Clemson Tigers softball

College softball team

Clemson Tigers

2025 Clemson Tigers softball team
Founded| 2020 (5 years ago)
University| Clemson University
Head coach| John Rittman (6th season)
Conference| ACC
Atlantic Division
Location| Clemson, SC
Home stadium| McWhorter Stadium (Capacity: 1,000)
Nickname| Tigers
Colors| Orange and regalia[1]

NCAA super regional appearances
2022, 2023, 2025
NCAA Tournament appearances
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Conference tournament championships
2025
Regular-season conference championships
2021

Clemson Tigers softball joined the Atlantic Coast Conference as a Division I varsity program in 2020. In November 2017, former Stanford coach John Rittman was named as Clemson's first head softball coach. Rittman spent the previous two years as an assistant coach at Kansas and USA Softball.[2][3][4][5]

## History

[edit]

### Coaching history

[edit]

Years  | Coach  | Record  | %

|
|
|

2020–present | John Rittman | 237–78 | .752

### 2020s

[edit]

The Tigers' first season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tigers had started 19–8 overall and 5–1 in ACC play before the season was cancelled by Clemson and the ACC.[6][7] The NCAA tournament was also canceled.[8] 2021 was Clemson's first full season as a program and they finished 44–8 overall, with a 29–5 record in ACC play. They won the regular season championship, and made the final of the ACC tournament but fell short in the final, losing to Duke. They could not advance past the Regional in the NCAA Tournament. They were placed in a Regional with SEC champion Alabama and lost both games against the Crimson Tide. The program's success would continue in 2022 as they would finish 14–10 in ACC play to finish in fifth place. Despite their lower seed, they again reached the final of the ACC tournament, but could not overcome Florida State in the Final. They were selected to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament and won three games without allowing a run, to advance to the Super Regional. During the 2023 season, Clemson had its first perfect game in program history. Valerie Cagle recorded the perfect game by retiring all fifteen batters she faced in an 18–0 (5 inning) win over Mercer.[9] The 2024 season, was a down season by Clemson's lofty standards. The team finished with its lowest overall win total in a full season. However, they did keep their streak of NCAA tournament appearances alive, but did not advance past the regional round. in 2025 the Tigers got off to a slow start, but rebounded to finish as runner up during the ACC regular season. They would go on to win the ACC Tournament over Florida State 2–1.[10] They continued their streak of advancing to the NCAA tournament to five straight years. There they advanced out of their regional as host. They won their first Super Regional game in program history over Texas, but could not advance to the College World Series, losing the next two games.

## Coaching staff

[edit]

Name  | Position coached  | Consecutive season at
Clemson in current position

|
|

John Rittman | Head coach | 6th
Kyle Jamieson | Associate head coach | 6th
Katie Repole | Assistant coach | 1st
Ryan Wieligman | Assistant coach | 1st
Jessie Harper | Director of Player Development | 3rd
Jeannie Murphy | Director of Operations | 6th
Reference:[11]

## Year-by-year record

[edit]

Statistics overview  Season  | Team  | Overall  | Conference  | Standing  | Postseason

|
|
|
|
|

John Rittman (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2020–present)
2020 | Clemson | 19–8 | 5–1 | 3rd | Season canceled due to COVID-19
2021 | Clemson | 44–8 | 29–5 | 1st | Tuscaloosa Regional
2022 | Clemson | 42–17 | 14–10 | 5th | Stillwater Super Regional
2023 | Clemson | 49–12 | 18–6 | 3rd | Norman Super Regional
2024 | Clemson | 35–19 | 15–9 | T–4th | Tuscaloosa Regional
2025 | Clemson | 48–14 | 19–5 | 2nd | Austin Super Regional
John Rittman: | 237–78 (.752) | 100–36 (.735) |
Total: | 237–78 (.752) |

National champion         Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion

## Awards

[edit]

### National awards

[edit]

USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year

* Valerie Cagle (2023)[12]

Softball America Player of the Year

* Valerie Cagle (2023)[13]

### Conference awards

[edit]

ACC Player of the Year

* Valerie Cagle (2021, 2023)[14][15]

ACC Pitcher of the Year

* Reese Basinger (2025)[16]

ACC Freshman of the Year

* Valerie Cagle (2021)[14]
* Macey Cintron (2025)[16]

ACC Coach of the Year

* John Rittman (2021)[14]

### All-Americans

[edit]

* NCFA 1st Team: Valerie Cagle (2022, 2023, 2024)[17][18][19]
* NCFA 2nd Team: Valerie Cagle (2021)[20]
* NFCA 3rd Team: Maddie Moore (2024)[19]

