No. 10 Duke is preparing for its home opener Wednesday against North Dakota State at Duke Softball Stadium, and it will do so with one of the ACC’s best pitchers in tow.
Duke senior pitcher Jala Wright was named ACC Pitcher of the Week to kick off the NCAA season.
Wright was impressive in her three appearances at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, which saw Duke take on the best team in the nation, No. 1 Oklahoma. The Blue Devils would lose, but they bounced back and beat Iowa State, No.18 Nebraska, and Long Beach State to end the weekend 3-1.
Jala Wright appeared in three of the four games and posted a 0.66 ERA while striking out 13 batters in her 10.2 innings of work. Against Nebraska, Wright went the distance and was near-perfect, with the lone miss being a solo home run she gave up in the last inning as she tried to lock down the perfect game.
In the Long Beach State game, Wright pitched 2.2 hitless innings and struck out four batters to help the team win 2-0.
Your ACC Pitcher of the Week, Jala Wright ‼️
📰 https://t.co/jjkQg6qpFn pic.twitter.com/TdHfBBcVQn
— Duke Softball (@DukeSOFTBALL) February 13, 2024
As a junior, Wright threw 133.2 innings in 37 appearances in the circle, making 22 starts. She posted a 12-4 record and a 2.51 ERA. She will be a significant part of Duke’s efforts to return to the NCAA Tournament and push themselves to make a deep run.