From being just a figment of imagination to twice being one round away from Oklahoma City, it’s safe to say it has been a wild decade for Duke softball.

Well-known for its success on the hardwood, the diamond has quickly become a hotbed of success for the Blue Devils. The program has already captured numerous pieces of hardware, even though Duke’s softball program has only existed for five full seasons.

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The scariest part for its opponents? The team is getting better with each season.

Here’s all you need to know about Duke softball ahead of the 2024 season, which will begin against top-ranked Oklahoma at the prestigious Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

It's part of FloSoftball’s season-long coverage and analysis of the college softball universe: 

How Did Duke Softball Do In 2023?

With a school-record 48 wins and earning the right to have the first Super Regional ever held in their home city of Durham, North Carolina, it was a banner year for Duke softball a season ago. However, the No. 8 national seed’s year ended in the Super Regionals round for the second straight season. 

The Blue Devils defeated eight ranked opponents, swept through the Durham Regional, and were propelled by an incredible class of freshmen who entered the program and contributed as stars immediately. Setting Duke up to be a power in the sport for years to come. 

Five Blue Devils were named to last season’s All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team—four underclassmen—and a lot of returning firepower should once again put Duke in the running for what would be two milestone moments in program history this year: a first ACC regular-season championship and a first WCWS appearance.

Who Coaches Duke Softball?

Marissa Young is the first and only, head coach in Duke softball history, The former Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and Michigan pitching standout was named the Blue Devils’ boss in 2015, three years before Duke played its first softball game. 

Hired away from arch-rival North Carolina (where she was an assistant coach focused on the pitchers and catchers), Young has built the Duke program from the ground up since arriving in Durham.

Duke hovered around .500 during her first two seasons, before a breakout 2021 campaign. That year, the Blue Devils won 44 games, captured their first ACC Tournament title and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time. 

Duke has claimed at least 44 wins each season since, plus two appearances in Super Regionals, solidifying the Blue Devils as one of the rising powers in the sport—and Young as a bona fide program builder.

Has Duke Softball Ever Won The Women’s College World Series?

No, Duke softball has never won the Women’s College World Series and they are still waiting for their first appearance at all in the event. 

Having only began as a full-fledged program in 2018, Duke simply hasn't had many chances yet to make it to Oklahoma City. 

Plus, a 23-4 start in 2020 that had WCWS potential was wiped out, as the season was canceled part of the way through, due to COVID-19.

Notable Returning Players

D’Auna Jennings, OF

Hitting for the highest single-season batting average in program history as a true freshman? Yeah, that’ll get you a shoutout in this article and a place on many award watchlists going into your sophomore season. 

An All-American, All-ACC first-team pick and a top-3 finalist for the TUCCI/NFCA Freshman of the Year award, Jennings’ record-breaking rookie year saw her set benchmarks in Duke softball history for batting average (.462) and hits (80), both of which ranked in the top 10 nationally, with her also notching 21 steals on the basepaths. 

That lethal speed helps her make some ridiculous plays in the outfield, such as a diving, highlight-reel catch in the gap against East Carolina last April, or a leaping one at the wall against Florida State in March.

That’s not a bad reputation to have with just one season of college softball under your belt.

Ana Gold, INF

Speaking of Duke underclassmen who stood out a season ago, while Jennings brought the elite speed and contact to the Blue Devils’ lineup, Gold brought the power and run-driving ruthlessness. 

After Gold hit the most home runs ever by a Duke freshman in 2022, the New York native followed it up by smashing 19 homers and 56 RBIs last season, the latter tied the Blue Devils’ single-season program record. Gold was named to both an All-ACC first-team selection and the team’s Most Valuable Player at its awards banquet. 

Duke’s leader in 2023 in multiple offensive categories (including slugging percentage, walks and runs, plus home runs and RBIs), Gold also has some underrated speed (10 stolen bases) and even more room to improve as a pure hitter, though her .313 average most certainly was a strong number.

With just a little bit more efficiency, there is serious ACC Player of the Year potential in Gold’s game, even with Clemson's two-way superstar and the two-time defending winner, Valerie Cagle, still hanging around.

Notable Newcomers

Dani Drogemuller, RHP

With so much returning talent in Durham, Young and the rest of her staff didn’t need to attack the transfer portal too hard in the offseason. Only four newcomers will be joining the program.

Still, the Blue Devils’ pitching staff most certainly will take a hurler with 48 career starts, many which have come in the ACC. 

Drogemuller comes to Duke by way of conference rival Pitt, where she spent three seasons and threw nearly a strikeout an inning over her career with the Panthers, garnering 306 Ks across 310 innings pitched. 

Pitt has been largely poor over the past three seasons, never finishing .500 or better. Drogemuller’s 19-30 career record may not seem impressive, but with Duke's run support that margin should improve drastically. 

Amiah Burgess, OF

One of just two freshmen on the roster, along with California infielder Linh Le, Burgess may be the next rookie to breakout at Duke.

The Texan was a top-100 national recruit and showed off what she could do during the Blue Devils’ 8-0 stretch of exhibitions in the fall, smashing her first home run in a Duke uniform in an October matchup against UNC Greensboro. 

With Young clearly unafraid to give freshmen major roles, Burgess could see some time in the outfield, where she’ll learn from a player in Jennings, who went from freshman to superstar only a year ago. 

Duke Softball Schedule 2024

All times Eastern

2024 Duke Softball Roster

How To Watch the 2024 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

Watch the 2024 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on FloSoftball and the FloSports app.

FloSoftball will be streaming several NCAA Division I college softball tournaments, including the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, THE Spring Games and the Mark Campbell Collegiate Invitational. 

2024 Puerto Vallarta Challenge Tournament Schedule

Session 1 Schedule

All times Eastern

Feb. 8

• 11:30 a.m. – Utah Valley vs. Oklahoma
• 2 p.m. – Duke vs. Oklahoma
• 5 p.m. – Iowa State vs. Utah Valley
• 7:30 p.m. – Nebraska vs. Washington

Feb. 9

• 11 a.m. – Duke vs. Iowa State
• 1:30 p.m. – Duke vs. Nebraska
• 4 p.m. – Long Beach vs. Nebraska
• 7 p.m. – Utah Valley vs. Washington
• 9:30 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Washington

Feb. 10

• 11:30 a.m. – Nebraska vs. Utah Valley
• 2 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Long Beach
• 5 p.m. – Washington vs. Iowa State
• 7:30 p.m. – Duke vs. Long Beach

Feb. 11

• 10 a.m. – Iowa State vs. Long Beach

Session 2 Schedule

All times Eastern

Feb. 14

• 1 p.m. – Clemson vs. Wichita State

Feb. 15

• 11 a.m. – UC San Diego vs. Clemson
• 1:30 p.m. – UC Davis vs. Auburn
• 4 p.m. – Utah vs. Auburn
• 7 p.m. – Wichita State vs. South Carolina
• 9:30 p.m. – Utah vs. South Carolina

Feb. 16

• 11 a.m. – Mississippi State vs. UC Davis
• 1:30 p.m. – South Carolina vs. UC Davis
• 4 p.m. – UC San Diego vs. Mississippi State
• 7 p.m. – Clemson vs. Utah
• 9:30 p.m. – Auburn vs. Wichita State

Feb. 17

• 11 a.m. – South Carolina vs. UC San Diego
• 1:30 p.m. – UC Davis vs. Wichita State
• 4 p.m. – Clemson vs. Auburn
• 7 p.m. – Mississippi State vs. Utah
• 9:30 p.m. – Mississippi State vs. Clemson

Feb. 18

• 11 a.m. – UC San Diego vs. Utah

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