COLUMBUS, Ga. – Capping a full season where they were ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Our Lady of the Lake softball team closed strong with the 2024 NAIA Softball World Series championship. OLLU's first national title in any sport was clinched on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over Jessup University (Calif.).
Cassandra Valdez was named MVP and tossed her third shutout of the tournament with a four-hitter against Jessup. It was another honor for Valdez who has been named both RRAC Player of the Year and RRAC Pitcher of the Year multiple times in her college career. At the final championship site, Valdez's line read four wins, 29 innings pitched, 15 hits, one earned run and 31 strikeouts.
In the third inning against Jessup, Kayla Dreese scored from second base on a single by Marissa Bradley. The Saints tacked on another run in the sixth inning with a solo home run from Madison Garza.
OLLU finished the season with a 57-3 record including a 45-game winning streak that was snapped at the RRAC tournament. The Saints lost twice to LSU Alexandria there, but that was exactly the wakeup call that they needed before a perfect 7-0 run through the NAIA opening round and World Series. They posted shutouts in 6-of-7 games.
"This was a magical season for our softball program," says OLLU head coach Bruce Lenington. "Whenever we played national competition, we were ever conscious of representing the RRAC in a positive way. Winning a national championship gives immediate credibility to our conference and its members. There are great players and coaches in the Red River Athletic Conference and this Championship should be shared by us all."