We continue our year-end look at the Top 10 Softball Stories of 2024…  Here is the schedule for this list which will run the rest of December and into January 2025, when we’ll publish the No. 1 Softball Story of The Year:

• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #10 – The Alliance to Hold All National Championships In Indy (Dec. 23, 2024)
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #9 – The State of the Pro Game (Dec. 24, 2024)
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #8 – The Power of GoFundMe in Softball (Dec. 25, 2024)
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #7 – The Passing of 2016-17 Gatorade National Player of the Year Taylor Dockins (Dec. 26, 2024)
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #6 – Oklahoma’s Launch of Love’s Field Raises the Bar For Softball Stadium (Dec. 27, 2024)
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #5 – Sat, Dec. 28, 2024
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #4 – Sun, Dec. 29, 2024
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #3 – Mon, Dec. 30, 2024
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #2 – Tue, Dec. 31, 2024
• Top 10 Softball Stories of the Year: #1 – Wed, Jan. 1, 2025

Also, on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, Line Drive Softball will list all the Top 10 stories together and then on Saturday, Jan. 4th we’ll will run the “Other Stories Considered” List.

For each topic (story), an article that we ran earlier this year on Line Drive Softball or was published by our friend at D1 Softball, Justin McLeod, the Associate Editor and former workmate of mine.

So how were the Top 10 picked?

We looked at what were considered the most memorable and important stories of the year as they impacted the sport. In researching the Top 10, we talked to those at at all levels of softball, including college and travel ball coaches, other media members and YOU—the fastpitch community.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball

*****

#5… Duke Softball Makes The WCWS… In Only Its 7^th Year of Play (Dec. 28, 2024)

In 2023—in just Year 6 of the Duke softball program—the Marissa Young-led Blue Devils went 48-12 overall and finished second in the talent-loaded ACC.

Heading into this season, the expectations were high.

Luke Rinaldi, a writer for the Duke Chronicle, wrote in February:

“Boasting a star-studded veteran group and a handful of promising newcomers, the sky is the limit for this Duke squad.

“The Blue Devils return five of their top-six bats from last year’s campaign, with three having logged an OPS more than 1.0 on the season. The bullpen is headed by (Cassidy) Curd, whose 1.65 ERA and team-high 18-3 record landed her preseason All-American honors ahead of opening day.”

“(Jala) Wright, Duke’s primary workhorse in 2023, will join Curd again this season in what may very well prove to be a devastating one-two punch for the Blue Devils.”

“Put simply, the roster is complete on both sides of the ball. Although there are many in the ACC who will be jostling for the elusive top spot, Duke has as good a claim as any for that honor. It is therefore not unreasonable to predict a deep run in the ACC tournament for the Blue Devils, with similar success in the NCAA tournament.”

Rinaldi also added:

“Duke fans will look to this year as a pivotal one in the trajectory of the Blue Devils’ youngest varsity team to date.”

His prediction was dead on and, if anything, Duke softball exceeded all expectations by going 52-9 overall and finished 1^st in the ACC with a 20-4 conference record. In the continued progress of the Blue Devils’ program, the program earned its first-ever Women’s College World Series berth.

The season ended with World Series back-to-back losses to eventual National Champion Oklahoma and then a tough 2-1 season-ending loss to Alabama.

Nonetheless, looking at the Duke overall season and conference records each of the last seven years you really see an upward trend under Coach Young, who has accumulated a 265-106 record with a .714 winning percentage.

Here’s a year-by-year look at the team’s improving records:

The two years previous to 2024, the Blue Devils made the NCAA Super Regionals and the ACC team started off the season rolling off 21 straight wins and at the end of the season finished 52-9 with all aspects on the program, including recruiting, looking strong for the future after just seven years of being existence.

Duke had three players earn All-American honors in Vega (named ACC Defensive Player of the Year also), Wright (ACC Pitcher of the Year) and Claire Davidson, who was tabbed the ACC Player of the Year.

Davidson, a senior outfielder, had a banner year, batting .436 with a .531 on-base percentage and smacked 18 home runs while driving in 67 runs. She was also named as a finalist for the Honda Award.

