2023 Clemson Tigers softball team

American college softball season

2023 Clemson Tigers softball
NCAA Clemson Regional champion
NCAA Tournament, Norman Super Regional
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
Record49–12 (18–6 ACC)
Head coach
  • John Rittman (4th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Kyle Jamieson
  • Courtney Breault
Home stadiumMcWhorter Stadium
Seasons
← 2022
2024 →
2023 Atlantic Coast Conference softball standings
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 Conf Overall
Team W   L   T   PCT W   L   T   PCT
No. 3 Florida State  ‍†‍‡‍y 22 – 2 – 0   .917 58 – 11 – 0   .841
No. 5 Duke  ‍‍‍y 19 – 5 – 0   .792 48 – 11 – 0   .814
No. 10 Clemson  ‍‍‍y 18 – 6 – 0   .750 49 – 12 – 0   .803
Louisville  ‍‍‍y 16 – 7 – 0   .696 34 – 20 – 0   .630
No. 24 Virginia Tech  ‍‍‍y 14 – 10 – 0   .583 39 – 20 – 0   .661
North Carolina  ‍‍‍ 13 – 10 – 0   .565 26 – 28 – 0   .481
Notre Dame  ‍‍‍y 11 – 12 – 1   .479 30 – 19 – 1   .610
Virginia  ‍‍‍ 8 – 16 – 0   .333 30 – 22 – 0   .577
Syracuse  ‍‍‍ 7 – 15 – 1   .326 19 – 25 – 1   .433
Georgia Tech  ‍‍‍ 7 – 17 – 0   .292 26 – 27 – 0   .491
Pittsburgh  ‍‍‍ 6 – 17 – 0   .261 24 – 25 – 0   .490
Boston College  ‍‍‍ 6 – 18 – 0   .250 24 – 28 – 0   .462
NC State  ‍‍‍ 6 – 18 – 0   .250 18 – 35 – 0   .340
† – Conference champion
‡ – Tournament champion
y – Invited to the NCAA tournament
As of June 8, 2023[1]
Rankings from NFCA/USA Today


The 2023 Clemson Tigers softball team was the varsity college softball team that represented Clemson University during the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. This was the fourth season of Clemson's softball program. The Tigers competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and were led by head coach John Rittman. Clemson played its home games at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

During the season, on March 8, Valerie Cagle became the first Clemson pitcher to throw a perfect game in program history. The game came against Mercer at home.[2]

The Tigers finished the regular season 45–8 and 18–6 in ACC play to finish in third place. As the third seed in the ACC Tournament, they earned a bye into the Quarter finals where the defeated North Carolina before losing to Duke in the Semifinals. The Tigers were selected, via at-large bid, as the sixteenth overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They hosted a regional and were placed into the Norman Super Regional. They defeated UNC Greensboro and Auburn to earn a spot in the final of the Regional. They lost to Auburn in the first game, but won the second time to advance to the Super Regional. The Tigers lost both games to the eventual national champions Oklahoma Sooners in Norman to end their season.

Previous Season

The Tigers finished the 2022 season 42–17 overall and 14–10 in ACC play to finish in fifth place. As the fifth seed in the ACC Tournament, they earned a bye into the Quarter finals where they defeated fourth seed Notre Dame. In the Semifinals they defeated first seed Virginia Tech, but fell to third seed Florida State in the Final. This marked the back-to-back appearances in the Final of the ACC Tournament in the program's first two full seasons. The Tigers were selected, via at-large bid, as the tenth overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They hosted a regional and were placed into the Stillwater Super Regional. They defeated UNC Wilmington, Auburn, and Louisiana in their Regional to advance to face Oklahoma State in the Super Regional. Clemson lost both games in Stillwater to end their season.

