WHEELING — It’s been a season to remember for Marshall, who are entering the NCAA Regionals today for the third time in program history and first time in nine years, and at the core of their success this year have been a pair of players who call the Ohio Valley home.

John Marshall alum Ava Blake and Steubenville alum Jules King have put together remarkable seasons for the Thundering Herd (37-17), who earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division 1 Tournament after finishing in second in the Sun Belt Conference. Marshall is the No. 3 seed and will face No. 2 Arizona on Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Smith Family Stadium in the Duke Regional in Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils are the top seed, and No. 4 Howard rounds out the regional.

“Going into this year, we weren’t really sure what to expect,” King, a junior pitcher at Marshall, said. “Lineup-wise, pitching-wise– we got a new pitching coach. We really didn’t know what to expect, but we always set our expectations and our goals really high at the beginning of the year, just really focusing on team chemistry and what we wanted to do for each other. So I think that really translated from the first weekend.

“We definitely had no idea,” Blake, a sophomore infielder, said of Marshall’s success. “We had a lot of girls transfer. We had a lot of freshmen coming in, or transfer in. We kind of had a new team and we saw the tough schedule. But we weren’t afraid of it. We got excited for it and we wanted to work for it. And that’s exactly what we did.”

Blake, who led John Marshall to a WVSSAC Class AAA state championship in 2023, has hit .318 this season with 41 RBI and 17 home runs, which ranked second on the team behind Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Syndi Burko’s 21.

Also a standout fielder, the 5-5 sophomore has compiled a .967 fielding percentage with 61 chances and 57 putouts.

Inside the circle, King is 16-7 with six of the Herd’s seven saves. The 16 wins are a team-high. The 5-4 junior transfer from Division II Tiffin has struck out 156 and has compiled a 2.91 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP while throwing nine complete games. Opponents are hitting .240 against her.

“Last year I appeared in a lot of games just as a pinch runner, so in the offseason I knew everything that I needed to work on from my exit meeting,” Blake said. “And so for that offseason, that’s exactly what I did. Just put my head down and worked, grew my knowledge, grew my game, and then came back and got the opportunity and took it.”

“All summer I had to rely on myself and what Coach Z [head coach Morgan Zerkle] was doing, which was great,” King said. “Just working on my craft and what I do best. Getting back here in the fall with a new pitching coach and a new mindset and new everything was just great, and it validated what I was doing all summer in the offseason.”

While Huntington is far from Moundsville and Steubenville, the local duo say they’ve heard plenty of praise from folks back home.

“There’s nothing like home, you know, just getting such a response and getting all that feedback and encouragement from them is just great,” King said. “I love reaching out. I love the little girls that reach out from home. I love my old coaches, my old teachers, everything. I just love getting to hear from them.

“West Virginia is a really special place with the amount of support that everyone gives,” Blake said. “I mean, it’s a small state, we’re from small towns, and so whenever someone does good, everyone really wants to root for them and be a part of it. And that’s kind of what it feels like– like everyone is a part of what we’re doing, and it means more to me because of that. There’s just been an immense amount of support that I can’t even fathom so I’m definitely grateful for my upbringing and the people back in our community.”

By seeding and by betting odds, Marshall is the underdog tomorrow, but that doesn’t worry Blake and King.

“I would say that all week has been pretty much a wave of emotions,” Blake said. “You kind of feel it all. But now in this moment, I just think that everything that’s happened up to this point has made us hungry, and we want it bad. We want to go all out, and we keep saying, “Why not us?” And then we say after that, “Why not win?” And that’s kind of our motto right now. Why not us? Why not win? This is a really big opportunity that not very many people get to experience. There’s only 64 teams left in the country playing, and we’re one of them. We just want to play with a lot of integrity, the respect of West Virginia, and all that on our minds. So with a little chip on our shoulder; why not us?”