Marshall Happy For The Opportunity To Play At VCU

Lucas Marshall 3B / Lincoln Senior, RI / 2026

LINCOLN, R.I. - Aug. 1 was a bit of a letdown for Lucas Marshall.

“I got nothing,” the Lincoln High School junior said in reference to phone calls from college coaches on the first day contact was permitted with players in the 2026 class. “I only heard from a few coaches with some generic stuff.”

So the 6-4 225-pounder turned to social media and before September was over Marshall was a commit to Virginia Commonwealth.

“Everything was based off Twitter,” Marshall related. “I was gaining followers and getting coaches to follow back. I had interest in the VCU program and the coach sent back a text. I talked to him the following day and we kept in contact. I went to a camp two weeks later.”

It proved to be a difference-maker.

“There were a few schools there, Liberty, William & Mary and VCU,” Marshall explained. “I did my thing, I hit well. After that I got on the phone with (head) coach (Sean) Thompson, who wasn’t there himself, and he offered. That night me and my family explored the opportunity and I accepted the next day.

“The development side of things stood out,” Marshall reasoned about his college decision. “VCU produces guys year in and year out. They’ve had some really top performers there. They also have a young coaching staff which will be cool. They’re experienced but you can resonate with them being younger.”

A commitment, admittedly, brought relief to the 17-year-old, whose initial call with VCU came on Aug. 20.

“I’m thinking, well, maybe I’m not that good,” Marshall admitted about the feeling of disappointment from the lack of interest at the beginning of August. “But I just took it with a grain of salt and stayed with the process and kept going to see where it went.”

VCU was impressed with the potential of Marshall.

“They like me as a hitter and that I can play defense,” noted Marshall, who was recruited as a third baseman. “They like my size and athletic abilities for my size. There’s a former player that was there they compared me with, Tyler Locklear.”

A former VCU standout, Locklear made his major league debut this season with the Seattle Mariners after being drafted in the second round in 2022 and Marshall is hoping college is the next step on a similar path in the sport.

“I’ve always wanted to play at the next level,” Marshall explained. “When I got to middle school and high school I decided that I wanted to play as far as I could. On Aug. 1, I’m thinking D-II or D-III, but every kid wants to play at the highest level, D-I, and my heart was set on that. With it working out, it’s pretty exciting being able to play with the best guys that are out there.”

Marshall credited Jay Oldham and GLG Athletic Performance with benefitting his development in becoming a Division I player.

“I was stiff and strong my freshman year,” Marshall reflected. “The big thing for me was getting flexibility. I needed that more than just having pure strength. Every night I stretched to try and get my game where I wanted it.”

Marshall pointed to energy as one aspect he feels he can bring to the Atlantic 10 Conference program in Richmond, Va., located 10 hours from home.

“You can only control so much,” Marshall said. “With hitting and fielding you can do as much as you can but you’ll still have bad days. With energy, you can bring that every day.”

A major in exercise science is being considered by Marshall, a 3.46 student thrilled to have made a college commitment.

“I was fired up,” Marshall said about the day it happened. “I told them to their faces and it was exciting to see their reaction. My parents were there and they were fired up. On the way home I was calling everybody. It was a big relief.”

It has Marshall now looking forward to what lies ahead.

“I’m excited to be in the city of Richmond, it’s a great place to be,” Marshall concluded. “To be under (hitting) coach (Chris) O’Neill and the other coaches there, he knows so much about hitting. He’s a genius when it comes to all the offensive stuff.”