In The Circle

It's time for another In The Circle tradition. It's time for our annual In The Circle November to Remember where the only thing more stuffed than our list of guests is a Thanksgiving turkey. Yes, we know we had two podcasts already this month, but enjoy the ride. Today's episode is the first time ever where we've had a father/daughter duo on the podcast. Our first guest is Louisiana Head Coach Gerry Glasco. After breaking through with the Ragin Cajuns' and advancing to Super Regionals in 2023, Louisiana is looking to go one step further in 2024. Coach Glasco chats with Eric about beating LSU in Baton Rouge, coaching in the WPF, and his INCREDIBLE non-conference schedule this season. Then we chat with his daughter, Eastern Illinois Head Coach Tara Archibald who also had a breakthrough 2023 as the Panthers made their first NCAA Tournament. Coach Archibald reflects on that magical season and what led her squad to their successful run. Plus, she talks about getting into softball and the legendary coaches she played for & learned from. 

When you do three podcasts in a week, how do you make that third one different from the others? Simple, you have TWO guests from the same school. The school: Texas State. The guests: Bobcats Head Coach Ricci Woodard and All Sun Belt 3B Sara Vanderford. After making the NCAA Tournament last year, Texas State is ready for bigger things in 2024 as they host the Sun Belt Tournament. We catch up with Sara first as she reflects on her time in San Marcos so far and what it's like facing Jessica Mullins daily at practice. She also shares the story of when she faced Cat Osterman and the trash talk that took place (she wasn't afraid of Cat). Then, Coach Woodard gives her outlook for her squad in 2024, working her way through the Sun Belt, and hosting this year's conference tournament. 

Today and today only, this is In the Zerkle. That's because today on In The Circle, we chat with new Marshall Head Coach Morgan Zerkle. After a legendary career at her alma mater and spending the past few years as an assistant, Coach Zerkle got the call to come back home to Huntington. She shares with Eric Lopez what that process was like and what went into the decision to return back home. She also talks about assembling her coaching staff and shares her plans about her playing career. Morgan also talks about her All-American career and playing for Shonda Stanton. We then look at several greats who were recently inducted into their alma mater Hall of Fame and Victor makes an historic announcement in regard to our next podcast. 

Now that we have your attention, let's get ready for a week of #FunBelt action on In The Circle. Today, we catch up with James Madison Head Coach Loren LaPorte. After their first Sun Belt season saw the Duke finish 13-11 in league play Coach LaPorte reflects on the changes and adjustments to their new home as well as the comradery among her fellow coaches.  She also chats about Odicci Alexander's summer with Athletes Unlimited, what players to look for in 2024, and much more. The guys also share their thoughts on the rumored speculation of the Atlantic Sun adding more members from the Gulf South and what it could mean for both leagues as well as another Division 2 conference. 

Our west coast swing makes a stop at the Grand Canyon (campus that is). On today's episode, we chat with GCU Assistant Coach Maribeth Gorsuch who helped lead the Lopes to their second straight WAC championship in 2023. She reflects on another successful season and their stunning victory at UCLA in their NCAA Tournament opener in Los Angeles. Coach Gorsuch also chats about working under Head Coach Shannon Hays and his staff, including Syd Sherrill plus her playing career at LSU under Beth Torina. Of course, we couldn't complete the conversation without a Throwback Thursday from our first chat with Maribeth from February 2020 after the first seven-inning perfect game in LSU history. From there, the guys chat about softball officially returning to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and its impact on the sports as well as the chances it will also be in the Brisbane 2032 games. Our episode wraps up with a well deserved extension in Northwestern, a Nebraska legend receiving the ultimate tribute, and two upcoming guests announced for our next episode. 

Today's episode of In The Circle sends us west to California. We catch up with CSUN Head Coach Charlotte Morgan who makes her first podcast appearance after several appearances on our In The Circle live shows. She reflects on 2023 where the Matadors' won 28 games and made their first postseason appearance since 2015 with their NISC appearance. Coach Morgan shares how to make that jump to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 along with her early thoughts on her team. She then shares her transition from the broadcast booth to the coaching ranks, similar to Kaya Braud & Francesca Enea. Afterwards, the guys look back at a banner year for the Big West with two NCAA and two NISC bids for the league. We wrap up the show with Victor's winning weekend at a dance competition. That last sentence wasn't a misprint.