Behind the scenes: Duke softball makes first Women’s College World Series

Duke pitchers Cassidy Curd and Lillie Walker sang an off-pitch rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in a video posted on Monday to the softball team’s Instagram account. They held the posterboard ticket, clad in their 2024 NCAA Super Regional Championship hats, preparing to board a plane from Missouri to Oklahoma City.

“Take me home, country roads to the place Lillie belongs. Oklahoma, college softball. Take Lillie home in an airplane,” Curd ad-libbed.

Walker hails from Inola, Oklahoma, and played a part in earning the team’s Women’s College World Series berth. Duke is the only program in the field that hasn’t earned a spot in the series before. (Granted, it’s only seven years old. Every other program began before 2000.)

All teams aim to reach this point, but it’s extra special the first time. They’ve never been in the press conferences, gone through the TV promotional shoots, or played in front of crowds this big.

And for Duke, it’s not just a first time for certain players. It’s a first for the program.

Metallic gold and silver confetti fell over left fielder D’Auna Jennings. Pitcher Jala Wright strutted in front of a marble-print backdrop. There were therapy dogs and Nike gear and a trip to the National Softball Hall of Fame Museum. The team’s metal pitchfork even made the trip from Durham.

The Blue Devils made it clear they plan to compete and know they’ve put in the work to be in Oklahoma City. Duke, from the program’s inception, set the WCWS as its goal. Still, it gives players a pause.

“I’ve never been to Oklahoma. Just being here and seeing the stadium is insane. I’ve never seen a softball stadium so big,” shortstop Jada Baker said. “I think it’s going to be awesome to be in that environment and truly take it in, step back and not worry about softball for a second; take in how amazing it is to be here.”

From Durham to Devon Park

Fifth-year baseman Gisele Tapia remembers when the stands at Duke softball stadium were virtually empty. Deja Davis’ grandparents were some of the first and only fans. Davis, now a student assistant, ended her playing career as an All-American and one of the best hitters in the Blue Devils’ short history.

Francesca Frelick’s freshman season took place during the pandemic. The team had cardboard cutouts in the stands.

Now, the stands are full in Durham. The Blue Devils broke an ACC Championship attendance record when 2,274 fans attended the title game a little over two weeks ago. A loyal contingent made an appearance in OKC.

Kathy Swiderski, a retired Greensboro firefighter, may be one of the most invested Duke fans. She buys four basketball tickets behind the scorer’s table at Cameron Indoor Stadium, so there’s plenty of room for dancing and cheering. Fellow fans call her “Kathy with the blue hair.” When it came to softball, Swiderski couldn’t attend earlier seasons but became a staple in the last two. She attended nearly all of them this spring.

“I couldn’t go to Missouri because I have horses and chickens,” Swiderski said. “I told my roommate, If they’re going to the World Series — because my brother moved here 12 years ago — I’ve been to almost everything here except this. The only way I can go is if Duke wins.”

The Blue Devils won for Swiderski, at least that’s the theory she’s going with. She immediately contacted her brother, who lives in Norman, to say she, the wig and pom poms were coming for a visit.

Swiderski said he teased her for wearing Duke gear — she has anywhere from 50 to 100 T-shirts and already knows which one she’s wearing for Game 2 — but the Blue Devils are her team.

A pit stop at L. Dale Mitchell Park for the NCAA baseball regional Duke is participating in may happen if the schedules don’t interfere, but Swiderski plans to spend the next five days in Section 116.

“Our village runs deep and it’s awesome to see,” catcher Kelly Torres said. “Although it might not fill the crowd, to see our one blue spot in the stands, it’s beautiful. There’s not that many, [but] the love that they have for us, it feels like there is.”

Childhood dreams come true

Frelick made a 360-degree turn when Duke took the field, looking at the stadium and the crowd. Her smile stretched across her face. This is what they worked for.

Walker grew up about two hours northeast of the stadium, right outside of Tulsa, and used to attend the event as a child.

She recalls taking a photo on the field a decade ago, during what she called her “chubby” stage. Walker stood on the same grass her role models played on, where she fostered her love of the game. Now, the senior gets her own full circle moment.

“I’ve grown up coming to watch the Women’s College World Series with my family,” Walker said. “It’s pretty surreal to come and practice on the field, actually be in it this year. I’m just so excited I get to do it alongside my best friends.”

Tapia recalled watching the WCWS on TV when she was little. She loved Sierra Romero from Michigan, the sister of former Duke assistant Sydney Romero. The graduate student expressed gratitude to her teammates, family and supporters for getting her to the biggest stage in college softball.

“I made the little girl (watching) on TV, who I was probably 12 years ago, so happy,” Tapia said.

The proudest people

Frank Fernandez, Tapia’s father, described Duke’s early years as “mom and pop.” Now, it has people flying across the country to support the success.

Duke athletic director Nina King and women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson proudly sat among the family and faithful fans, both getting a shoutout on ESPN.

Getting to OKC wasn’t easy for anyone. Fernandez said his family can fly standby because his wife works for an airline, but that can be a trek. They’re not staying in the team hotel. The schedule post-Super Regionals changed a couple of times in the span of a few hours.

Fernandez mentioned hiccups with parking, too. Stuff that new teams don’t know about. He said everyone is learning on the fly.

King and Lawson flew out Thursday on a 6:30 a.m. flight. They’ll attend the Duke baseball regional in Norman on Friday morning, before King heads to the NCAA Rowing Championships in Cincinnati. She plans to fly back to the Sooner state on Saturday for more softball and baseball.

It’s all worth it, though. The families get to spend time with each other and support the team.

“These girls got the trifecta,” Fernandez said. “They got the ACC tournament, they got a great degree, and they come to the College World Series. What more do you want?”

Duke’s first-time All-Americans

Wright, second baseman Aminah Vega and right fielder Claire Davidson sat in the press conference room on Wednesday at Devon Park, formerly known as USA Hall of Fame Stadium, after the NFCA All-America announcement. Tears filled Wright’s eyes.

The pitcher earned second team All-America honors. Her teammates received first-team recognition — the first in program history — with Davidson becoming a unanimous selection. The right fielder didn’t have All-America on her radar at the beginning of her career.

Duke head coach Marissa Young played in the Women’s College World Series when she pitched at Michigan.

“I think it’s really cool from a coach’s perspective to know along the year so many of them have heard that they needed to go somewhere else to get to this stage,” Young said. “They chose Duke not only because of the education but they believed in, even as a new program, we could do something special.”

That’s validating for the Blue Devils who, as the team likes to say, stood on business. Wright transferred from Michigan State. Vega is in her second season and Davidson was on the 2021 ACC Championship team.

It’s amazing to be among the best players in the nation and achieve the program’s goals, Davidson said.

Each player took photos with the NFCA All-America trophy and their name plates before leaving the press conference. (They hope to take them home at the end of its run like the basketball players always get to do in March.) Wright, known on the team for her selfies, was the first and most excited to pose for photographers.

“There was never a doubt in my mind that Duke wasn’t the spot I wanted to be at,” Vega added, “and there wasn’t a doubt that we wouldn’t get here in the four years of me being here.”

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