Since becoming an ACC varsity sport back in 2020, Clemson softball has been one of the top teams in the conference every single year.
Head coach John Rittman has done an excellent job with the program, going 19-8 in that COVID-shortened inaugural season back in 2020 and his Tigers have only improved each season since. In fact, Clemson went 44-8 the following year, won 42 games in 2022 and then 49 in 2023.
The 2024 season resulted in a 35-19 record and a Tuscaloosa Regional appeareance but the Tigers might just have their best team yet, sitting at 38-12 following a massive win over No. 1 Tennessee.
On Tuesday night, Clemson picked up arguably the biggest win in program history, going into Knoxville to beat the No. 1 team in the country, 4-3. The win didn't come without some drama as Clemson fell behind 1-0 before scoring three huge runs in the top of the fifth to go ahead 3-1. Tennessee responded an inning later, tying things up at three.
In the top of the ninth, however, Clemson scored its biggest run of the season, taking a 4-3 lead over the No. 1 team in the country before Brooke McCubbin shut the door to pick up the win.
✅ First win over a #1 ranked team for @ClemsonSoftball!
— Clemson Athletics (@ClemsonTigers) April 23, 2025
✅ Fifth win over a #1 ranked team by a Clemson women's sports program!
✅ 39th win in Clemson history over a #1 ranked team! pic.twitter.com/HJ3eB2dxvs
With the win, Clemson improves to 38-12 on the season and it will undoubtedly move up from No. 19 in next week's rankings. The Tigers will also play their last regular-season series this coming weekend against a 26-18 Georgia Tech squad that sits in eighth place in the ACC standings.