2025 Clemson Tigers softball team

Last updated

2025 Clemson Tigers softball
Clemson Tigers Woodmark.png
ACC tournament champion
NCAA Tournament, Austin Super Regional
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 11
Record48–14 (19–5 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Kyle Jamieson (6th season)
  • Katie Repole (1st season)
  • Ryan Wieligman (1st season)
Home stadium McWhorter Stadium
Seasons
  2024
2026 
2025 Atlantic Coast Conference softball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L T PCTW L T PCT
No. 5 Florida State  y1830 .85749100 .831
No. 13 Clemson  y1950 .79248140 .774
No. 15 Virginia Tech  y1860 .75043130 .768
No. 16 Stanford  y1680 .66742110 .792
No. 21 Duke  y1680 .66741180 .695
North Carolina  y1590 .62540170 .702
No. 25 Virginia  y14100 .58338190 .667
Georgia Tech  y10110 .47627240 .529
California  y11130 .45837210 .638
Louisville  9150 .37526250 .510
Notre Dame  7170 .29223311 .427
Pittsburgh  7170 .29220320 .385
Syracuse  6180 .25027220 .551
NC State  6180 .25025290 .463
Boston College  5190 .20822290 .431
Conference champion
Tournament champion
y Invited to the NCAA Tournament
As of May 24, 2025 [1]
Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

The 2025 Clemson Tigers softball team was the varsity college softball team that represented Clemson University during the 2025 NCAA Division I softball season. This was the sixth 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.

Contents

The Tigers started the season by travelling to the FAU Softball Tournament and then the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational. The start of the season proved difficult for the Tigers as they went 3–2 at the FAU Tournament, and 1–4 at the Clearwater invitational. They began the season ranked twenty-fifth, but dropped out after the FAU Touranmament. They only played two ranked teams during the tournaments, losing to both sixteenth ranked Missouri and twenty-third ranked Kentucky. They followed their travels with two home tournaments in the Clemson Classic and Tiger Invitational. The Tigers went a combined 9–0 during these tournaments, but did not face a ranked team ein either. They recorded a 5–3 mid-week victory over tenth ranked Georgia on February 26. They finished February 12–6 overall. They opened the ACC season against fourteenth ranked Duke. They dropped the series despite winning the first game by mercy rule. They bounced back to win their next ACC series against North Carolina. Their only other loss in March was against rivals and tenth ranked South Carolina. They finished March with a 15–4 record. April started with a road test at fifteenth ranked Stanford. The Tigers took the series two games to one, winning the deciding game 7–6. The victory saw them return to the rankings at number twenty-four. A sweep of NC State and a victory over thirteenth-ranked South Carolina saw them rise to nineteenth in the rankings for the final week fo the season. They finished the season with four wins, including a mid-week, extra inning victory over fourth-ranked Tennessee and a sweep of Georgia Tech. The Tigers finished April with a 14–2 record and rose to fifteenth in the rankings prior to the postseason.

The Tigers finished the regular season 41–12 and 19–6 in ACC play to finish in second place, just a half game beind Florida State for first place. As the second seed in the ACC Tournament they earned a bye into the Quarterfinals where they defeated twenty-fifth ranked and seventh seed Virginia 7–4. In the semifinals they defeated third seed and thirteenth ranked Virginia Tech 10–9. They met first seed and sixth ranked Florida State in the Final, which Clemson won 2–1. This was the first ACC tournament title in Clemson program history. [2] As tournament champions, the Tigers earned an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I softball tournament. They were the eleventh overall seed and paired with sixth overall seed Texas in the Austin Super Regional. Clemson went 3–0 in their regional, defeating USC Upstate by mercy rule, Northwestern in extra innings, and Kentucky 5–1 in the final game. They advanced to face Texas in Austin. The Tigers won the opening game 7–4 but lost the next game 7–5 in ten innings to set up a deciding game three. The Tigers lost a close deciding game 6–5 to end their season. Texas would go on to win the National Championship. The Tigers finished 48–13 overall, which was just one win shy of their program record set in 2023.

Previous Season

The Tigers finished the season 35–19 and 15–9 in ACC to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the fifth seed in the ACC Tournament they earned a bye into the Quarterfinals where they defeated Virginia, before losing to Duke in the Semifinals. The Tigers received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and were placed in the Tuscaloosa regional. They lost to Southeastern Louisiana before defeating USC Upstate. They could not overcome a second elimination game and lost again to Southeastern Louisiana to end their season.

Offseason moves

Departures

Departures
NameB/TNumberPos.HeightYearHometownReason for Departure
Marena KnowlesL/L001B/OF6'10"Sophomore Hawkinsville, Georgia
Lindsey GarciaR/R5INF/OF5'5"Graduate Student Coral Springs, Florida Graduated
Julia BomhardtL/R6OF5'8"Graduate Student Dagsboro, Delaware Graduated
McKenzie ClarkR/R7OF5'5"Graduate Student Myakka City, Florida Graduated
Grace HillerR/R8INF/OF5'9" Redshirt.svg Sophomore Macon, Georgia Graduated [3]
Alia LogoleoR/R16INF/OF5'8" Redshirt.svg Senior Nashville, Tennessee Graduated
Regan SpencerR/R19RHP5'11"Senior Lexington, North Carolina Graduated
JoJo HyattR/R23C5'8" Redshirt.svg Senior Buford, Georgia Graduated
Arielle OdaL/R24INF/OF5'4" Redshirt.svg Senior Buford, Georgia Graduated
Valerie Cagle L/R72RHP/UTIL5'9" Redshirt.svg Senior Yorktown, Virginia Graduated
Millie ThompsonL/L87LHP5'7"Senior Bedford, Virginia Graduated

