The ThunderCast

S5 E102 Stay connected with @ThunderCast_Pod across social media so you never miss an episode or ticket giveaway. Visit: ThunderCast.Online Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The ThunderCast is brought to you each week by Leasure Oliver PLLC. If you are ever involved in a car accident, contact Leasure Oliver PLLC at 304CarWreck.com. Jason and Matt are local attorneys proudly serving West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. Be sure to follow them on Facebook. Five Things Every Herd Fan Needs To Know This Week is sponsored by Ignite Link, the Tri-State’s premier IT management team. For business IT and media consulting, contact Ignite Link at (304) 908-9424 or visit: ignite.link Follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Learn how you or your business can be part of The Thunder Trust. Follow The Thunder Trust on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Join the Big Green for as little as $8.33 per month to access exclusive Herd perks while helping provide critical scholarship funding for Marshall student-athletes. An all-new way to support Herd Athletics is here—at no cost to you. The next time you book a hotel, visit HerdHotels.com. It’s free, easy, and 50% of the booking commission goes directly back to Marshall Athletics. Always purchase tickets for all Marshall home games, away games, tournaments, and bowl games at HerdZone.com or by calling 800-THE-HERD.

Marshall Softball All-American Sydni Burko joins KD on this episode of The ThunderCast for a conversation about one of the greatest individual seasons in program history, her decision to come home and transfer to Marshall, and why the future of Herd Softball may be even brighter than its present. In 2026, Burko was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year while earning All-American honors and setting Marshall’s single-season home run record with 24 home runs. She led the Sun Belt in home runs, OPS, and slugging percentage while finishing among the conference leaders in RBI, hits, and batting average. But this conversation isn’t just about statistics. We talk about why a player who grew up just down the road from Marshall chose to come home, what made this year’s team so special, playing for fellow Ona native Morgan Zerkle, and the culture that’s helping transform Marshall Softball into one of the premier programs in the Sun Belt. Sydni also shares her thoughts on the future of the program, the returning talent that has Marshall fans excited, and why this team feels like it still has unfinished business heading into next season. And of course, we wrap things up with some fun rapid-fire questions covering teammates, music, food, Marshall traditions, and more. If you’re a Marshall Softball fan, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. There is a lot of excitement throughout the Herd Universe right now, and after listening to Sydni talk about where this program is headed, you’ll understand why. Topics Include: Why Sydni transferred to Marshall Coming home to West Virginia Setting Marshall’s single-season home run record Sun Belt Player of the Year & Newcomer of the Year Marshall Softball’s team culture Playing for Morgan Zerkle Returning talent for 2027 The future of Marshall Softball Rapid Fire Questions 2026 Stats ⚾ 24 Home Runs (#1 Sun Belt) ⚾ 1.342 OPS (#1 Sun Belt) ⚾ .854 Slugging Percentage (#1 Sun Belt) ⚾ 48 RBI (#3 Sun Belt) ⚾ 66 Hits (#4 Sun Belt) ⚾ .386 Batting Average (#5 Sun Belt) #GoHerd #MarshallSoftball #MarshallAthletics #ThunderCast #SydniBurko #SunBelt #CollegeSoftball #NCAAsoftball

S5 E101 Stay connected with @ThunderCast_Pod across social media so you never miss an episode or ticket giveaway. Visit: ThunderCast.Online Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The ThunderCast is brought to you each week by Leasure Oliver PLLC. If you are ever involved in a car accident, contact Leasure Oliver PLLC at 304CarWreck.com. Jason and Matt are local attorneys proudly serving West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. Be sure to follow them on Facebook. Five Things Every Herd Fan Needs To Know This Week is sponsored by Ignite Link, the Tri-State’s premier IT management team. For business IT and media consulting, contact Ignite Link at (304) 908-9424 or visit: ignite.link Follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Learn how you or your business can be part of The Thunder Trust. Follow The Thunder Trust on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Join the Big Green for as little as $8.33 per month to access exclusive Herd perks while helping provide critical scholarship funding for Marshall student-athletes. An all-new way to support Herd Athletics is here—at no cost to you. The next time you book a hotel, visit HerdHotels.com. It’s free, easy, and 50% of the booking commission goes directly back to Marshall Athletics. Always purchase tickets for all Marshall home games, away games, tournaments, and bowl games at HerdZone.com or by calling 800-THE-HERD.

S5 E100 Stay connected with @ThunderCast_Pod across social media so you never miss an episode or ticket giveaway. Visit: ThunderCast.Online Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The ThunderCast is brought to you each week by Leasure Oliver PLLC. If you are ever involved in a car accident, contact Leasure Oliver PLLC at 304CarWreck.com. Jason and Matt are local attorneys proudly serving West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. Be sure to follow them on Facebook. Five Things Every Herd Fan Needs To Know This Week is sponsored by Ignite Link, the Tri-State’s premier IT management team. For business IT and media consulting, contact Ignite Link at (304) 908-9424 or visit: ignite.link Follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Learn how you or your business can be part of The Thunder Trust. Follow The Thunder Trust on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Join the Big Green for as little as $8.33 per month to access exclusive Herd perks while helping provide critical scholarship funding for Marshall student-athletes. An all-new way to support Herd Athletics is here—at no cost to you. The next time you book a hotel, visit HerdHotels.com. It’s free, easy, and 50% of the booking commission goes directly back to Marshall Athletics. Always purchase tickets for all Marshall home games, away games, tournaments, and bowl games at HerdZone.com or by calling 800-THE-HERD.

S5 E99 Stay connected with @ThunderCast_Pod across social media so you never miss an episode or ticket giveaway. Visit: ThunderCast.Online Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The ThunderCast is brought to you each week by Leasure Oliver PLLC. If you are ever involved in a car accident, contact Leasure Oliver PLLC at 304CarWreck.com. Jason and Matt are local attorneys proudly serving West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. Be sure to follow them on Facebook. Five Things Every Herd Fan Needs To Know This Week is sponsored by Ignite Link, the Tri-State’s premier IT management team. For business IT and media consulting, contact Ignite Link at (304) 908-9424 or visit: ignite.link Follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Learn how you or your business can be part of The Thunder Trust. Follow The Thunder Trust on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Join the Big Green for as little as $8.33 per month to access exclusive Herd perks while helping provide critical scholarship funding for Marshall student-athletes. An all-new way to support Herd Athletics is here—at no cost to you. The next time you book a hotel, visit HerdHotels.com. It’s free, easy, and 50% of the booking commission goes directly back to Marshall Athletics. Always purchase tickets for all Marshall home games, away games, tournaments, and bowl games at HerdZone.com or by calling 800-THE-HERD.