Clemson Tigers Softball: A History in the NCAA Tournament

The Clemson Tigers softball program, a rising force in collegiate athletics, officially joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as a Division I varsity program in 2020. Under the leadership of its first head coach, John Rittman, formerly of Stanford, the team quickly established itself as a competitive program. Although the inaugural season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Clemson's potential was evident from the start.

Early Years and the Impact of COVID-19

John Rittman was named as Clemson's first head softball coach in November 2017. The Tigers' first season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the season was canceled by Clemson and the ACC, the Tigers had started 19-8 overall and 5-1 in ACC play. The NCAA tournament was also canceled.

2021: A Breakout Season

2021 marked Clemson's first full season as a program, and the team wasted no time making its mark. The Tigers finished with an impressive 44-8 overall record and a 29-5 record in ACC play. Their outstanding performance earned them the regular season championship. The Tigers became the first team in league history to earn the regular-season title in any team’s first complete season, and the first Clemson program in school history to secure a regular-season conference championship in its first opportunity to do so.

The team advanced to the final of the ACC tournament but fell short, losing to Duke. Clemson secured its first NCAA Regional berth after being selected to the Tuscaloosa Regional. However, they could not advance past the Regional in the NCAA Tournament, losing both games against SEC champion Alabama. Despite the early exit, the season was a resounding success, and the program was ranked as high as No. 18 in the NFCA poll. Redshirt freshman Valerie Cagle was named the 2021 ACC Player and Freshman of the Year to become the first player in softball league history to garner ACC Player or Pitcher of the Year while also being crowned ACC Freshman of the Year. Head Coach John Rittman was also tabbed the league’s Coach of the Year. Redshirt freshman Valerie Cagle was named the first Tiger to become a NFCA All-American garnering second team honors.

2022: Continued Success and Super Regional Appearance

The program's success continued in 2022 when they finished 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. Clemson and McWhorter Stadium were selected to host a NCAA Regional for the first time as the No. 10 National Seed hosting Louisiana, Auburn and UNCW in the Clemson Regional. Clemson advanced out of its first NCAA Regional after run-ruling Louisiana, 8-0, in the Clemson Regional Championship. The victory completed the regional sweep with wins after the Tigers also picked up wins over Auburn (1-0) and UNCW (9-0). 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. Clemson appeared in its first NCAA Super Regional playing the No. 7 National Seed Oklahoma State Cowgirls at the Stillwater Super Regional.

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Continuing to take strides forward, the Clemson Tigers finished the 2022 season with a 42-17 record and ranked as high as No. 16 in the NFCA poll. With eight victories against top 25 opponents, Clemson garnered its first postseason hosting berth after being selected as the No. 11 seed where they cruised to three victories against UNCW, Auburn and Louisiana to advance to the program’s first super regional. The 2022 season saw the 100th game in program history as well as the 100th victory as a team, both occurring in McWhorter Stadium. Sophomore Millie Thompson threw the program’s first postseason no-hitter, while sophomore McKenzie Clark hit the program’s first inside the park home run earlier in the season. Valerie Cagle continued to make postseason history by earning NFCA First Team All-America honors, while graduate transfer Sam Russ was named the program’s first Academic All-American.

2023: Perfect Game and Regional Loss

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. March 8, 2023- Redshirt junior Valerie Cagle threw the program’s first perfect game. She retired all 15 batters she faced, including eight strikeouts, for a five-inning perfect game. The righty threw just 51 pitches with 40 strikes and never reached a three-ball count during the contest. Clemson won the game, 18-0. She became the eighth Division I player to throw a perfect game in 2023. In the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers lost in the NCAA regional in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, falling to Southeastern Louisiana twice.

2024: A Challenging Season

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.

2025: ACC Tournament Champions

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. They continued their streak of advancing to the NCAA tournament to five straight years. There they advanced out of their regional as host. This season marks the fifth straight season in which Clemson made it to the NCAA Tournament, and it's hosting a regional for for the third time. It advanced to the super regionals both times it hosted a regional (2022 and 2023).

Key Moments and Achievements

Since its inception, the Clemson softball program has achieved several milestones, including:

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First Game: Clemson defeated St. John’s, 6-2, in its inaugural game, which was held at UCF’s Black & Gold Tournament in Orlando, Fla. on February 7, 2020.
First Home Game: Clemson held its inaugural home opener in a doubleheader against Western Carolina on February 12, 2020.
First Ranked Win: Clemson earned its first-ever ranked win in a 4-1 victory over then-No. 14 Georgia at Clemson Softball Stadium on February 26, 2020.
First ACC Series Win: Clemson won its first-ever ACC series after sweeping Virginia at Clemson Softball Stadium on March 1, 2020.
First ACC Regular Season Title: May 9, 2021- In its final game of the 2021 regular season, Clemson clinched the ACC regular-season title with a 19-2 win at Syracuse.
First NCAA Regional Berth: Clemson secured its first NCAA Regional berth after being selected to the Tuscaloosa Regional on May 16, 2021.
First NCAA Regional Hosting: Clemson and McWhorter Stadium were selected to host a NCAA Regional for the first time as the No. 10 National Seed on May 15, 2022.
First Perfect Game: March 8, 2023- Redshirt junior Valerie Cagle threw the program’s first perfect game.
First ACC Tournament Title: They would go on to win the ACC Tournament over Florida State 2-1 in 2025.

McWhorter Stadium

Clemson softball is played at McWhorter Stadium. March 14, 2017- Clemson Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich announces the addition of the softball program. Oct. 6, 2017- Softball stadium receives initial construction approval from the Clemson University Board of Trustees. Feb. 2, 2019- Clemson Softball Stadium breaks ground. Feb. 5, 2021- Clemson University Board of Trustees announced the renaming of Clemson Softball Stadium to McWhorter Stadium after Stuart McWhorter ’91 and Leigh Anne Hendrix McWhorter, of Nashville, Tenn., pledged a Cornerstone Partner Gift of $2.5 million to IPTAY and Clemson Athletics.

Award-Winning Players

The Tigers are bringing two award-winning players into the NCAA tournament. Redshirt freshman Valerie Cagle was named the 2021 ACC Player and Freshman of the Year. June 2, 2021- Redshirt freshman Valerie Cagle was named the first Tiger to become a NFCA All-American garnering second team honors. June 1, 2022- Redshirt sophomore Valerie Cagle was named softball’s first Tiger to become a NFCA First Team All-American, earning All-America honors in back-to-back seasons. June 7, 2022- Graduate transfer Sam Russ was selected as a Third Team Academic All-America softball team by CoSIDA to become the first Clemson softball player to earn Academic All-America honors. April 17, 2023- Graduate Caroline Jacobsen was drafted in the fifth round (20th overall pick) by the USSSA Pride during the Women’s Professional Fastpitch Draft to become the first Clemson softball player to be drafted professionally.

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