Anna Dew Delivers Elon’s Fourth Perfect Game
Anna Dew was perfect. Not figuratively, not close to it, but actually perfect. The Elon softball pitcher retired every Charleston Southern batter she faced in a six-inning gem on March 5, completing the program’s fourth perfect game in history at 2:02 PM ET. No hits, no walks, no errors, no baserunners of any kind. In a sport where a single bloop single or a questionable call can end perfection, Dew navigated an entire game without allowing a single opponent to reach base.
That alone would have been the story of the day for Elon University, a 7,000-student private school in North Carolina that does not often find itself in national headlines. But what happened next elevated the moment from remarkable to historic.
One Minute Later, Baseball Joined the Party
At 2:03 PM ET, exactly one minute after Dew recorded the final out of her perfect game, Elon’s baseball team took the field against Fairfield. What followed was another masterpiece. Aidan Stieglitz started the game and two relievers finished it, combining for a no-hitter that gave Elon two no-hit performances across two sports on the same day at the same school.
ESPN confirmed that this combination has not happened at a Division I institution in at least three years, and researchers across college sports media were unable to find another example beyond that window. The Washington Post, MLB.com, and NCAA.com all covered the story, turning a mid-week afternoon in North Carolina into a nationally recognized moment. For a program that competes in the CAA and rarely gets airtime on national broadcasts, the timing could not have been more perfect.
Why This Matters Beyond Elon
Perfect games are among the rarest achievements in softball. They require not just dominant pitching but flawless defense, and they demand that everything goes right for an entire game. Dew’s perfect game was just the fourth in Elon program history, putting her name alongside a very short list. The fact that it overlapped with a baseball no-hitter by 60 seconds created a once-in-a-generation coincidence that resonated with fans of both sports.
For the broader college softball community, moments like this are important because they bring visibility to the sport from audiences who might not normally follow it. When ESPN covers a softball achievement alongside baseball, when national outlets run the story side by side, it reinforces that college softball produces moments just as compelling and historic as any sport on campus. Anna Dew’s perfect game deserved every bit of the attention it received, and the baseball connection only amplified it.
What’s Next
Elon continues its regular season with a schedule that will not generate the same national attention as this week. But Anna Dew’s name is now in the record books, and the March 5 coincidence will be referenced for years anytime the topic of historic days in college athletics comes up. For Dew and the Elon softball program, the focus shifts back to winning games and competing for a CAA title. The perfect game was the highlight. Conference play is where the real work begins.