Still, the common denominator in the first seven seasons in school history has been Coach Young, the who has the Blue Devils in the upper echelon of the elite D1 programs in an impressively short amount of time.

“I wanted to create a program with a deeper purpose, one that transcends just winning games,” she told Line Drive Softball this week.

“By focusing on high character, and authentic relationships, we’re fostering an environment where each individual feels not only valued but also part of something greater than themselves.”

“Our commitment to player development, discipline, high standards, and a team-first mentality ensures that every member of the program is working together toward a shared vision,” she added. 

“This environment has not only produced strong successful athletes—it shapes them to carry these principles far beyond the field.”

Coach Young and her staff were rewarded for the great year by being named the NFCA Region Staff of the Year.

After the team opened with a loss to eventual D1 champion Oklahoma, Duke reeled off a 21-game win streak enroute to a record-setting season, topping its best season by four wins.

Justin McLeod, Associate Editor at D1 Softball, put it perfectly when he recapped how quickly Young built the program into an elite one and made it to the promised land, the Women’s College World Series.

“There are times that I feel like the sheer difficulty of making the Women’s College World Series isn’t fully appreciated,” McLeod said.

“For a program like Duke, which is honestly still in its infancy, to build to the point of making the WCWS in less than a decade and to do so in such quick and efficient fashion, that’s virtually unheard of in the modern era.”

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball

*****

Duke Advances to 2024 Women’s College World Series

Originally published May 27, 2024, on GoDuke.com

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Tenth-seeded Duke punched its ticket to the 2024 Women’s College World Series after using a two-out rally in the ninth inning to defeat seventh-seeded Missouri, 4-3, on Saturday at Mizzou Softball Stadium.

With the win, the Blue Devils improve to 52-7 overall and will make the program’s first appearance at the WCWS. The Tigers close out their season with a 48-18 record.

Senior Claire Davidson guided the offense, finishing 2-for-4 on the day with a pair of singles. Senior Kelly Torres, junior Ana Gold, sophomore D’Auna Jennings and freshman Amiah Burgess each went 1-for-4 at the plate and combined to drive in Duke’s four runs.

Sophomore Cassidy Curd earned the win inside the circle, surrendering two runs off six hits in her 8.1 innings of work. She also finished with a game-high seven strikeouts. The Port St. Lucie, Fla., native improves her record to 13-3 on the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Blue Devils were quick to spark their bats in the opening frame, placing runners on the corners using back-to-back singles, but weren’t able to push a run across.
• The game remained scoreless as Curd and Missouri’s Laurin Krings combined to allow just three hits over the next six frames. The pair allowed just one baserunner to advance into scoring position during that stretch.
• Jennings sparked the Blue Devil offense in the top of the ninth with a lead-off home run over the right field wall to break the deadlock.
• A few batters later, Burgess pushed the Blue Devils ahead again with an RBI-triple to score senior Francesca Frelick, who reached on a hit by pitch.  Burgess then came home on Gold’s RBI-double during the ensuing at-bat. Torres followed with another double to right field to plate Gold and extend Duke’s lead to 4-0.
• The Tigers battled back in the home half with a three-run shot from Abby Hay but the Blue Devils were able to record the final two outs and preserve the win.

NOTES

• Duke is now 17-11 all-time in extra-inning games, including 5-1 this season.
• Burgess recorded her third triple of the year.
• Gold and Torres tallied their 43rd and 37th RBI of the season, respectively.
• Jennings blasted her second career home run.  
• Senior Lillie Walker made her 27th appearance in the circle, sitting down two of the three batters she faced in the bottom of the ninth.

