Raleigh, North Carolina — Thessa Malau’ulu, Dakota Farmer, and KK Mathis are transfers that will round out the Blue Devils’ 2025 lineup, as announced by head coach of softball at Duke, Marissa Young, on Saturday.
Malau’ulu, a Long Beach, California native, is a new graduate student for the Blue Devils after earning a psychology degree from UCLA in May. Malau’ulu had 103 starts in 133 career games over her four years with the Bruins, mostly at third base. In her final season, she made a lasting impression on the Bruins program, setting career highs in runs scored (28), hits (35), RBI (15), and batting average (.294). On UCLA’s senior day, Malau’ulu also drove in the game-winning run in the sixth inning against rival and top-ranked Arizona to help lead the Bruins to their biggest comeback victory ever.
Mathis plays for two seasons at James Madison before joining the Blue Devils. Westchester, Ohio, native Mathis saw action at first base and second base and started all 99 of her games with the Dukes. In addition to setting career highs in runs scored (33), hits (55) and stolen bases (8), Mathis led James Madison in these categories in her sophomore season. She was designated a top 25 finalist for the 2023 TUCCI/NFCA Freshman of the Year and earned NFCA Third Team All-Region honors in her first season with the Dukes.
Farmer, a Leander, Texas native, attends Penn for one season before moving to Durham. In her 27 games with the Quakers, she made eight starts and had the second-best hitting average (.317) in the group. Farmer had 13 hits and five RBI in May’s 6-3 extra-inning victory over Brown, which included a career-high three RBI. She also had a 1.000 fielding percentage at the dish and scored seven runs.
For the autumn campaign, the trio will be joining Ava Bradshaw, Gabby Mike, Hailey Shuler, and Brooklinn Thomas as newcomers to the Blue Devils.
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Duke Centennial
Duke University will commemorate its centennial in 2024, commemorating the year that Trinity College changed its name to Duke University. With the help of this momentous occasion, Duke hopes to enhance the public’s awareness of its past, foster a sense of pride, fortify relationships, forge new alliances, and get ready for another century of outstanding achievement and influential leadership. For additional information, go to 100.duke.edu.
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