This was an important series for 18th-ranked Duke. The squad came into Friday with a palpable concentration, and by Sunday had willed itself up to a 7-5 conference record after sweeping Louisville.
Batting their way to a 4-0 lead at the top of the first inning, the 18th-ranked Blue Devils gradually pressed their advantage in the Max R. Joyner Family Stadium. Led by junior Aminah Vega’s 4-for-4 hitting performance, the offense clinically exploited East Carolina’s fielders for an 11-0 run-rule victory in five innings out in Greenville, N.C.
No. 13 Duke lost three games to No. 14 Florida State over the weekend, instigating a run-rule ending in the first and suffering a 9-2 loss in the third. In the final frames of the second game, however, the Blue Devils nearly came back from a 10-run deficit with a heroic recovery effort that proved a remarkable offensive resilience.
Relying on defense to win the day was key in both games of the midweek doubleheader as No. 13 Duke fought its way to two victories over No. 21 Liberty.
At Duke Softball Field in Durham, the 13th-ranked Blue Devils took their first two games against Syracuse 3-1 and 6-0 before allowing a 3-2 loss in the third.
The Blue Devils traveled to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the Volunteers and left without touching home in a 1-0 loss.
No. 14 Duke headed into its third game against the Tigers, in Clemson, S.C., tied 1-1 after the first two days of the series. The Blue Devils had recovered from a 12-4 blowout by the home team with a steady 5-3 victory Saturday afternoon, and the series’ fate now rested on day three. Duke’s first ACC series of the 2025 season wrapped up in its favor.
After being swept by No. 3 South Carolina in three games, head coach Marissa Young’s squad bounced back with force — breezing past Elon in a 10-0, run-rule victory. The Blue Devils’ bats needed zero time to warm up, as second baseman Aminah Vega got things started by lacing a lead-off double into the left-center gap. The very next at bat, shortstop Ana Gold stung a sharp line drive up the middle to score Vega: 1-0 Duke.
Duke never managed to catch up to the Gamecocks, losing 4-2. Saturday saw the second of Duke’s games against South Carolina and its second loss of the weekend, after the Gamecocks welcomed themselves to Durham with a hearty 14-7 victory Friday. That loss broke a 10-game win streak for the Blue Devils, who most recently defeated Michigan 2-1 Thursday afternoon. After Sunday’s matchup, the Blue Devils’ losing streak increased to three.
As spring sports are underway, The Chronicle is back with our breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Here is our softball edition.
Cassidy Curd led Duke’s efforts against No. 15 Nebraska, holding the Cornhuskers scoreless; she closed things out against Minnesota, tying a neat bow on Dani Drogemueller’s earlier efforts. And at the tournament’s crescendo, Curd shut out No. 4 UCLA while former Bruin Thessa Malau’ulu earned Duke its only run.
They say the devil is in the details. But in Durham, the Blue Devils are in the details — and the numbers.
The 14th-ranked Blue Devils came back from Friday's 9-0 loss to No. 2 Florida with an 8-1 victory over the Gators Sunday. In between, Duke took care of Binghamton and Providence.
Saturday, Duke dropped games against Missouri and Northwestern. Come Sunday, however, the reigning ACC champs found their form facing Kentucky with a 6-3 victory to end their NFCA Leadoff Classic appearance.
Seemingly armed with a year’s worth of frustration after ducking out of the Women’s College World Series, Duke logged a whopping 15 unanswered runs between games against Penn State and No. 24 Mississippi State.
Now that the Blue Devils have proved just how good they can be, the bar goes up. Last season’s success proved that Duke can play with the big dogs; this year will be all about proving that 2024’s success was not a one-off.
With several top-ranked teams across a variety of men’s and women’s sports, several Blue Devil squads are poised to embark on potentially-championship-winning runs. The Chronicle discusses the possibility of an 18th Duke national championship in our latest Take of the week.
The 10th-seeded Blue Devils traveled to face off against No. 7-seed Missouri in Columbia, Mo. Playing in front of a hostile crowd seemed to have no effect on the Blue Devils.
Duke softball will have a slightly different team going into next season, gaining a trio of talented infielders while taking a loss in pitching depth.
The Blue Devils were more than just regular-season warriors: They won the league championship for the second time and advanced to new heights in the postseason, garnering its first Women’s College World Series berth.
