Clemson's roster wide faith continues to be strong asset in postseason run

As that signal came, the only thing on Vieira's mind was to trust the process, knowing her team had been in these tight situations the entire season.

Grayson Mann · Staff Writer · Saturday, May 17 2025

CLEMSON - Not too long ago, Clemson was playing for a championship.

Taking down Florida State in a wire-to-wire thriller was the boost John Rittman's Tigers needed entering the postseason, earning a regional host in the process.

Days later, this team can do it again.

After an afternoon clash with Northwestern that required extra innings, Clemson can play for the regional tomorrow, starting Sunday at 1:00 p.m., for the right to make the Super Regional round.

As Aby Vieira approached the plate, she understood the time was now for a play.

Rather than a sense of nervous energy as that moment arrived, a distinct calm enveloped her, something this Tiger team has embodied many times before.

In the top of the ninth inning, Vieira launched a shot down the right field line for a triple, putting Clemson in its best spot to score the entire afternoon.

Then the call came.

Marian Collins' squeeze bunt was just enough to send Vieira home, manufacturing the only run of the contest. That was all the Tigers needed.

As that signal came, the only thing on Vieira's mind was to trust the process, knowing her team had been in these tight situations the entire season.

"When Coach Rittman called squeeze, I was just saying in my head, don't be early," Vieira said. "Don't be early because I know it's easy for you to replay. I think they only had one replay early in that game, so I just trusted Marion, see it down and do whatever I can to get home."

The trust between Vieira and Collins is much more than the distance between third and home plate, and it was enough for the Tigers to squeeze out a significant victory.

CLEMSON ON THE BOARD IN THE TOP OF THE 9TH!#RoadToWCWS x 🎥 ESPN+ / @clemsonsoftball pic.twitter.com/MatAyZ0gL0
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 17, 2025

"It was amazing being able to rely on the people behind me to do their job, get me in, manufacture runs, and find ways to get gritty wins," Vieira said. "That was just one of them."

This team has elevated their play when it counts the most, and that has coincided with the growing faith each player has in one another. Vieira believes this group has the right combination of veteran talent mixed with a level head to calm things down when the moment calls for it.

As the roars of the crowd continued to dominate the confines of McWhorter Stadium, this group continued to lean on each other as the day went on.

Regardless of who is in the way of that goal Sunday, this group will be able to ride a steady hand, and notch another impressive achievement in a season that hasn't been short of remarkable things.

"I'd say just the interlocking in the circle and being able to calm our freshmen down," Vieira said. "The experience of this is a different type of crowd in the postseason, where you have the best fans in the nation, if you ask me. Nonetheless, being able to keep a level head even in those big moments when there are runners on first and third and Brooke (McCubbin) comes in, she's been there, done that. It's just knowing I don't need to be here, I just need to play my game."