Personnel

Roster

2023 Clemson Tigers roster[3]

Pitchers

  • 1 – Rachel Gibson – Sophomore
  • 2 – Brooke McCubbin – Sophomore
  • 11 – Haylee Whitesides - Redshirt Freshman
  • 19 – Regan Spencer – Junior
  • 72 – Valerie Cagle – Junior
  • 87 – Millie Thompson – Junior
  

Catchers

  • 4 – Aby Vieira – Sophomore
  • 9 – Sarah Howell – Sophomore
  • 13 – Abi Stuart – Sophomore
  • 23 – JoJo Hyatt – Junior

Outfielders

  • 6 – Julia Bomhardt – Senior
  • 7 – McKenzie Clark – Junior
  • 10 – Caroline Jacobsen - Graduate Student
  • 16 – Alia Logoleo – Junior
  • 17 – Ally Miklesh - Graduate Student
  • 42 – Morgan Johnson – Sophomore
  

Infielders

  • 00 – Marena Knowles – Freshman
  • 3 – Reedy Davenport - Graduate Student
  • 5 – Ansley Houston – Junior
  • 8 – Grace Hiller – Freshman
  • 15 – Madison May – Junior
  • 21 – Jadeyn Ruszkowski – Freshman
  • 24 – Arielle Oda – Junior
  • 28 – Maddie Moore – Sophomore
  • 58 – Kyah Keller – Junior

Coaches

2023 Clemson Tigers softball coaching staff[4]
  • John Rittman – Head coach – 4th season
  • Kyle Jamieson – Assistant coach – 4th season
  • Courtney Breault – Assistant coach – 4th season
  • Jessie Harper – Volunteer assistant coach – 1st season

