The Clemson softball program is only in its second season (its first full year) and we are already seeing a program-defining great step out and make her name known.
No one who was following this Clemson softball program as it began to be built was thinking the Tigers would have as much success as they have enjoyed this early, but yet here we are.
As Clemson heads into the final few weeks of the regular season, the Tigers are ranked No. 16 in the nation and just enjoyed a dominant 6-0 victory over in-state rival South Carolina in the first-ever matchup between the two programs.
For anyone who has kept up with the program at all, it should come as no surprise who the ‘Player of the Game’ was: Valerie Cagle.
Tonight was the sixth time this year Valerie Cagle hit a home run and was the winning pitcher in the same game, the second time she has pitched a shutout and hit a HR in same game.Tigers beat Gamecocks 6-0 in Columbia.
— Tim Bourret (@TimBourret) April 22, 2021
Valerie Cagle is on her way to becoming the first Clemson softball player to be inducted into the Ring of Honor
Cagle isn’t just a dominant pitcher who has earned national accolades, she is the Tigers’ best hitter.
Coming into the South Carolina game- where she tossed a shutout and struck out nine- Cagle had a season ERA of 0.89.
Want to see some other impressive stats and feats from just last week?
Valerie Cagle's week for Clemson softball:
— Todd Summers (@ToddSummers7) April 18, 2021
As a hitter:
.500 Avg., 2 HR's, 7 RBI, 6 runs scored
As a pitcher:
23.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 wins, 36 K's, TWO no-hitters
Not sure if anyone has ever had a better week.@clemsonsoftball @WSPA7
Add this one to the list too 💯
— Clemson Softball 🥎 (@clemsonsoftball) April 20, 2021
Valerie Cagle is the 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 player in the nation to garner both @NFCAorg Player & Pitcher-of-the-Week honors this season!
📝 https://t.co/MXA7RnSPLs pic.twitter.com/F0Qgy6LdrH
Shoutout to @clemsonsoftball's Valerie Cagle, who pitched not one, but TWO no hitters in one week, and also hit a couple of HRs 👏
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 21, 2021
(via @accnetwork) pic.twitter.com/oT6DPSnka8
Oh, by the way, she’s doing all of this as a redshirt freshman.
Cagle has been dominant in every facet of the game and that simply can’t be argued.
There’s no doubt that this Clemson softball team has several talented players, but Cagle stands out above all of them. The way she is able to dominate in the circle and then come up with major hits over and over again at the plate just shows how special she truly is.
Clemson fans need to pay attention because we’re looking at a future Ring of Honor inductee who is playing and displaying her greatness to us right now.
The Tigers are well on their way to a postseason run and it all starts with the dominance of Cagle. Who would’ve ever thought we’d be saying that this early into the program’s existence?