# Clemson Tigers softball

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.

## History
### Coaching history

| Years | Coach | Record | % |
| 2020–present | John Rittman | 184–64 | .742 |

### 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. The NCAA tournament was also canceled. 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. 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.

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position coached | Consecutive season at Clemson in current position |
| John Rittman | Head coach | 6th |
| Kyle Jamieson | Associate head coach | 6th |
| Katie Repole | Assistant coach | 1st |
| Ryan Wieligman | Assistant coach | 1st |
| Jessie Harper | Director of Player Development | 3rd |
| Jeannie Murphy | Director of Operations | 6th |
| Reference: ||||

## Year-by-year record

Statistics overview :
| 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 |
| 2025 | Clemson | 5–6 | 0–0 | | |
| John Rittman: | John Rittman: | 194–70 (.735) | 81–31 (.723) | | |
| Total: | Total: | 194–70 (.735) | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||

## Awards
### National awards
#### USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year

* Valerie Cagle (2023)

#### Softball America Player of the Year

* Valerie Cagle (2023)

### Conference awards
#### ACC Player of the Year

* Valerie Cagle (2021, 2023)

#### ACC Freshman of the Year

* Valerie Cagle (2021)

#### ACC Coach of the Year

* John Rittman (2021)

### All-Americans

* NCFA 1st Team: Valerie Cagle (2022, 2023, 2024)
* NCFA 2nd Team: Valerie Cagle (2021)
* NFCA 3rd Team: Maddie Moore (2024)