## See also

[edit]

* List of NCAA Division I softball programs

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Clemson Athletics Style Guide". Retrieved November 3, 2018.
2. ^ "College softball: John Rittman selected as Clemson's first softball coach". NCAA. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
3. ^ "Clemson hires former Stanford coach to lead Tigers' program". USA Today. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
4. ^ "Clemson hires first-ever softball coach for new program". Post and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
5. ^ Mandy Gaither (November 3, 2017). "Clemson University announces first ever softball team". Greenville, South Carolina: WYFF. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
6. ^ "Clemson online instruction through at least Sunday, April 5; all events suspended". clemson.edu. Clemson University. March 15, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
7. ^ "ACC Cancels All Athletic Activities Through End of 2019-20 Academic Year". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
8. ^ "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships". NCAA.org. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
9. ^ Raynor, Grace (March 8, 2023). "Clemson's Valerie Cagle pitches first perfect game in program history". The Athletic. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
10. ^ Kassim, Ehsan (May 10, 2025). "ACC softball championship recap: Highlights from Clemson's comeback win over Florida State". USA Today. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
11. ^ "Clemson Softball Staff". ClemsonTigers.com. CLEMSON UNIVERSITY. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
12. ^ Long, Christina (May 30, 2023). "Clemson's Valerie Cagle named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
13. ^ "2023 NCAA Player Of The Year: Clemson's Valerie Cagle". softballamerica.com. June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
14. ^ a b c "ACC Softball Announces 2021 All-Conference Honors". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. May 11, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
15. ^ "2023 All-ACC Softball Awards Announced". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
16. ^ a b "ACC Unveils 2025 Softball Awards". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. May 7, 2025. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
17. ^ "2022 NFCA DI All-Americans released". nfca.org. National Fast Pitch Coaches Association. June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
18. ^ "2023 NFCA DI All-Americans revealed". nfca.org. National Fast Pitch Coaches Association. May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
19. ^ a b "2024 All-American Awards". nfca.org. National Fast Pitch Coaches Association. May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
20. ^ "Valerie Cagle earns All-American honors". Tigernet.com. Clemson University Athletics. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.

* v
* t
* e

Clemson Tigers softball

Venues|

* McWhorter Stadium (2020–present)

Rivalries|

* South Carolina

Head coaches|

* John Rittman (2020–present)

Seasons|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* v
* t
* e

Clemson University

Academics|

* Experimental Forest
* Graduate School
* CU-ICAR (Greenville)
* Charleston Innovation Campus (North Charleston)

Athletics|

| Teams|

* Clemson Tigers
* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Football
* Men's soccer
* Women's soccer
* Softball
* Men's tennis
* Women's tennis
* Track and field

|

Venues|

* Doug Kingsmore Stadium
* Jervey Athletic Center
* Littlejohn Coliseum
* McWhorter Stadium
* Memorial Stadium
* Riggs Field

Other|

* ACC
* "Tiger Rag"
* The Tiger & The Cub
* Clemson–South Carolina rivalry
* Football brawl
* Clemson–Florida State football rivalry
* O'Rourke–McFadden Trophy
* Textile Bowl
* 1985 steroid scandal

Campus|

* Campus of Clemson University
* Fike Recreation Center
* Johnstone Hall
* President's House
* South Carolina Botanical Garden
* Walker Golf Course

| Landmarks|

* Clemson College Sheep Barn
* Fort Hill
* Hanover House
* Historic District I
* Historic District II
* Lee and Lowry Hall
* Old Stone Church and Cemetery

|

Student life|

* Clemson Area Transit
* Crescent Amtrak
* ESSO Club
* Fraternities and sororities
* Lake Hartwell
* Rugby club
* Spittoono

Media|

* Clemson Tigers Sports Network
* The Tiger
* WSBF-FM

People|

* Alumni
* Presidents
* Thomas Green Clemson
* John C. Calhoun
* Benjamin Tillman

Other|

* City of Clemson (adjacent to the university)

* v
* t
* e

Atlantic Coast Conference softball

Current teams|

* Boston College Eagles
* California Golden Bears
* Clemson Tigers
* Duke Blue Devils
* Florida State Seminoles
* Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
* Louisville Cardinals
* North Carolina Tar Heels
* NC State Wolfpack
* Notre Dame Fighting Irish
* Pittsburgh Panthers
* Stanford Cardinal
* Syracuse Orange
* Virginia Cavaliers
* Virginia Tech Hokies

Championships|

* Tournament

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