Another Opportunity to Exceed Expectations

“We're battle-tested..” - Alex Brown

Alex Brown fires across to first in a game against North Carolina earlier this season. (Photo By Charles Mays/Tiger View Media-Mays SportsWire)

No. 11 Clemson Softball advanced to the Super Regional round in Austin, Texas. After sweeping the Clemson Regional with victories against USC Upstate, Northwestern, and Kentucky, the Tigers will play No. 6 Texas in a best-of-three series. As the postseason continues, the games get more difficult, but this Clemson squad sees this pressure as a privilege. 

The Longhorns are a complete team. They have a deep pitching staff with a full lineup that’s been clicking lately, and head coach Mike White is leading the charge. With a 49-10 record, the SEC school will no doubt be a formidable opponent. Clemson head coach John Rittman is confident in his squad. This year’s team has proven its ability to take down elite teams. 

“We look at things as opportunities, and this is another opportunity to do something that people may not expect you to do,” Rittman said in the pre-game press conference. “I think our team just loves to play the game, and they love the challenges that lie ahead of them.”

Clemson has thrived on the road. The program took down at the time No. 1 ranked Tennessee in Rocky Top. In the ACC, they collected their first-ranked series win against Stanford away from home. As well as, defeating Florida State for the first time outside of McWhorter Stadium this season. 

“We're battle-tested,” senior Alex Brown said. “We’ve faced a lot of really great teams this whole season, so I think that's really prepared us going into this type of environment.” 

Second-baseman Brown said the team relies on each other for support. Upperclassmen like Maddie Moore and Reese Basinger provide postseason experience, while freshmen Macey Cintron and Taylor Pipkins bring the energy. This combination has propelled Clemson to racking up wins.

“This team's gritty,” Aby Vieira said. “That's the big word that I've used all year to describe us. I think we pull out wins in different ways, and we continue to just show that there are  a million ways to win a game, and we haven't even touched half of them.” 

The Tigers demonstrated their versatile ways to win games in the regional round. USC Upstate was a comeback run-rule victory ending 10-2. Northwestern’s matchup saw a pitching duel against Lauren Boyd. It was a suicide squeeze in extra innings that would seal the win. For the championship game, against Kentucky, Rittman leaned on his seniors.  

“I think we really relied on our leadership from our upperclassmen to set the tone for the day, and I thought we played our best softball in that game,” Rittman said. 

That elite performance led to Clemson defeating the Wildcats 5-1. From small ball to powerful pitching, the Tigers can fire on all cylinders. This year’s squad has exceeded expectations in exciting ways. Numerous walk-offs from freshmen have kept fans locked into games. Clemson is never truly out of the game, with many important rallies coming in late innings. Texas is the next step. Watch out to see if the determined 2025 ACC Championship Tournament team can once again rise to the occasion. 

“It’s a great opportunity for us to get to our ultimate goal,” Rittman said. “It's going to be against a very tough Texas team on the road, so we're going to have to earn everything we get here. I love our team. I love the way we're playing right now, and looking forward to this weekend.”