Schedule

Legend
  Clemson win
  Clemson loss
  Cancellation
Bold Clemson team member
* Non-Conference game
† Make-Up Game
2023 Clemson Tigers softball game log[5]
Regular Season
February (15–1)
Date Opponent Rank Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall
Record 		ACC
Record
Feb 9 at FIU* No. 10 Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium • Westchester, FL
(FIU Tournament)		 W 10–1 (5) Thompson (1–0) Whitney (0–1) — 358 1–0 –
Feb 10 vs Georgia State* No. 10 Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium • Westchester, FL
(FIU Tournament)		 W 11–2 Cagle (1–0) Adams (0–1) — 124 2–0 –
Feb 11 vs Kansas City* No. 10 Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium • Westchester, FL
(FIU Tournament)		 W 8–1 McCubbin (1–0) Milan (0–1) — 202 3–0 –
Feb 11 vs Georgia State* No. 10 Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium • Westchester, FL
(FIU Tournament)		 W 11–3 Thompson (2–0) Hodentt (0–2) — 289 4–0 –
Feb 12 at FIU* No. 10 Felsberg Field at FIU Softball Stadium • Westchester, FL
(FIU Tournament)		 W 4–0 Cagle (2–0) Birling (0–1) — 232 5–0 –
Feb 14 at Furman* No. 7 Pepsi Softball Stadium • Greenville, SC W 10–0 Cagle (3–0) Tufts (1–1) — 1,131 6–0 –
Feb 17 No. 14 Northwestern* No. 7 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC
ACC/Big Ten Challenge		 W 15–2 (5) Cagle (4–0) Williams (0–1) — 1,982 7–0 –
Feb 18 No. 14 Northwestern* No. 7 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC
ACC/Big Ten Challenge		 W 3–2 Thompson (3–0) Boyd (0–1) Cagle (1) 2,116 8–0 –
Feb 18 Ohio State* No. 7 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC
ACC/Big Ten Challenge		 W 5–1 Cagle (5–0) Smith (2–3) — 2,116 9–0 –
Feb 19 Ohio State* No. 7 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC
ACC/Big Ten Challenge		 W 10–0 (5) Spencer (1–0) Ruck (0–2) — 1,752 10–0 –
Feb 21 No. 17 Georgia* No. 5 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 7–1 Cagle (6–0) Macy (1–1) — 1,912 11–0 –
Feb 23 at South Florida* No. 5 USF Softball Stadium • Tampa, FL W 6–0 Thompson (4–0) Dixon (1–2) — 938 12–0 –
Feb 24 vs UIC* No. 5 USF Softball Stadium • Tampa, FL W 9–2 Spencer (2–0) Toniolo (0–1) — 220 13–0 –
Feb 25 vs Michigan State* No. 5 USF Softball Stadium • Tampa, FL W 4–1 McCubbin (2–0) Taylor (1–1) — N/A 14–0 –
Feb 25 vs No. 12 Tennessee* No. 5 USF Softball Stadium • Tampa, FL L 0–1 Pickens (2–1) Cagle (6–1) — N/A 14–1 –
Feb 26 vs Michigan State* No. 5 USF Softball Stadium • Tampa, FL W 8–0 (5) Thompson (5–0) Miller (5–5) — 212 15–1 –
March (20–0)
Date Opponent Rank Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall
Record 		ACC
Record
Mar 1 Gardner–Webb* No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 8–0 (5) Cagle (7–1) Stidham (1–3) — 1,713 16–1 –
Mar 1 Gardner–Webb* No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 4–1 Thompson (6–0) Lyon (2–6) McCubbin (1) 17–1 –
Mar 4 Syracuse No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 4–1 Cagle (8–1) Hendrix (2–3) — 1,854 18–1 1–0
Mar 4 Syracuse No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 8–0 (5) Thompson (7–0) Pengel (0–2) — 19–1 2–0
Mar 5 Syracuse No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 1–0 Spencer (3–0) Knight (3–3) Cagle (2) 1,786 20–1 3–0
Mar 8 Mercer* No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 18–0 (5) Cagle (9–1) Taylor (2–9) — 1,662 21–1 –
Mar 10 Bryant* No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC
(Clemson Classic)		 W 10–1 (5) Spencer (4–0) Kenney (3–3) — 1,705 22–1 –
Mar 10 UNC Greensboro* No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC
(Clemson Classic)		 W 3–0 Thompson (8–0) Ward (3–2) — 1,791 23–1 –
Mar 11 Jacksonville* No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC
(Clemson Classic)		 W 9–0 (5) McCubbin (3–0) Harpe (1–1) — 2,087 24–1 –
Mar 11 UNC Greensboro No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC
(Clemson Classic)		 W 6–1 Cagle (10–1) Jones (5–1) — 2,116 25–1 –
Mar 15 Charlotte* No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 9–1 (5) Cagle (11–1) Elkins (2–3) — 1,660 26–1 –
Mar 18 Virginia No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 4–1 Thompson (9–0) Bigham (5–3) — 1,905 27–1 4–0
Mar 18 Virginia No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 1–0 Cagle (12–1) Grube (7–5) — 2,003 28–1 5–0
Mar 19 Virginia No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 2–0 Cagle (13–1) Grube (7–6) — 1,783 29–1 6–0
Mar 24 at Georgia Tech No. 5 Shirley Clements Mewborn Field • Atlanta, GA W 9–1 (5) Cagle (14–1) Neleman (4–6) — 478 30–1 7–0
Mar 25 at Georgia Tech No. 5 Shirley Clements Mewborn Field • Atlanta, GA W 8–4 Thompson (10–0) Voyles (2–3) Spencer (1) 542 31–1 8–0
Mar 26 at Georgia Tech No. 5 Shirley Clements Mewborn Field • Atlanta, GA W 13–0 (5) Cagle (15–1) Voyles (2–4) — 498 32–1 9–0
Mar 28 South Carolina* No. 5 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC
(Rivalry)		 W 10–0 (5) Cagle (16–1) Gobourne (5–1) — 2,017 33–1 –
Mar 31 at Boston College No. 5 Boston College Softball Field at Harrington Athletics Village • Brighton, MA W 8–4 Thompson (11–0) Anderson (6–9) — 117 34–1 10–0
