The ink is barely dry on his letter of intent, but already Hurricane High
School star Thor Meeks                                  is considered a huge                                  part of the future of of                         Marshall University's                            Thundering Herd                                 baseball team.

"He's a great player,"                                says Herd Head Coach                                Jeff Waggoner, "The                                 best hitter in the                                   state, probably the best hitter on the east coast. We can't wait for Thor to get here."

Getting Meeks to come to Marshall was a recruiting coup for Waggoner. The Redskins' catcher was receiving interest from college teams across America.

Meeks chose Marshall because of ConferenceUSA and for the opportunity to play in front of his biggest fans, parents Tim and Melissa.

"To play college ball is what I’ve worked for my whole life," says Thor. "Unlike Florida, where players go to big baseball colleges, it just comes around once in a while for someone here to play Division One baseball in a conference like Conference USA.

"As I got older, I realized how much my parents did for me, my coaches, the community," Thor says. "I realized I owed it to them to stay close and let them see me in my college career."

Waggoner is heading into his second season in Marshall's dugout. Meeks is part of a group of new players that Waggoner hopes will improve The Herd's record in Conference USA. The team held its 2008 dinner Thursday, January 24th. Boston Red Sox Pitching Coach John Farrell was the guest speaker. His son, Shane, is a freshman with The Herd, so Meeks will be catching Farrell in the future.

"We've brought in a lot of young talent," says Waggoner. "Guys are excited about opening up with Rice on March 21^st. They will be nationally ranked, last year they were a couple of outs away from going to the national championship."

Talent doesn't automatically translate into wins. While baseball is a fun game, Waggoner and his team realize that conditioning and preparation are key elements to success between the white lines.

"Our guys, since September have really been focused," Waggoner says. "They want to go to regional. The guys have been working very hard, not just on the baseball field but the conditioning off the field. They’re hungry, and they want to play."

Once again, in 2008, Marshall will play its weekend games at Charleston's Appalachian Power Park, a beautiful new minor league stadium, and its weekday games in Huntington, putting The Herd in front of fans in throughout the Kanawha Valley. Meanwhile, Waggoner and Marshall University are planning a new, on-campus stadium.

"We ‘re working for a new facility on-campus, and that’s the future of Marshall Baseball," Waggoner says. "Our president and athletic director are working very hard to put that together. We’re right there."

In his short time at Marshall, Waggoner is already starting to see excitement building at the fan level. He hopes to see West Virginia and the Tri-State region embrace The Herd as The Mountain State's favorite baseball team.

"The energy across the state is really starting to embrace Marshall Baseball and the talent level," Waggoner says. "The best players in the country come here. The enthusiasm and support and fan base are getting stronger… We’re going to open up a lot of eyes here."

West Virginia has a strong baseball history. Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. played minor league baseball in Bluefield. Future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman played in Charleston, as did Dave Parker. And Rick Reed was a star pitcher for Marshall in Huntington. Waggoner wants to see Herd players from West Virginia become stars in Huntington, then head to Major League Baseball and build on Reed's legacy at Marshall.

"It’s important to have some of the best players in the state represent Marshall in one of the best conferences in the country," Waggoner says. "And we want to see Marshall dominate Conference USA."

For more information about Marshall University baseball and Thor Meeks, please click on the links below:

Marshall University Baseball

Meeks Signs With Marshall