OKLAHOMA CITY — In her first appearance in the circle against a Top 25 ranked opponent, Louisiana freshman Alyssa Denham (Alvin, Texas) showed composure as she helped pitch the Ragin’ Cajuns to a series win over then-No. 4 Alabama. In front of a packed crowd at Lamson Park, this performance helped land the pitcher the Week 2 USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week, USA Softball announced today. This marks the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week award for Denham, while her performance in the circle also garnered her Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week accolades.
“It was amazing,” Denham said reflecting on Sunday’s game. “So many people were cheering for ‘Us’. It felt great to have so much support behind us. I made adjustments to the strike zone a lot sooner than I did on Saturday. Nerves could have come into effect on Saturday, but there isn’t an excuse I should have adjusted a lot sooner.”
Hosting the then-No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide for a three-game series at home, Denham received a no-decision in her first appearance of the weekend as the Ragin’ Cajuns came up short in a 3-0 loss to Alabama. Tossing five innings of relief after replacing starting pitcher Macey Smith in the second inning of the series opener, Denham scattered three hits and allowed only one earned run to keep the Ragin’ Cajuns within striking distance.
In the series-clinching win on Sunday, Denham went the distance for the Ragin’ Cajuns, earning a complete-game shutout. Recording a first-pitch strike off 24 of the 28 batters she faced, Denham limited the Crimson Tide to just two hits throughout the entire contest to capture the first win over a ranked team in her career. She held the Crimson Tide hitless over the final five innings of play, while keeping Alabama base runners from advancing past second base the entire game.
“When we decided to start her (on Sunday) we wanted to see if she could go three to four innings, but when we got the lead the crowd energized her and she captured the momentum,” said Louisiana Head Coach Michael Lotief said. "Once she started to tire, she lost a little of her velocity, but her pitches started getting some movement, some wicked movement.”
For the weekend, Denham tossed 12 innings, holding the Crimson Tide to just five hits and one earned run to finish the three-game series with a 0.58 ERA.
Up next, the Ragin’ Cajuns will host the Mardi Gras Invitational, where they will face Drake, Bowling Green, Dartmouth, Maryland and Bradley before closing out the tournament against Mississippi Valley.
2017 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 9-12): Sierra Hyland – Cal Poly – Senior – Pitcher – Visalia, Calif.
Week 2 (Feb. 13-19): Alyssa Denham – Louisiana – Freshman – Pitcher – Alvin, Texas
About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.
As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.
About the NCAA Women’s College World Series
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 27th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and compete for a national championship. Last year, over 78,000 fans attended the WCWS. Be there to Share The Experience with softball fans from across the country June 1-7 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2017 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and secure your championship experience!