As the Emory University softball team’s season comes to a close, the team has built an impressive 24-6 record and has established itself as the No. 18 NCAA Division III softball team. A huge reason for the Eagles’ success has been star junior pitcher Mackenzie Duford, who holds an 11-2 record this year. Duford has notched a 1.36 ERA this season and has held opposing batters to a stifling .208 batting average, while giving up only 14 earned runs over her 17 appearances.
Success is nothing new for Duford. As a freshman on a depleted 2023 team that only had 10 people on its roster, Duford threw a staggering 132.2 innings over 23 appearances and still managed to notch an impressive 2.43 ERA. In 2023, her 13 wins and 71 strikeouts were fourth and sixth, respectively, in the University Athletic Association. Last season, Duford compiled a 3.63 ERA for a 9-6 record, her 56 strikeouts that season again ranking sixth in the conference.
Junior outfielder Ashley Chu praised Duford’s reliability and said she can “always go to her” for problems on or off the field.
“She has always come across as dependable,” Chu said. “She’s very level-headed. When she’s put in a situation where it’s stressful, she comes through basically every single time.”
Coming from Seminole, Fla., Duford arrived at Emory after being the captain of her high school softball team her senior year, earning All-County First Team Pitcher honors that same season and being named an All-State First Team Pitcher as a junior. While she is not the most vocal player, usually allowing her play to speak for itself, Duford has become a leader this season for a young roster that sports 16 underclassmen, according to second-year head coach India Chiles.
She said Duford’s quiet leadership is a driving force behind the team’s success this year.
“She’s not the type of leader that’s gonna get in someone’s face or even be too loud in the dugout,” Chiles said. “But everyone sees her work ethic. Everyone sees her attention to detail. Her ability to hit her spots on the mound is something I’ve never seen of any pitcher that I’ve been a part of a program, playing and coaching.”
Duford has taken herself to new heights throughout her Emory career with the help of her coaches, according to Chiles. The star pitcher said working with Emory’s new pitching coach Katie Griffith has improved her technique, while building close bonds with her teammates has helped the mental aspect of her game.
“I’ve become a lot more expressive on the field and a lot more emotionally involved in all the games that we play,” Duford said. “A big part of that is how close our team has gotten this year. Without that bond with all my teammates — all of us wanting each other to do well — I don't think that we would be winning as many games as we have.”
Duford has also shown an ability to persevere and overcome roadblocks. In her first game on the mound against Drew University (N.J.) at the Division III Ulili Softball Invitational in Hawaii, Duford scattered an uncharacteristic three earned runs over four innings, giving up three walks to go with three hits. The team rallied around Duford and won the game 7-6 after a two-run seventh inning.
Duford then bounced back in the second half of the doubleheader against Drew, giving up zero hits over 2.1 innings in relief. Two days later, she fully returned to form against SUNY Oneonta (N.Y.), allowing only three hits over five scoreless innings in an 11-0 win.
Chiles credited the Hawaii trip as the turning point for the team this season, teaching them to play to win rather than not to lose. She said Duford’s resilience in Hawaii and her ability to thrive in uncomfortable situations catalyzed that response.
“She’s just that warrior athlete that didn’t like that uncomfortable feeling, did what she needed to do to bounce out of it, and she has been flawless since,” Chiles said.
As a student-athlete balancing softball with pre-med aspirations, Duford has learned how to manage being successful both on the field and off of it. This past summer, Duford took an observership at a hospital in Atlanta to gain research experience for her career. However, since everybody on the team had left Emory for the offseason, including her catcher, she knew she would need to find a different way to practice.
“I would go to the field probably three, four times a week and just throw into one of the nets,” Duford said. “A lot of this has to do with wanting to be there for all your teammates and knowing that they depend on you and that they need you to put in the work just as much as you want yourself to put in the work so that you do well the next season.”
Chiles said that Duford’s willingness to practice over the summer, even without her teammates to help her, highlights her commitment to her game.
“She found a way to get better all on her own when no one else was around,” Chiles said. “She was determined to come back and be her best, instead of waiting around for those ideal opportunities when someone could train with her.”
Duford’s determination is evident even when she’s not on the mound. Chu said Duford’s willingness to support her teammates proves that she understands the role of being a leader.
“When she does get taken out, she never has an attitude about it,” Chu said. “She’s always there cheering people on. Even when she doesn’t start a game, she’s always there cheering. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her not cheer.”
Duford eventually plans to go into the medical field, but this spring, she is dedicated to leading her team to victories. Chiles said Duford is devoted to helping the team make a deep playoff run this season.
“She’s totally bought into everything,” said Chiles. “There’s no question, she is here to get to the postseason and here to compete for a national championship.”
