Locked and Loaded: Clemson softball primed for run in '21

Valerie Cagle (72) is greeted at the plate by her teammates.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Jan 27 08:01:04 GMT-04:00 2021

The Clemson softball program heads into the year with high expectations and a renewed love of the game.

The Tigers finished the program’s inaugural season with an overall record of 19-8 and 5-1 in ACC play. The season ended on March 17 when the ACC suspended all athletic activities due to COVID-19. It was a disappointing start to the fledgling program’s first season and came at a time when the team was starting to gain momentum.

The team got back together in the fall, and head coach John Rittman said the Tigers are ready to face the season under COVID-19 guidelines.

“Well, I can tell you that the fall helped prepare us for our start-up in January. Certainly, with the new protocols and guidelines related to COVID-19, the practices and the schedules obviously have changed from a normal season, so once the coaching staff, the players, the medical staff and support staff kind of get into a routine, it's made things a lot easier,” Rittman said. “And then, of course, having the fall to kind of experiment and get the lay of the land and how things are going to operate in regards to playing the game of softball with the new guidelines and protocols, it's definitely helped us.

“Since camp started in January, we've been — knock on wood — pretty COVID free, so it's been a pretty smooth ride. We've adjusted our schedule accordingly, so we still have the typical things that we deal with this time of year in regards to weather and rain and cold and those things, but from a team standpoint, the dynamics of this second year is really going well. I liked our team. I like the way we're working right now in preparation for our season.”

Rittman said everyone realizes how fortunate they are to be able to play the game they love.

“It’s just a great reminder of how much you really truly love the game and appreciate the game,” Rittman said. “I think our staff and players have a great passion for the game of softball and when that is taken away from you, you really get back to the realization of how special it is and how grateful we are to do what we do.”

The Tigers are set to open their second season as a program in Jacksonville, Florida against Illinois State on Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m., on the campus of Jacksonville University. Clemson is slated to host its first home game on Feb. 18 in a doubleheader against Virginia Tech before traveling to Georgia Tech (Feb. 20-21) for its inaugural ACC road series. The Tigers’ other ACC road opponents include Virginia (March 5-7), Louisville (March 19-21), Notre Dame (April 9-11) and Syracuse (May 7-9).

In addition to the Hokies, Clemson is set to host ACC foes Duke (March 26-28), North Carolina (April 1-3), Boston College (April 16-18) and NC State (April 23-25). In non-conference play, the Tigers are scheduled to host Elon (Feb. 26-28) and Jacksonville State (March 12-14) before traveling to South Carolina (April 21) for the inaugural Palmetto Series matchup with the Gamecocks.

Clemson scored 173 runs last season, almost 6 1/2 runs per game, and Rittman expects to once again have an explosive lineup.

“Obviously our strength last year was our ability to hit the ball and score runs and I do think that we're still going to be a very productive, offensive team,” he said. “We have a lot more depth than we had last year, obviously with a start-up expansion program last year, and being in year two, we've got more numbers, and that is definitely going to help us with everything that's going on in the world today with the COVID pandemic. If we do have somebody that has to sit out, we have a better number of players to help handle those situations.”

The ACC is changing up the schedule this season – instead of a normal three-game series, teams will play a single game on Friday, a doubleheader on Saturday, and a single game on Sunday as part of a four-game league series. That means pitching will be at a premium.

“We have more pitching this year, so it's probably going to bode well for us in the ACC because last year we played our typical three-game series, but this year due to scheduling and the reduction of games by 10%, the ACC is gone to a four-game series over three days,” Rittman said. “So the extra pitching is definitely going to help us there. Then, I think we'll be a little bit stronger in the circle and a little bit more experienced, when last year we were rolling out three freshmen.

“From a defensive standpoint, I think that's where you'll see the improvement the most. Last year we, we had some defensive weaknesses, and I think we've shored those up a little bit. Overall as a staff, we're very satisfied where we're at right now, but we also know that we got to get better in the next couple of weeks in preparation for a tough, tough season.”

Rittman then outlined some talented newcomers to keep an eye on.

“We have a pretty dynamic freshmen class and leading that class is McKenzie Clark, who is an outfielder and can also catch. As I mentioned, she's just a very dynamic player,” Rittman said. “She hits from the right side of the plate, but she's got tremendous speed and for her size, a lot of power. We're looking for McKenzie to, both sides of the ball, defense or offense, really help us out. She's got the ability to be a five-tool player, and although she's just a freshman, she's shown a lot of maturity on the field.

“We also have a couple of pitchers that are going to help us this year. We have Regan Spencer, who is coming off an injury. She had an emergency appendectomy a couple of weeks ago, so we're looking to have her back in full gear or full speed come season. She's a right-handed pitcher.

“Then, we have a left-handed pitcher, Millie Thompson, who we look forward to adding a different look. I think all of our pitchers complement each other very well. Another freshman that you might see in the circle is Carsten Puckett. So, as I said, from a pitching standpoint, we have a lot more depth and I think that will bode well for the ACC four-game series versus the three-game series. We have added a transfer student, Casey Bigham. Casey's an infielder and I think she is really sound from a mechanical, fundamental standpoint, and she's going to help us solidify our defense in the infield.

“Then, we have some kids that were freshmen last year that have stepped up this year and have really improved. Abi Stuart, being one who, last year, got some time as a DP, and a pinch hitter role. She's really stood out this fall and this early winter, and then Kyah Keller's another one who didn't get a lot of playing time last year, but is really pushing to get in that lineup.”

Talented veterans like Marissa Guimbarda, Logan Caymol, Cammie Pereira, JoJo Hyatt, and Grace Mattimore all return to provide leadership.

“The leadership that our team and our upperclassmen provided last year was valuable and, I think, just the familiarity with each other and the experiences we went through last year are only going to bode well for us this year,” Rittman said. “The players that really stood out last year, continuing to lead and do awesome, Valerie Cagle or Marissa Guimbarda, Cammy Pereira, Hannah Goodwin, Grace Mattimore or all those kids that were an integral part of our success last year, have really worked hard and improved and we're looking for big things from them as well.”

Leading the way will be Cagle, who started in all 27 games as a freshman, including a team-high 13 starts in the circle. Cagle hit .376, tallied 10 home runs and five doubles in 93 at-bats and was the only freshman in the country to tally at least 10 home runs. Cagle was tenth in the nation and second in the ACC in home runs and second in the nation and led the ACC with 36 RBIs.

“The second year is always a little bit more difficult because people know about you now. We're not going to sneak up on anybody. Everybody knows who Valerie Cagle is, and they know what type of pitcher she is, and just a threat both in the circle and at the plate,” Rittman said. “Valerie, last year, she battled some injuries. This year she's been healthy, knock on wood, and she is on a mission. She's doing all the little extra things and she has really embraced the fact that she's got the limelight on her now and that she's ready to roll.”

Rittman said everyone is looking forward to a healthy – and complete – 2021 season.

“We're looking forward to the season and obviously it's going to be a different type of season with COVID and all the protocols and guidelines, and it's challenging, but with all the fall sports, having gone through it, and that's having gone through a fall practice, I think we're really prepared and looking forward to a great season,” Rittman said.