No. 3 App State, 10 a.m.
Game 4: Higher-seeded winner of Game 1 or Game 2 vs. No. 2 Coastal Carolina, 1:30 p.m.
Game 5: Lower-seeded winner of Game 1 or Game 2 vs. No. 1 Southern Miss, 5 p.m.
Game 6: No. 5 South Alabama vs. No. 4 Troy, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 10 a.m.
Game 8: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 1:30 p.m.
Game 9: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 5 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 11: Loser Game 9 vs. Winner Game 7, 4 p.m.
Game 12: Loser Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 13: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, 10 a.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 12, 1:30 p.m.
Game 15: If necessary, 5 p.m.
Game 16: If necessary, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday
Championship game: 2 p.m.