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers [4]
NameB/TNumberPos.HeightYearHometownPrevious School
Reese BasingerL/R7RHP5'11"Senior Evans, Georgia Winthrop
Jamison BrockenbroughL/R9OF5'8"Junior Locust Grove, Georgia Tennessee
Brook MelnychukR/R19RHP5'5"Graduate Student Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan Louisiana Tech

Incoming recruits

Incoming Recruits
NameB/TNumberPos.HeightHometownHigh School
Marian CollinsL/R5INF5'11" Marietta, Georgia Mount Paran
Madi LardizabalR/R8INF5'8" Murrieta, California Murrieta Mesa
Macey CintronR/R16RHP/1B5'11" Cumming, Georgia Wesleyan School
Ava WilsonL/R17OF5'9" Acworth, Georgia North Paulding
Sam MinishL/L20OF5'6" Hull, Georgia Madison County
Taylor PipkinsR/R22INF5'6" Cumming, Georgia North Forsyth
Riley FennellR/R27OF5'8" Oviedo, Florida Oviedo

Personnel

Roster

2025 Clemson Tigers softball team
PlayersCoaches
#Pos.NameBats/throwsHeightYearHome town
1 OF Kennedy AriailR/R5 ft 6 in(1.68 m)So Cumming, GA
2 RHP Brooke McCubbinR/R5 ft 10 in(1.78 m)Sr Locust Grove, GA
3 OF Kylee JohnsonR/R5 ft 8 in(1.73 m)So Wesley Chapel, FL
4 C Aby VieiraL/R5 ft 9 in(1.75 m)Sr Mission Viejo, CA
5 INF Marian CollinsL/R5 ft 11 in(1.8 m)Fr Marietta, GA
7 RHP Reese BasingerL/R5 ft 11 in(1.8 m)GS Evans, GA
8 INF Madi LardizabalR/R5 ft 8 in(1.73 m)Fr Murrieta, CA
9 OF Jamison BrockenbroughL/R5 ft 8 in(1.73 m)Jr Locust Grove, GA
10 C Riley BurtonR/R5 ft 11 in(1.8 m)So Lancaster, SC
11 INF Haylee WhitesidesR/R5 ft 5 in(1.65 m)RS So Duncan, SC
12 INF Julia KnowlerL/R5 ft 9 in(1.75 m)So Fort Myers, FL
13 C Abi StuartR/R5 ft 9 in(1.75 m)RS Sr Snow Camp, NC
16 RHP Macey CintronR/R5 ft 11 in(1.8 m)Fr Cumming, GA
17 OF Ava WilsonL/R5 ft 9 in(1.75 m)Fr Acworth, GA
19 RHP Brook MelnychukR/R5 ft 5 in(1.65 m)GS Hudson Bay, Canada
20 OF Sam MinishL/L5 ft 6 in(1.68 m)Fr Hull, GA
21 OF Jadeyn RuszkowskiL/L5 ft 8 in(1.73 m)RS Jr Lithia, FL
22 INF Taylor PipkinsR/R5 ft 6 in(1.68 m)RS Fr Cumming, GA
25 INF Alex BrownL/R5 ft 7 in(1.7 m)Sr Savannah, GA
27 OF Riley FennellR/R5 ft 8 in(1.73 m)Fr Ovideo, FL
28 INF Maddie MooreR/R5 ft 7 in(1.7 m)Sr Loomis, CA
44 LHP Olivia DuncanR/L5 ft 10 in(1.78 m)So Buford, GA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: January 20, 2025

Schedule

Legend
 Clemson win
 Clemson loss
 Cancellation
BoldClemson team member
*Non-Conference game
Make-Up Game
2025 Clemson Tigers softball game log (48–14) [5]
Regular Season (41–12)
Postseason (7–2)

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

  1. Originally scheduled for February 11, but delayed due to inclement weather

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
NFCA / USA Today25RVRVRVRV24201915151311
Softball America252521161515111010*9
ESPN.com/USA SoftballRVRVRVRVRV252119191614т1311
D1Softball22RV2320161514121212*9

* Various polls did not release during the NCAA tournament.
* indicates that the ranking is from pre-tournament for comparison purposes.

References

  1. "2025 ACC Softball Standings". TheACC.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  2. Kassim, Ehsan (May 10, 2025). "ACC softball championship recap: Highlights from Clemson's comeback win over Florida State". USA Today . Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  3. Hood, David (May 20, 2024). "Saying goodbye is never easy". tigernet.com. TigerNet. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  4. "Softball Completes 2024-25 Roster". clemsontigers.com. Clemson University Athletics. July 17, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  5. "2024-25 Softball Schedule". clemsontigers.com. Clemson University Athletics. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  6. "Tuesday's Game vs. Furman Postponed". clemsontigers.com. Clemson University Athletics. February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.