NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Mason's starting pitcher, Aly Rayle, was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week for the fifth time this season, the conference announced Monday afternoon.
The first time she was awarded Pitcher of the Week was back on February 28th; she was awarded a second time on March 20th, followed by her third one on March 27th. She won her fourth weekly award on April 17th.
Pitcher of the Week – Aly Rayle: 2 Appearances, 2 Starts, 2-0 W-L, 0.00 ERA, 1 H, 21 SO, 1 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 14.2 IP (One no-hitter)
This week, Aly Rayle won both games shes started this weekend against UMass and posted a 0.00 ERA.
The graduate student starting pitcher started the weekend with an extra-inning no-hitter victory over the Minutewomen. On Friday's game, Rayle went eight whole innings without giving up a hit and only giving up one walk on the day. After allowing a one-out walk in the first, Rayle retired 23 straight batters the rest of the game. She struck out 12 batters in the game, matching her career-high that she previously set at Saint Louis the weekend before.The Patriots would walk-off the Minutewomen in the bottom of the eighth inning and win 1-0.
Rayle would then pitch her second start of the weekend the following day. She pitched 6.2 innings and was in line to win her 15th win of the season. The Herndon, Va., native made Mason Softball history by recording the most strikeouts in a single season with 203 total on the year. During her last start, she went 6.2 innings and struck out nine more batters, surpassing Marina Vitalich's 2017 record of 195 and Lisa Davis' all-time record of 199. She is now the only pitcher to have struck out 200 batters in a single regular season.
The starting pitcher now has a 15-8 record with a 2.20 ERA, the lowest on the team. She is first in the A-10 in strikeouts (203) and looking strikeouts (59), and she is second in the A-10 in wins (15)
UP NEXT
Rayle (15-8, 2.20 ERA, 1 SV) and the Patriots (31-21, 16-10 A-10) will now head into the postseason for the first time since 2018. The No. 4 Patriots will take on the No. 5 Fordham Rams on Wednesday at noon. You can read more about their upcoming game in today's preview.
