The Clemson football program has been known for winning excellence over the years and the Tigers have gone on to win three National Championships and 26 total conference championships.
Clemson football won its first conference title in the year 1900, when the Tigers won the title in just their second season of opportunity in the SIAA, according to Tim Bourrett.
Now, after more than a century has passed by, that record has finally been broken.
The Clemson softball team won the ACC crown in its first season of opportunity this weekend after they exploded for a 19-2 victory over the Syracuse Orange on Sunday. With the win, the Tigers locked up the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament and captured the regular-season crown.
Congrats to @clemsonsoftball for winning ACC in first season of opportunity. Previous bests were football in 2nd year (1900), boxing in fourth year (1938), and mens outdoor track 5th year (1909). Of course this is a regular season title, not conf champs. Must win trn for that.
— Tim Bourret (@TimBourret) May 9, 2021
So basically John Rittman and @clemsonsoftball today broke a school record that had been set by John Heisman and the Clemson football team in 1900.
— Tim Bourret (@TimBourret) May 9, 2021
Just like that, a Clemson football record that held for more than a century is now held by Clemson softball
The complete dominance that this Tiger softball team has played with this season shouldn’t be ignored.
Clemson finished the year with a 29-5 record in the ACC and the Tigers are in great position to be a potential NCAA Regional host for the upcoming tournament.
Your Clemson Tigers are the 2021 ACC Softball regular-season champions‼️ pic.twitter.com/oxb50tZJrm
— Clemson Softball 🥎 (@clemsonsoftball) May 9, 2021
It’s been absolutely amazing to see what this team has been able to accomplish. They are exciting to watch and have been a much-needed addition to the Clemson Athletic Department.
John Rittman deserves major credit for the job he has done building this program from the ground up and, of course, we can’t forget to mention redshirt freshman Valerie Cagle, who is one of the Top 10 Finalists for the Collegiate Softball Player of the Year for her dominance on the mound and at the plate.
Clemson will next begin competition in the ACC Tournament. The Tigers will play the winner of the No. 8 and No. 9-seeded matchup at 11 a.m. on Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky.