Clemson softball – Page 11 – Syndication Server

Cagle, Tigers earn five All-ACC selections

Five Clemson softball players earned All-ACC honors, as announced by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Wednesday, including four players being repeat honorees from 2021. Valerie Cagle, McKenzie Clark, Alia Logoleo and Millie Thompson each earned …

ACC Release

Redshirt sophomore Cagle (Yorktown, Va.) was the lone Tigers to be named to the First Team as an at-large selection after batting .311 during the regular season with 50 hits, including nine doubles and 11 home runs. She has scored 31 runs and brought in 39 while maintaining a .584 slugging percentage and .371 on-base percentage. In the circle, Cagle has maintained a 1.83 ERA with 14 wins and six solo shutouts. She has pitched 134 innings and struck out 160 batters while picking up three saves. Cagle is the first Tiger to earn back-to-back first team honors for the softball program.

Clark (Myakka City, Fla.) was the only Second Team selection for Clemson after batting .321 through 51 games. She tallied 50 hits, including 11 home runs, and leads the Tigers with a .622 slugging percentage and 37 runs scored. She holds a perfect fielding percentage in centerfield with 43 putouts and four assists. In 24 ACC games, the sophomore leads the team with a .356 average with 26 hits, nine home runs, 19 RBIs and 19 runs scored. She holds a .808 slugging percentage after tallying three home runs in a single game at FSU.

Logoleo and Thompson both earned Third-Team All-ACC honors. Logoleo (Nashville, Tenn.) is batting .271 on the year with 11 home runs, 25 runs scored and 38 RBIs. The redshirt sophomore tallied eight RBIs after going 3-for-4 with two home runs, including a grand slam, against North Carolina.

Thompson (Bedford, Va.) holds a 1.68 ERA in the circle for the Tigers with 12 wins through 22 appearances. The sophomore began the year with a combined no-hitter in her first appearances of the year and earned a solo no-hitter in a midweek against Furman. Thompson has pitched 96 innings with 97 strikeouts. She ranks 12th in the NCAA and first in the ACC in strikeout to walk ratio (6.93), as well as 19th in the NCAA and first in the ACC for walks allowed per seven innings (1.02).

Vieira (Mission Viejo, Calif.) rounds out the Clemson honorees earning All-Freshman honors, her first ACC honors of her career. She leads the team with a .326 average through 35 games this season after clocking 28 hits, including four home runs. She has scored 10 runs while bringing in 13 and holds a .500 slugging percentage.

Up Next

The No. 15/15 Clemson Tigers enter the ACC Softball Championship on Thursday as the No. 5 seed taking on No. 4 Notre Dame at 1:30 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pa. on the ACC Network in the quarterfinals. View the full 2022 ACC Bracket here.

–Courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

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Clemson softball pacing ACC in this area entering postseason

Clemson’s softball team is streaking into the ACC Tournament on the strength of its work in the circle. The Tigers’ pitching staff has statistically been the best in the league this season. Clemson (37-14) enters the postseason with a 1.77 earned …

Clemson’s softball team is streaking into the ACC Tournament on the strength of its work in the circle.

The Tigers’ pitching staff has statistically been the best in the league this season. Clemson (37-14) enters the postseason with a 1.77 earned run average – a full tenth of a point better than Duke, which has the next-highest team ERA at 1.82. Only two other ACC teams, Florida State (1.85) and regular-season champ Virginia Tech (1.92), possess sub-2 ERAs.

Clemson is led by its top three arms, all of which own an ERA of 1.83 or lower. Valerie Cagle has been the workhorse for the Tigers with a team-high 28 appearances, going 13-7 in 22 starts during the regular season. The right-hander has recorded 160 strikeouts in 134 innings.

Millie Thompson (12-3) and Regan Spencer (6-2) have been just as effective in the circle. Thompson owns a 1.68 ERA while limiting opponents to a .218 average in 22 appearances. Meanwhile, Spencer has been perhaps the Tigers’ most consistent pitcher in her 59 innings of work. Spencer has a team-best 1.07 ERA while opponents are hitting just .209 against the sophomore right-hander.

The staff’s latest gem came in Clemson’s regular-season finale against Georgia Tech over the weekend. Spencer took a perfect game into the fifth inning before a leadoff walk sparked a two-run inning for the Yellow Jackets that tied the game. But Spencer finished the frame before Thompson worked two innings of scoreless relief, setting the stage for the Tigers’ walk-off victory in extras.

“Just so proud of our pitching staff,” Clemson coach John Rittman said afterward. “(Assistant) coach (Kyle) Jamieson does a great job with them. They’ve been phenomenal, and they just keep getting better as the season goes on.”

