Valerie Cagle

Valerie Cagle is a 5-foot-9 professional softball utility player from Yorktown, Virginia. She was acquired in the 4th Round of the 2026 Allocation Draft following a collegiate career at Clemson.

Personal Life

Education: Earned a bachelor’s degree in health science and is working towards a master’s degree in human resource development.

Hobbies: Enjoys cooking, baking, drawing, reading, outdoor activities, and running. Has worn No. 72 since the start of her college career.

Professional Experience

Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball (2024)

2024 Championship Season: Collected a 25th-place finish after accruing 1,184 leaderboard points. Posted a 1-1 record while sharing third place in the league with a 2.56 ERA and ranking second with two saves. Tallied 13 strikeouts over 13.2 innings.

International Experience (2021–2024)

Team USA: Made two appearances in the circle during the 2024 Japan All-Star Series. Hit .333 with a home run at the 2023 Japan All-Star Series. Led Team USA to a Gold medal at the 2021 Junior Women’s World Championship (20 strikeouts in 12.1 innings) and the 2021 Junior Pan American Games (28 strikeouts in 13.0 innings, .556 batting average).

College Experience: Clemson (2020–2024)

Career Statistics: Fashioned a .379 career batting average with 66 home runs, 224 RBIs, and 288 base hits over 243 games. Compiled an 86-37 career record in the circle with 14 saves, a 1.72 ERA, and 819 strikeouts in 756.1 innings. Finished as Clemson’s all-time leader in almost every offensive and pitching category.

Fifth-Year Senior (2024): Hit .338 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs, while registering an 8-7 record with a 2.54 ERA and 101 strikeouts.

Senior Year (2023): Set a Clemson record with 83 hits, 19 home runs, and 15 doubles, finishing with a .469 batting average. Secured a 25-8 record with a 1.56 ERA and 188 strikeouts. Threw the first perfect game in Clemson history on March 8, 2023.

Junior Year (2022): Compiled a .308 batting average with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs. Earned a 16-9 record with three saves and 176 strikeouts.

Sophomore Year (2021): Hit .404 with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs, while authoring a 28-7 record with a 1.16 ERA (estimated from context), 11 shutouts, and 267 strikeouts. Threw two no-hitters during the season.

Freshman Year (2020): Led all NCAA Division I freshmen with 10 home runs during the COVID-shortened campaign.

Awards & Honors

National Honors: USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and D1Softball Player of the Year in 2023. Recipient of the 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove award.

All-America: Garnered NFCA All-America accolades four times, including three straight First-Team commendations from 2022-24.

Conference Honors: Four-time All-ACC honoree and two-time ACC Player of the Year (2021, 2023).