Duke Claims Four of Five Major Awards; Five Named to All-ACC Team

DURHAM – Duke seniors Claire Davidson and Jala Wright, sophomore Aminah Vega and head coach Marissa Young earned four of the five major ACC awards, as announced by the conference Wednesday afternoon.

Davidson and Wright were unanimously voted the ACC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, while Vega was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Young was tabbed the Coach of the Year for the first time in her career. All four major awards were the first in program history.

 

A league-high four Blue Devils were honored with First Team All-ACC distinction in Davidson, Wright, Vega and sophomore Cassidy Curd, while freshman Amiah Burgess was selected to the All-ACC third team. Burgess was also named to the All-ACC freshman team.

In program history, Duke has now had six players garner All-ACC freshman team accolades as Burgess joins Curd (2023), Vega (2023), D’Auna Jennings (2023), Rachel Crabtree (2018) and Peyton St. George (2018).

Davidson continues to power the Blue Devils offense, leading the team in batting average (.423), home runs (17), runs scored (55) and RBI (61). The Lakewood Ranch, Fla., native is one of six players to have started all 50 games this season, primarily in the outfield. Her 61 RBI on the year rank ninth in the NCAA and has set a Duke single-season record. She joins Wright as a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year

Vega has been strong for the Blue Devils at the plate, batting .405 with 17 multi-hit games this season. The DeBary, Fla., native leads the team in doubles (17) and sits second behind Davidson in home runs (10) and RBI (48). The starting second baseman has seen action in 48-of-50 games this season and earns all-conference honors for the second time in her career.

Wright has been stout for the Blue Devils in her final season in the circle, holding a 16-1 record after 26 appearances. She owns a 1.15 ERA, which ranks fourth nationally, and has registered 147 strikeouts in 121.2 innings. In the regular season finale against NC State, Wright fanned a game-high six batters to push her past the 400-career strikeout milestone. The Charlotte, N.C., native now has 407 to her name in 387.1 career innings of work.

For the fourth consecutive season, Young has guided the Blue Devils to 40-plus victories, including a 44-6 mark this year. Duke has held a top-five national…