Clemson has yielded four runs or less in seven of its last 10 conference games and hasn’t allowed more than two runs during its four-game winning streak, momentum the Tigers will try to keep going as the No. 5 seed in the ACC Tournament. The tournament is slated to begin May 11 in Pittsburgh.

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Clemson sweeps Georgia Tech

Clemson concluded their regular season on a high note today sweeping Georgia Tech in the series finale at McWhorter Stadium 3-2. The marquee win marks the 100th victory in program history. Right handed pitcher Regan Spencer got things started in the …

Clemson concluded their regular season on a high note today sweeping Georgia Tech in the series finale at McWhorter Stadium 3-2. The marquee win marks the 100th victory in program history.

Right handed pitcher Regan Spencer got things started in the circle with three strikeouts, allowing two runs, and two hits as the Tigers played flawless defense in the first four innings.

Neither team was able to put up runs until the bottom of the third when Cammy Pereira singled to first on a major fielding error by Georgia Tech shortstop Jin Sileo, allowing Maddie Moore to advance to second. Then McKenzie Clark flew out to right field as Moore advanced to third. With Valerie Cagle at the plate, she doubled to third base, with two RBIs as Perieira and Moore advanced to home plate. At this time the Yellowjackets welcomed a new pitcher when Lexi Ray took over for Chandler Dennis as Clemson led 2-0.

Fielding errors arose in the top of the fifth when Georgia Tech’s Sandra Beth Pritchett singled to shortstop, and Sara Beth Allen advanced to second and then third on a throwing error by Alia Logoleo. With runners on first and third, Georgia Tech’s Bailee Zeitler singled to left field, bringing Allen home. With Prichett on second and Zeitler on first, Sileo was at bat and struck out but Madison Dobbins stole third, who pinch ran for Prichett. Kennedy Cowden was on the plate and she flew out to right field, as Dobbins advanced home, game tied 2-2. Clemson was unable to respond with runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Millie Thompson, who took over for Spencer in the circle at the top of the sixth, gave Clemson momentum starting off with consecutive strikeouts but were again unable to regain their lead once on offense.

At the bottom of the seventh the Yellowjackets put in their third pitcher of the game, Blake Neleman. With a final opportunity to win, Pereira was up first and gave Clemson momentum when she singled down the left field line. Carly Shannon then entered the game pinch running for Pereira and shortly stole second. She advances to third on a wild pitch with Guimbarda at bat who was walked to first. Aby Vieira then struck out, giving them their third out and the game went into extra innings.

Thompson struckout Sileo and Cowden to start the eighth, and Ella Edgmon grounded out to second base for Georgia Tech’s third out. On their final opportunity at bat, Logoleo singles to shortstop, and Sam Russ bunts and makes it to first. Oda grounds out to second base as Russ advances to second and Logoleo advances to third. Finally, Moore singled down the left field line as Logoleo scored. Thompson finished with four strikeouts, and allowed zero runs and zero hits.

Senior day ceremonies concluded the game where Sam Russ, Carly Shannon, Emma Whitfield, Cammy Pereira, Bailey Taylor, Marissa Guimbarda, and Grace Mattimore were honored. Clemson ends their season 37-14 (14-10 ACC) as postseason play begins later this month.

No. 18 Tigers’ shutout Yellow Jackets 3-0, secure the series

Following the win on Friday in game one over the Yellow Jackets, Clemson secured the series with a 3-0 shutout win on Saturday afternoon at McWhorter Stadium. It all came down to the first inning of play, where the Tigers saw a stellar defensive performance following what could have been two costly fielding errors along with two back-to-back doubles in the bottom half of the inning from Cammy Pereira and McKenzie Clark that put Clemson on the board first.

Clemson ace Valerie Cagle earns the win in the circle, recording ten strikeouts and the complete game in her fourteenth win of the season. Righthander Blake Neleman tallied the loss for Georgia Tech.

Clemson got the scoring started in the first. Following what could have been two costly errors in the first, the Tigers came out hot with two back-to-back doubles from Pereira and Clark to give Clemson the 1-0 lead. Shortly after with runners on second and third, Marissa Guimbarda launched a sac-fly out to left field to score Clark, giving the Tigers the 2-0 lead after one.

After four scoreless innings, Clemson struck yet again in the fifth. With bases loaded and one out, Guimbarda was hit by a pitch, bringing in Arielle Oda from third and extending the Tiger’s lead for a final score of 3-0.

Next up, Clemson faces Georgia Tech on Sunday, May 1, for their third and final game of the series at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson. First pitch is scheduled for noon on RSN. The Tigers are set to open up post-season play in the ACC tournament later this month.

Bart Boatwright’s Photo Gallery: Clemson 4, Georgia Tech 1

Clemson started the series against Georgia Tech with a 4-1 win. Clark and Cagle both hit home runs to help lift the Tigers. Check out some great pictures from the win in Bart Boatwright’s Photo Gallery.

Clemson started the series against Georgia Tech with a 4-1 win. Clark and Cagle both hit home runs to help lift the Tigers.

Check out some great pictures from the win in Bart Boatwright’s Photo Gallery.

Clemson softball bounces back with midweek win

After falling victim to a series sweep for just the second time this season this past weekend, Clemson was looking for redemption against East Tennessee State on Wednesday. The Buccaneers came into the game 6-41 while the Tigers came in 33-14. …

Clemson got it with a 6-2 win at McWhorter Stadium.

Right-hander Brooke McCubbin (5-2) got the start in the circle for the Tigers. The game was off to a fast start when ETSU designated player Sara Muir hit a homer to left field with Andrea Sarhatt on first base, giving the Buccaneers an early 2-0 lead.

The Tigers answered when Marissa Guimbarda stepped up to the plate with runners on first and second base. Guimbarda hit a bomb out to center to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead heading into the second inning.

This was Guimbarda’s 11th home run of this season and the 58th of her career as a Tiger.

The streak continued for Clemson’s offense when pinch-runner Carlee Shannon stole second and advanced to third following a throwing error by Buccaneers catcher Amber Atkins. Cammy Pereira then hit a triple to center that advanced Shannon and Arielle Oda home to extend the Tigers’ lead to 5-2.

In the beginning of the third, the Tigers made a pitching change and brought in left-hander Millie Thompson. Thompson allowed only two hits and got the win in the circle, improving to 10-2.

With a runner on second and two outs, Valerie Cagle hit an RBI double to right-center field scoring Maddie Moore and extending the Tigers’ lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the fourth. This lead would stay for the rest of the game.

This was Cagle’s 36th RBI of the season.

“Very impressed with our pitching staff,” Clemson coach John Rittman said. “Brooke came out and gave up two runs early but loved the way our offense bounced back and had her back. Then Millie and Regan (Spencer) came in as relief and pretty much shut down their offense. This was a nice win to get us ready for a big weekend series against Georgia Tech”.

The Tigers are back in action at McWhorter Stadium on Friday at 6 p.m. to face Georgia Tech.

Cagle named 2022 USA Softball Player of the Year top 25 finalist

Clemson standout Valerie Cagle named a 2022 USA Softball Player of the Year top 25 finalist

Via Clemson Athletic Communications press release:

Clemson softball’s redshirt sophomore Valerie Cagle has been named a top-25 finalist for one of college softball’s most distinguished individual honors, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, the organization announced Wednesday. This is the second-straight year that Cagle has earned the recognition.

USA Softball Release

Cagle, a native of Yorktown, Va., serves as Clemson’s ace in the circle and bats third in the Tiger lineup. In the circle, she holds a 13-7 record while maintaining a 1.96 ERA. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, Cagle has pitched 121.2 innings and struck out 146 batters, which is 38^th in the NCAA this season, while only giving up 30 walks. She has five solo shutouts to sit 26^th in the country and second in the ACC, three combined shutouts, and has three saves while limiting opponents to a .227 average. Offensively, Cagle maintains a .302 average with nine home runs, six doubles and 34 RBIs. She has tallied a team-high 42 hits and drawn a walk 14 times. She holds a .540 slugging percentage and .368 on-base percentage.

The list of 25 Finalists will be narrowed to 10 Finalists on May 4 before the Top 3 are announced on May 18. The 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed prior to the 2022 NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS), which is set to take place June 2-10 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.

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Cagle named 2022 USA Softball Player of the Year top 25 finalist

USA Softball Release

Cagle, a native of Yorktown, Va., serves as Clemson’s ace in the circle and bats third in the Tiger lineup. In the circle, she holds a 13-7 record while maintaining a 1.96 ERA. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, Cagle has pitched 121.2 innings and struck out 146 batters, which is 38th in the NCAA this season, while only giving up 30 walks. She has five solo shutouts to sit 26th in the country and second in the ACC, three combined shutouts, and has three saves while limiting opponents to a .227 average. Offensively, Cagle maintains a .302 average with nine home runs, six doubles and 34 RBIs. She has tallied a team-high 42 hits and drawn a walk 14 times. She holds a .540 slugging percentage and .368 on-base percentage.

–Courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

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Pitching igniting Clemson softball’s late-season surge

With a 19-9 record that included just one ACC win, Clemson’s softball team was struggling to live up to its billing as a preseason top-15 team heading into the last week of March. Things have changed for the Tigers since then. Fresh off a series win …

With a 19-9 record that included just one ACC win, Clemson’s softball team was struggling to live up to its billing as a preseason top-15 team heading into the last week of March.

Things have changed for the Tigers since then.

Fresh off a series win over No. 21 Notre Dame, Clemson has won 14 of its last 16 games. That stretch has included 11 consecutive wins that began with a victory over South Carolina on March 30, and Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Fighting Irish gave Clemson its third straight ACC series win.

It has helped vault the Tigers (33-11, 11-7 ACC) to fifth place in the ACC standings, just two games back in the loss column of third-place Florida State ahead of the teams’ series in Tallahassee next weekend. It may be difficult for the Tigers to catch Virginia Tech and Duke – teams that are a combined 5-1 against Clemson this season – atop the standings with just two series left before next month’s ACC Tournament, but their hot streak has given them a shot at a second straight top-3 finish after winning their first-ever regular-season conference title a season ago.

It’s been the work in the circle that’s ignited Clemson’s late-season resurgence.

With two-way All-American candidate Valerie Cagle (1.96 earned run average), Millie Thompson (1.61) and Regan Spencer (1.03) pitching most of the innings, Clemson has limited teams to just 2.06 runs per game since a 5-2 win over Louisville on March 25. The Tigers haven’t yielded more than five runs in a game since, and four of the Tigers’ wins during that stretch have been shutouts.

That’s dropped the team’s ERA to 1.80 on the season, second-lowest in the ACC.

“I can’t say enough about our pitching staff,” Clemson coach John Rittman said.

Cagle didn’t have her sharpest outing Saturday in the series clincher against Notre Dame, but the sophomore right-hander still limited the Fighting Irish to just one run on nine hits in 4 ⅓ innings. Spencer polished off the victory with 2 ⅔ innings of three-hit relief.

“Certainly we didn’t hit the ball like we’re capable of, but credit goes to their pitching staff,” Rittman said. “They kept us off balance all weekend, but we found ways to win two out of three games.”

Cagle went the distance in the Tigers’ 3-2 victory to start the series Thursday, and Thompson was saddled with the tough-luck loss Friday after yielding just two earned runs in six innings. The Tigers failed to muster a hit in the 4-0 loss and needed Cammy Pereira’s walk-off single to squeak out Saturday’s win, but the pitching is keeping Clemson in games as the Tigers wait for more consistent offense to come around.

“(Notre Dame) put a lot of pressure on us and on our defense,” Rittman said. “Valerie gave us all she had, and then Regan stepped in and just did a tremendous job to keep it at 1-1. Got out of some tough situations. Just really proud of Regan and how she’s grown and developed as a pitcher.”

Clemson’s series at Florida State will begin Thursday. The Tigers will close out the regular season with four games the following week, including a weekend home series against Georgia Tech.

No. 16 Clemson outlasts Notre Dame 2-1, clinch series win

With the series on the line, Clemson came away with the 2-1 win and clinched the series over Notre Dame at McWhorter Stadium on Saturday, April 16, and Military Appreciation Day. After going 4.5 innings tied, infielder Cammy Pereira hit a clutch RBI …

Clemson’s Regan Spencer earned the win in the circle Saturday afternoon, improving to 6-0 on the season. With her 4.1 inning outing in the circle, Valerie Cagle recorded her 500^th career strikeout. Righthander Shannon Becker tallied the loss for the Fighting Irish.

The Irish struck first in Saturday’s series finale at McWhorter Stadium. Following her single back to the catcher, right fielder Emma Clark scored on a wild pitch to put Notre Dame up 1-0 in the first.

Clemson came up with their answer though in the second inning. With runners on second and third and one out, catcher Aby Vieira hit a sac-fly out to center field, scoring Maddie Moore from third to even the score 1-1 through two.

Saturday’s matchup remained tied 1-1 until midway through the seventh. Thanks to Cammy Pereira’s walk-off RBI single with runners on first and second in the seventh, the Tigers ultimately came away with the 2-1 victory and the series win.

Next up, Clemson travels to Tallahassee for a three-game series versus Florida State, the seventh ACC series of the season for the Tigers. Game one is scheduled for Thursday, April 21, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. on ESPN2.