DURHAM, N.C. – Pitching standout Jaden Davis graduated from North Carolina Central over the weekend, leaving behind a legacy that may be unmatched in school softball history during the NCAA Division I era.

Davis completed her marvelous four-year career with the most Division I pitching wins (38) and second most strikeouts (393) at NCCU. She was seven strikeouts shy from NCCU's all-time Division I mark.

A Knightdale, N.C., native, Davis led the Eagles to their first-ever MEAC title and first NCAA Division I Tournament berth as a sophomore in 2023, claiming the most outstanding performer award. She is one of two Eagles to ever pitch in the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.

The crown jewel was winning the 2025 MEAC Pitcher of the Year Award. It solidified her reputation as the league's premier hurler and strikeout artist during her career. Davis was the MEAC's strikeout leader both her senior and junior seasons and had the second-highest total as a sophomore.

The MEAC pitching honor filled a glaring hole in an otherwise sterling resume.

"Getting this award has felt like a sigh of relief," said Davis, the first Eagles' hurler named MEAC Pitcher of the Year. "Every year I've played at Central, I have gotten better at my craft and have worked hard. Finally getting recognition in my last year made my senior year much more special."

Strikeout Artist
Davis always had a knack for striking out batters, even as a teenager. She has her dad Clifton to thank for that.

Clifton, a former HBCU college pitcher at Saint Augustine's, relied on his expertise, connections and social media to teach his daughter the intricacies of softball pitching at an early age. She played T-ball with boys at eight-years-old before moving up to girls' travel ball.

"My dad would be studying on YouTube and finding people who gave pitching lessons," Davis said. "I owe a lot to my dad and my mom [Camille]."

In addition to her dad, Davis picked up pointers while watching college softball games.

"From watching college games, you can see that pitchers try not to let anything affect them," Davis said. "If they give up a hit or a home run, it's on to the next pitch. I've learned how to adapt to that type of scenario."

The combination of her dad's teaching and her own initiative transformed Davis into a pitcher that was mature beyond her years. Her travel ball team, featuring players ages 13 and 14, often played and beat older teams. It was during a tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida where Davis gained widespread notoriety after sparkling on the mound against 16-year-old players.

Davis' reputation grew at Knightdale High School as she got older. A three-time team MVP, Davis led the conference in strikeouts as a junior and senior. She also excelled in basketball but the spotlight shined on her brightest in softball.

Overlooked
A 5-foot-5 prep talent out of Knightdale High School, Davis was not a major Division I softball recruit. But she exceeded expectations.

"I was told that I was too small, and I wouldn't be able to keep up," Davis said. "That was motivation to prove people wrong every time."

Davis drew interest from Duke and checked out N.C. State and North Carolina A&T because they offered her major. She ended up choosing NCCU because of former head coach Cat Tarvin but knew little about the school.

"I went in blind," Davis said. "I didn't know what I was getting into. I never got a tour of the school or anything."

As it turned out, the decision was great for Davis and NCCU.

In four years at NCCU, Davis was 25-15 in league games with four shutouts during the regular season. She flourished as a junior and senior, winning 18 of 26 MEAC games (back-to-back 9-4 records). Her league-high 125 strikeouts this year come on the heels of last season's 116 strikeouts, which topped all MEAC pitchers.

This year, Davis tied for the most pitching wins (12) in the MEAC and tallied the most victories (9) in regular-season conference games. Davis, who ranked as high as 66th nationally in strikeouts in April, posted a 1.64 earned run average in MEAC games and a 3.77 ERA overall while facing a brutal non-conference slate which included Power Four teams Michigan and Ohio State.

Despite her accolades, Davis never made first-team All-MEAC or took home pitcher of the year until this season. She was a second-team selection both her sophomore and junior years. The NCCU senior often felt overlooked but stayed humble and continued to improve.

"Jaden put in the work and it paid off," NCCU Head Coach Now-Allah James said. "She could spot her pitches effectively and was tireless on the mound."

Clutch Performer
Davis saved her best outings for the biggest stages. As a sophomore, Davis was the winning pitcher in a 10-3 triumph over Power Four N.C. State of the ACC. She scattered six hits and struck out five in seven complete innings.

"I was like, dang, I really did that," Davis said. "And this was a home run hitting team."

That same season, she pitched the Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Maryland Eastern Shore and a 10-1 win over Coppin State in the MEAC Tournament. Davis recorded seven strikeouts and surrendered five hits in five innings against Coppin State.

The Eagles met Coppin State again for the MEAC crown in the double-elimination tournament. After losing the first game 6-5, NCCU came back to win the second game 6-2 for the title. Davis contributed at the plate in the championship win, hitting a double and scoring one run.

In the 2023 NCAA Regionals, Davis held Georgia to two runs in 3.2 innings in a 12-0 loss. She kept Boston at bay until the last two innings of an 8-0 defeat.

This year, the commentators on ESPN+ praised Davis throughout the broadcast despite the 4-1 road loss to UNC Greensboro. Davis gave up only one earned run and struck out five UNCG batters in six innings.

"Keeping people on their toes is pretty fun," Davis said. "Like that UNCG game, they don't expect you to come in and strike their girls out. I truly go hard when I play teams like that, and it always surprises them. The Power Fours and mid-major teams are always shocked when HBCUs compete with them for some reason. I never understand why."

Her highlights this year include a two-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 1-0 seven-inning shutout win over Delaware State and a three-hitter with five strikeouts in five innings in a 10-0 triumph over Coppin State. She hurled a season-high 11 strikeouts in a 5-1 eight-inning victory over South Carolina State, the eventual MEAC Tourney runner-up, and was the winning pitcher in a 10-7 victory over Western Carolina.

Davis was the heart and soul of the team, according to teammate Cameron Frye.

"When Jaden steps onto the mound, something shifts in all of us," Frye said. "She brings her confidence and her heart to every pitch to lift the entire team. You can feel it - the way she carries herself, the way she never backs down - it reminds us what we're capable of. Watching her fight for every out makes you want to fight just as hard. There's this unspoken trust that with Jaden out there, we've got a shot at anything. When Jaden's pitching, we believe that we can win against anyone."

Keys To Pitching
To Davis, there are no secrets to being a successful pitcher and strikeout leader.

"You gotta have a fastball, you gotta have an off-speed pitch and you gotta have a movement pitch," she said. "If those pitches are consistent, you can beat a lot of people. I threw a 64 miles per hour fastball at [NCAA] regionals - an average range for a lot people, but it's not about the speed but the movement. You can be the slowest girl and still strike people out because the ball is moving."

Winning the MEAC's top pitching award was a fitting way to close out a sterling softball career for Davis, who graduated with a biomedical sciences degree. She has already applied to veterinary school.

Becoming a top pitcher led to sacrifices in other areas of her life but the results were worth it.

"I was always at a practice or a game, so I never got all those types of skills that normal girls have but I enjoyed every moment of it," Davis said. "And having teammates is truly a blessing in every sport. I know I have people I can talk to or lean on at any point and time."

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