SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara softball signed Alaina Valdez, a dominant right-handed pitcher from San Jose City College who led the Coast Conference in strikeouts and wins this past season.
During the 2023 campaign, Valdez posted a 2.02 ERA over 176 2/3 innings, struck out 158 batters and racked up 18 victories to earn NFCA All-American, All-State and Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year honors.
Valdez will have two years of eligibility at Santa Clara after two highly productive seasons at the JUCO ranks playing for the CCCAA State Championships in both seasons. In her freshman year at SJCC, she went 10-1 with 51 strikeouts in 61 innings and was nabbed second-team All-Coast Conference.
"I chose Santa Clara because I believe it was the best fit for me both academically and athletically," said Valdez. "Being a transfer, the academics portion is super important to me and you cannot beat a Santa Clara degree. Not only the degree but, when meeting the coaching staff and some of the team members I couldn't have asked for them to be more welcoming. I only live about 15 minutes down the road, so having my family close was also a huge plus for me. There really isn't anything you can't love about SCU."
The local product from Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif. was a four-year varsity member and two-time team captain that helped lead the Monarchs to a CCS Championship in 2019.
Valdez played travel ball (12U-18U) for the San Jose Sting and won the 18U Champions Cup in the summer of 2021.
"I'm thrilled to add a JC All-American pitcher of the caliber of Alaina to our roster," said Broncos head coach Gina Carbonatto. "She led her team to an incredible finish at San Jose City College. We are excited to keep her home in the Silicon Valley to compete her final two years at Santa Clara University. We are gaining a competitor with championship experience; I'm excited to see the impact she has in the circle for the Broncos."
Last November, the Broncos signed six players to National Letters of Intent and added a seventh signee in January.
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— Santa Clara Softball (@SCUSoftball) June 2, 2023
Welcome to @SantaClaraUniv, @alainavaldez5 !
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