RENO, Nev. The Nevada softball team received a signed National Letter of Intent from Mallary Darby of Spanish Springs High School on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.
Darby led Spanish Springs to the 4A Nevada state championship last year as a junior and was named the state’s Softball Player of the Year by the Reno Gazette-Journal and the Las Vegas Review Journal.
“Mallary is one of the great softball athletes coming out of Northern Nevada,” Nevada coach Michelle Gardner said. “I believe she will have an immediate impact on our program and look forward to having her in the circle next season. In my opinion, she could have gone anywhere in the country and is one of the top pitchers, not only in our area, but in the nation.”
Darby was 21-0 with a 0.34 earned-run average last year for the Cougars. She threw four no-hitters and struck out 255 batters in 125 innings. In the state tournament, Darby allowed just one hit in 15 innings with 34 strikeouts.
Nevada was 28-31 last year and 9-9 in Western Athletic Conference play. The Wolf Pack finished 3-2 (2nd) in the WAC Tournament.
