College Update
We’ve gone digital
Orange County alum Wright helps lead Marlins to national title
But you can have it in print too!
By Bart Isley Courtney Wright missed out on the ultimate prize in high school, never winning a state title despite playing on some strong softball teams with talented supporting casts. It’s just really hard to win a state title. Just like it’s really hard to win a national title in college. Well, Wright already has one of those now. She didn’t waste any time getting the ultimate prize at the collegiate level, helping lead Virginia Wesleyan to an NCAA Division III championship as a freshman. Wright was an all-state player for Covenant before she shifted to Orange County where she was also a standout, putting together several of the area’s best pitching performances during her stint there, including a no-hitter early in her senior season. She earned second team AllConference 16 honors as a junior and senior as a pitcher for the Hornets. For the Marlins this season, Wright stepped right into the circle, forming one of the nation’s most formidable one-two punches at pitcher with fellow freshman Hanna Hull. Wright finished the year with a 1.34 ERA, striking out 53 while allowing just 21 earned
runs in 18 appearances without a loss on the season. Six times she went the distance, and she earned third team All-ODAC honors for the effort. In the postseason, Wright was huge in big spots for the Marlins throwing six shutout innings in a 2-0 win to clinch the ODAC tournament title against Emory & Henry. Then in a game the Marlins had to have to stay alive in the Division III championships and force an elimination game. Wright threw a complete game, allowing two hits and two runs while striking out just one. She saved her best work though for the national title game against St. John Fisher in Oklahoma City. Wright started the titleclinching game and threw five scoreless innings, leaning on her defense to close the door. She struck out two in those five innings and scattered three hits while giving up just one walk. It was a dominant, lockdown performance. Headed to the sixth, the Marlins had a 1-0 lead and Hull took over, throwing two no-hit innings to finish the job with Wright picking up the victory. ✖
BELOW » Courtney Wright, below, played for both Covenant and Orange County in high school before winning a National Title with Virginia Wesleyan this spring. (VWU sports information)
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