As the bow gets tied on 2023, The Chronicle’s sports department is reviewing the biggest storylines in Duke athletics throughout the year. Each day until the calendar flips to January, we will cover two of the most significant moments in Blue Devil sports from 2023.
Coming in at No. 5: In the ACC tournament semifinals, No. 6 Duke faced off against No. 7 Clemson, itching for a trip to the final after falling in the semifinals the previous year. Cassidy Curd took the mound and pitched a no-hitter — a tone-setter for a later moment of history in the NCAA tournament. For the full list, click here.
There’s no way to describe Cassidy Curd’s performance in the ACC tournament semifinals without evoking one word: Dominant.
The freshman went all seven innings, facing 23 batters and striking out eight. The only blemish on her record was two hit-by-pitches, and both baserunners were left stranded. The Blue Devils matched up against the Tigers in a top-10 battle at Notre Dame, where Duke came out on top in a 2-0 victory, courtesy of RBIs from Claire Davidson and Ana Gold.
Curd’s no-no was a capstone on an outstanding first campaign for the Port St. Lucie, Fla., native. She tallied an impressive 18-3 record and accumulated 159 strikeouts in 127.1 innings played. She earned a spot on the All-American Freshman Team and the All-ACC First Team, and was a top-10 finalist in National Freshman of the Year voting.
“Cassidy Curd came out and threw a spectacular game, and we had some timely hitting,” head coach Marissa Young said. “It’s always good to win against a good team this time of year.”
Curd’s was the first no-hitter in ACC tournament history by a rookie, and one of the most important moments of the young program’s history. The past season marked the fifth full season of Duke softball, and although the team eventually fell to Florida State in the ACC title game, it continued a trend of three strong seasons in a row. In 2021 and 2022, the Blue Devils finished first and third in the ACC tournament, respectively. Over that span, Young’s teams have a combined 136-35 record, good for a .795 winning percentage.
After ACC tournament play, Duke went to its second NCAA Super Regional in as many years, but fell to No. 9-seed Stanford in back-to-back games. But the history, just like Curd’s no-hitter in the ACC semis, was in the fact that the series was also Duke’s first time ever hosting a Super Regional, awarded to the top-eight seeded teams remaining in the NCAA tournament. Despite the result on the field not being ideal for the Blue Devils, the event represented a monumentally successful season for the program.
In the first game of that fateful series, though, Curd again showed why she was one of the country’s premier pitching talents in her rookie season, throwing a no-hitter until the fifth inning. She struggled to maintain the form in the second bout, but the loss was still a marquee moment in a successful season — and an indication that Duke isn’t going anywhere. That’s not to mention a record-breaking year in home runs from Gold, who comes back to Durham as one of the country's premier threats at the plate.
In 2024, Curd and the Blue Devils will have to fight through a hard out-of-conference schedule before facing an always tricky ACC slate. For the first game of the season, Duke takes on Oklahoma, the dynasty fresh off of a third-consecutive NCAA championship. Curd figures to be the team’s ace again this season, and will likely take the bump against the Sooners Feb. 8.
Read more:
Despite being swept at home, Super Regionals loss to Stanford shows Duke softball is here to stay
Duke softball's late onslaught takes down Charlotte, setting up first-ever home Super Regional
Curd's first-career no-hitter sends Duke softball past Clemson and into ACC tournament title game
'Just do the job': Behind Gold's record-breaking home run, Duke softball sweeps Georgia Tech
Duke softball earns No. 8 overall seed, will host NCAA Regional
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