QUOTES

• “Wow. This is what postseason softball is all about – just a dogfight. Kudos to Missouri, they put up so much fight all weekend and are such great competitors. Super proud of our girls for continuing to fight with their backs against the wall. Cassidy Curd came out and threw a heck of a gem and I knew it was just a matter of time until our offense was able to score some runs for her and open things up. D’Auna [Jennings] coming up big, getting us started with her second ever home run, great timing for it. We’re making history here and we’re excited to take this team to Oklahoma City.” – Head coach Marissa Young
• “First off, I just want to tip my hat to Missouri, they’re a phenomenal team and they really gave me a run for my money this weekend. I think it was just pitch-by-pitch adjustments. Coach Young and I had a lot of conversations about what I needed to do to be successful and a lot of that was maturing mentally and understanding my adjustments. Really working with Kelly [Torres] and talking with her through our hand signals. I think it was about just continuing to go at them with my best stuff, do my best to move the ball around and I have the most unwavering confidence in the defense being right there to back me up.” – Sophomore Cassidy Curd on shutting down Missouri’s offense
• “I think it’s important to not let the moment get too big, to really stay within yourself. We all had nerves and felt the pressure but it’s all part of the game. We kept telling each other, do not try to do too much, keep things simple and at some point the balls are going to fall. Like I said, we’ve faced adversity all year, nothing has really changed. It’s a chess match and today we really had to do it piece-by-piece. As soon as I started things off, we kept the offense rolling and that was all we needed to do.” – Sophomore D’Auna Jennings on her mindset sparking the offense in the ninth inning

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils open up action in the Women’s College World Series against second-seeded Oklahoma Thursday at 2:30 p.m. (ET)/1:30 p.m. (CT) at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Okla.

*****

D1Softball’s Columbia Super Regional Central

Originally published May 24, 2024, on D1Softball.com

An epic super regional finale turning on the second home run of Duke speedster D’Auna Jennings’ collegiate career is improbable enough. Now, imagine if the same game turned on Jennings missing home plate after hitting the ball out of the park. 

By what appeared to be the width of the toe guard on her right cleat, Jennings touched home. 

Leaving the Blue Devils to eventually celebrate the win that sent them to the first Women’s College World Series in the program’s admittedly brief history. 

In an elimination game in which starting pitchers Laurin Krings and Cassidy Curd combined to allow just six hits through eight innings, Jennings had the hit that changed the script. Her leadoff home run broke a scoreless tie in the top of the ninth inning and opened the floodgates for a four-run rally that proved just enough, as No. 10 Duke held on for a wild 4-3 win against No. 7 Missouri. 

And 2,299 days after playing the first game in program history, a 4-3 win against FAU on Feb. 8, 2018, Duke is going to Oklahoma City. 

Player of the Game

Cassidy Curd. We’ll get to Jennings and all the ninth inning wildness soon enough. But Curd was the reason that Duke got to the ninth inning with its season still intact. The sophomore was brilliant, even by the standards of someone who entered the game ranked 10th in Division I in ERA (if second on her team). She worked 8.1 innings, allowing just six hits and two earned runs (scoring on a home run she didn’t allow). And while she’s had good control all season, she picked a heck of a game to pitch seven or more innings without a walk for the first time. 

Duke head coach Marissa Young rode Jala Wright’s arm through much of the ACC tournament and last week’s Durham Regional. But when the senior righty never quite found her groove in Columbia, Young had the great luxury of an All-America-caliber pitcher waiting in the wings. 

The game turned when … 

Jennings touched home. As Missouri’s Krings prepared to throw a 1-2 pitch to Jennings leading off the top of the ninth, ESPN announcers Pam Ward and Jenny Dalton-Hill had just finished chronicling the sophomore’s unlikely home run against South Carolina in last week’s regional. That home run was the first in early 400 plate appearances for someone who was primarily a slapper in her first season, which ended on a sour note following an injury in last year’s super regional defeat. 

Sunday, as if taking her cue from the booth, she promptly hit her second home run. 

Not surprisingly, given the moment and her general dearth of experience with such things, Jennings sprinted around the bases at about inside-the-park pace. Assistant coach Taylor Wike demonstratively pointed at third base as Jennings neared, trying to make sure she didn’t miss the bag. She didn’t, but her steps were off as she neared home plate, like a hurdler approaching the hurdle out of sequence. She very nearly stepped over the plate entirely before embracing teammates (Kelly Torres immediately tried to pull her out of the celebration and send her back to make sure she touched the plate). 

Missouri challenged the play, and for a few tense moments, it appeared softball might have an unwelcome viral moment. But replays made it (mostly) clear that Jennings caught the front edge of the plate with her toes. The home run stood and Duke led 1-0.

