Clemson_Tigers_softball
Clemson Tigers softball
College softball team
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]
| Clemson Tigers | |
|---|---|
 2024 Clemson Tigers softball team | |
| University | Clemson University |
| Head coach | John Rittman (5th 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 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | |
| Regular Season Conference championships | |
| 2021 | |
Coaching history
2020s
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.
| Name | Position coached | Consecutive season at Clemson in current position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Rittman | Head coach | 5th | |
| Kyle Jamieson | Associate head coach | 5th | |
| Courtney Breault | Assistant coach | 5th | |
| Jessie Harper | Assistant coach | 2nd | |
| Jeannie Murphy | Director of Operations | 5th | |
| Reference:[10] | |||
| 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 | ||||
| John Rittman: | 189–64 (.747) | 81–31 (.723) | |||||||
| Total: | 189–64 (.747) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
National awards
- Valerie Cagle (2023)[11]
- Valerie Cagle (2023)[12]
Conference awards
- ACC Player of the Year
- ACC Freshman of the Year
- Valerie Cagle (2021)[13]
- ACC Coach of the Year
- John Rittman (2021)[13]
All-Americans
- "Clemson Athletics Style Guide". Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- "College softball: John Rittman selected as Clemson's first softball coach". NCAA. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- "Clemson hires former Stanford coach to lead Tigers' program". USA Today. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- "Clemson hires first-ever softball coach for new program". Post and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- Mandy Gaither (November 3, 2017). "Clemson University announces first ever softball team". Greenville, South Carolina: WYFF. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- "Clemson online instruction through at least Sunday, April 5; all events suspended". clemson.edu. Clemson University. March 15, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- "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.
- "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships". NCAA.org. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- Raynor, Grace (March 8, 2023). "Clemson's Valerie Cagle pitches first perfect game in program history". The Athletic. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- "Clemson Softball Staff". ClemsonTigers.com. CLEMSON UNIVERSITY. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- Long, Christina (May 30, 2023). "Clemson's Valerie Cagle named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- "2023 NCAA Player Of The Year: Clemson's Valerie Cagle". softballamerica.com. June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- "ACC Softball Announces 2021 All-Conference Honors". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. May 11, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- "2023 All-ACC Softball Awards Announced". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- "2022 NFCA DI All-Americans released". nfca.org. National Fast Pitch Coaches Association. June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- "2023 NFCA DI All-Americans revealed". nfca.org. National Fast Pitch Coaches Association. May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- "Valerie Cagle earns All-American honors". Tigernet.com. Clemson University Athletics. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
 | This article about a sports team in South Carolina is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |