Who is Jala Wright? Duke softball pitcher one of nation's best heading into Super Regionals

Austin Curtright, USA TODAY NETWORK

Duke softball pitcher Jala Wright made her presence felt in the Durham Regional.

The No. 10 Blue Devils ace pitched 13.2 innings in their three wins to advance to the Super Regionals, allowing just six hits with 17 strikeouts to one walk, helping Duke advance to the three-game series against No. 7 Missouri in Columbia.

REQUIRED READING: Duke's Jala Wright: NCAA Softball Tournament selection show 'tough to watch' after seeding snub

Wright has improved in every facet since last season, also developing a strong ability to miss bats, with multiple double-digit strikeout games this season.

For Duke to clinch a Women's College World Series berth for the first time in school history, it'll likely need a few effective performances from Wright against the Tigers.

Here's everything to know about Wright, who has emerged as one of college softball's best pitchers this season:

REQUIRED READING: ACC champion Duke softball draws No. 10 seed, won't host Super Regional | Social media reacts

Who is Jala Wright?

Wright is a senior right-handed pitcher at Duke, leading the team in innings pitched this season. She was also named a first-team All-ACC Selection and was tabbed as the conference's pitcher of the year this season.

Wright was a top 26 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, however, she was not selected as a top-10 finalist despite teammate Claire Davidson making the final 10.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, native ranks fourth nationally in ERA (1.09), behind only Stanford's Nijaree Canady, Southern Illinois' Maddia Groff and Oklahoma State's Lexi Kilfoyl. Canady and Kilfoyl were both named top three finalists for player of the year.

Wright started her career at Michigan State, appearing in 15 games and throwing 25 innings to a 7.00 ERA with a 1-5 record. She then transferred to Duke, where she eventually evolved into one of the sport's best pitchers as a senior.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, native was ranked the No. 53 player nationally in the 2020 recruiting class by FloSoftball after being named a first-team all-state selection and conference player of the year as a high school senior in 2019. Wright was also a hitter in high school, boasting a .558 batting average in her final season.

Jala Wright stats

Here's Wright's year-by-year stats:

  • 2024: 19-1 record with 1.09 ERA in 148.1 innings pitched with 183 strikeouts to 45 walks.

  • 2023: 12-4 record with 2.51 ERA in 133.2 innings pitched with 127 strikeouts to 63 walks.

  • 2022: 13-5 record with 2.69 ERA in 107 innings pitched with 115 strikeouts to 39 walks.

  • 2021 (Michigan State): 1-5 record with 7.00 ERA in 25 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts to nine walks.

Jala Wright comments on Duke softball

Many were surprised to see Duke softball selected as the No. 10 overall seed of the NCAA Softball Tournament after the Blue Devils won the ACC Championship and finished with a program-best 47-6 record entering the postseason.

Among those surprised was Wright, who shared her thoughts on the selection on ESPN shortly after the announcement.

“It was tough," she said. "Very tough to watch. But we were definitely hoping to be a higher seed, especially with the season that we’ve had. We won regular season. We just won ACC yesterday. You would think we would be a little higher but it’s okay. We’ve faced a lot of adversity this year. We’ve been successful. And this is just another test. We’re always gonna compete with whoever steps on the field with us."

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Who is Jala Wright? Duke pitcher one of top arms in college softball

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