Mar 31 at Boston College No. 5 Boston College Softball Field at Harrington Athletics Village • Brighton, MA W 7–3 Cagle (17–1) Dunning (6–5) — 113 35–1 11–0
April (10–7)
Date Opponent Rank Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall
Record 		ACC
Record
Apr 2 at Boston College No. 5 Boston College Softball Field at Harrington Athletics Village • Brighton, MA W 8–0 (5) Cagle (18–1) Anderson (6–10) — 642 36–1 12–0
Apr 5 Furman* No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 4–1 McCubbin (4–0) Scott (1–8) — 1,892 37–1 –
Apr 6 No. 6 Florida State No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC L 0–7 DuBois (4–2) Cagle (18–2) Sandercock (4) 1,920 37–2 12–1
Apr 6 No. 6 Florida State No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC L 1–4 Sandercock (13–3) Thompson (11–1) — 1,924 37–3 12–2
Apr 7 No. 6 Florida State No. 4 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC L 2–3 Reid (8–9) Cagle (18–3) Sandercock (5) 1,867 37–4 12–3
Apr 11 at South Carolina* No. 6 Beckham Field • Columbia, SC
(Rivalry)		 W 4–3 Cagle (19–3) Gobourne (7–2) — 2,165 38–4 –
Apr 14 at NC State No. 6 Curtis & Jacqueline Dail Softball Stadium • Raleigh, NC W 4–1 (8) Cagle (20–3) Weixlmann (6–8) — 501 39–4 13–3
Apr 15 at NC State No. 6 Curtis & Jacqueline Dail Softball Stadium • Raleigh, NC W 6–3 Thompson (12–1) Inscoe (7–12) McCubbin (2) 758 40–4 14–3
Apr 16 at NC State No. 6 Curtis & Jacqueline Dail Softball Stadium • Raleigh, NC L 5–7 Weixlmann (7–7) McCubbin (4–1) — 571 40–5 14–4
Apr 18 Winthrop* No. 6 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 2–0 McCubbin (5–1) Bassinger (15–10) — 1,870 41–5 –
Apr 21 Pittsburgh No. 6 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 3–2 Cagle (21–3) Drogemuller (7–11) — 1,923 42–5 15–4
Apr 22 Pittsburgh No. 6 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 2–0 Thompson (13–1) Edwards (7–9) — 1,946 43–5 16–4
Apr 23 Pittsburgh No. 6 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 11–2 (6) Cagle (22–3) Drogemuller (7–12) — 1,907 44–5 17–4
Apr 26 at Liberty* No. 6 Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium • Lynchburg, VA L 4–5 Keeney (22–8) Cagle (22–4) — 768 44–6 –
Apr 28 at No. 21 Virginia Tech No. 6 Tech Softball Park • Blacksburg, VA L 4–5 Jacobson (7–2) Cagle (22–5) — 1,490 44–7 17–5
Apr 29 at No. 21 Virginia Tech No. 6 Tech Softball Park • Blacksburg, VA L 1–3 Grein (8–3) Thompson (13–2) — 1,490 44–8 17–6
Apr 30 at No. 21 Virginia Tech No. 6 Tech Softball Park • Blacksburg, VA W 5–4 Spencer (5–0) Grien (8–4) Cagle (3) 771 45–8 18–6
Postseason
ACC Tournament (1–1)
Date Seed Rank Opponent Opponent Seed Site/Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall
Record 		ACCT
Record
May 11 3 No. 9 North Carolina 6 Melissa Cook Stadium • Notre Dame, IN W 2–1 (8) Cagle (23–5) Backes (16–14) — 495 46–8 1–0
May 12 3 No. 9 No. 6 Duke 2 Melissa Cook Stadium • Notre Dame, IN L 0–2 Curd (16–1) Thompson (13–3) — 589 46–9 1–1
NCAA Clemson Regional (3–1)
Date Opponent Seed Opponent Seed Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall
Record 		Regional
Record
May 19 4 UNC Greensboro 1 No. 10 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 17–2 (5) Thompson (14–3) Spell (12–6) — 2,166 47–9 1–0
May 20 2 Auburn 1 No. 10 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 7–0 Cagle (24–5) Penta (26–6) — 2,166 48–9 2–0
May 21 2 Auburn 1 No. 10 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC L 2–5 Penta (27–6) Cagle (24–6) — 2,166 48–10 2–1
May 21 2 Auburn 1 No. 10 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 5–1 Cagle (25–6) Penta (27–7) — 2,137 49–10 3–1
NCAA Norman Super Regional (0–2)
Date Opponent Seed Opponent Seed Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall
Record 		Super Reg.
Record
May 26 1 No. 1 Oklahoma 16 No. 10 OU Softball Complex • Norman, OK L 2–9 Bahl (17–1) Cagle (25–7) — 1,979 49–11 0–1
May 27 1 No. 1 Oklahoma 16 No. 10 OU Softball Complex • Norman, OK L 7–8 (9) Bahl (18–1) Cagle (25–8) — 2,127 49–12 0–1

Note: All rankings shown are from the NFCA/USA Today poll.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
NFCA / USA Today1075444 (1)5546661091010*9
Softball America10755554458661177129
ESPN.com/USA Softball1065444т5547668101010*9
D1Softball965776555865101010*10*13
  • Various polls did not release during the NCAA tournament. * indicates that the ranking is from pre-tournament for comparison purposes.

References

  1. ^ "2023 ACC Softball Standings". TheACC.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  2. ^ Raynor, Grace (March 8, 2023). "Clemson's Valerie Cagle pitches first perfect game in program history". The Athletic. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "Softball Roster". Clemson Tigers. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  4. ^ "Staff Directory". Clemson Tigers. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  5. ^ "2022-23 Softball Schedule". clemsontigers.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
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