THIS!!!!!!!!! 🔥 WAY TO GO, D!!!!!!!!

📺 ESPNU pic.twitter.com/IaIhmuOmQ3

— Duke Softball (@DukeSOFTBALL) May 27, 2024

As it turned out, the Blue Devils needed every run they added against temporarily thunderstruck Missouri in the ninth. After Francesca Frelick was hit by a pitch with two outs, Amiah Burgess’ triple, Ana Gold’s double and Torres’ double in back-to-back-to-back at-bats made it 4-0. 

But everything started with one big swing, one sprint around the bases and perhaps little more than one toe catching the front of the plate. 

Ninth inning by committee 

Missouri reliever Taylor Pannell shares the Division I single-season saves record, but even she’s never come into a spot quite like Duke’s Lillie Walker confronted in the bottom of the ninth. The senior relieved Curd with two runners on base, no outs, the heart of Missouri’s order up and a record crowd starting to believe again. Oh, and she hadn’t pitched since last week.

Walker ultimately got the first two of the three outs Duke needed, but they bookended Abby Hay’s three-run home run that had Missouri dreaming of their greatest escape yet. 

Duke still had the leader and needed just one more out, but perhaps nothing Walker did was more important than simply giving Curd an opportunity to compose herself in the dugout. She re-entered with two outs and, not without a little more drama, got Duke over the line. 

Key Moments

Top of the first: Was Duke going to shake its slow-starting ways for the second time in three games against Missouri starter Laurin Krings? In a word, no. The Blue Devils had runners on first and third with one out after singles from Claire Davidson and Aminah Vega. But after a quick meeting in the circle, Krings retired Francesca Frelick and Amiah Burgess without the ball leaving the infield. 

Bottom of the first: Duke had a difficult decision to make when it came to its Game 3 starter. Cassidy Curd did her best to dispel any second-guessing, striking out three of Missouri’s four best hitters in the opening frame. Alex Honnold hadn’t struck out since the SEC tournament before going doing swinging against Curd. 

Bottom of the second: Of course, sometimes you don’t need to strike people out. You just let them try to hit it where D’Auna Jennings can’t get it. Few succeed. 

WHAT A CATCH 😱@deeyawnuh with another incredible snag in center to end the inning!

E2 | DUKE 0, MIZ 0 | 📺 ESPNU pic.twitter.com/yk4nC4IklH

— Duke Softball (@DukeSOFTBALL) May 26, 2024

Top/bottom of the fifth: Krings has thrown a lot of pitches this postseason, but neither she nor Curd were wasting many through much of Sunday’s game. By the time Krings set the side down in order on eight pitches in the top of the inning, and Curd answered by retiring the side on nine pitches in the bottom of the inning, they had retired 15 consecutive batters between them. 

Bottom of the seventh: The two pitchers would eventually run the streak to 26 consecutive batters retired (15 by Curd). But with two outs in the seventh, Missouri’s Julia Crenshaw lined a single up the middle. No matter, Curd struck out Kara Daly on a rise ball—her second K of the inning up and out of the zone. 

Top of the ninth: Krings had retired 16 consecutive batters without reaching 100 pitches through eight innings. But one pitch after reaching triple digits in the ninth, she gave up a leadoff home run to D’Auna Jennings. With the stadium deflated, Duke piled on. Reliever Taylor Pannell hit Francesca Frelick with two outs, then gave up back-to-back-to-back extra-base hits to Amiah Burgess, Ana Gold and Kelly Torres for three more runs. Duke 4, Missouri 0. 

AG AG AG!!!!!!!!!

IT'S 3-0 BLUE DEVILS!!!!!!!

📺 ESPNU pic.twitter.com/M1BOI7SWjy

— Duke Softball (@DukeSOFTBALL) May 27, 2024

Bottom of the ninth: It’s not a Missouri game without some sort of rally, and the Tigers nearly pulled off their best yet. After back-to-back hits by Laird and Honnold finally chased Curd, Abby Hay’s three-run home run off reliever Lillie Walker cut the deficit to a run. But Walker and Curd, re-entering with two outs, combined to strand the tying run on first base. Duke 4, Missouri 3. 

— Graham Hays/D1 Softball