After a 3-6 start, the Clemson softball team has now won 14 straight games, sitting at 17-6 on the season following consecutive shutouts of Charleston Southern on Tuesday.
The Tigers showed no signs of slowing down, as Tuesday’s shutouts marked the sixth and seventh of the season for the Tigers, while the run-rule in Game 2 was their seventh of the year.
Perhaps the most notable victory of the season so far came against the undefeated No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs, where Clemson secured a 5-3 win on Feb. 26. Reese Basinger struck out eight on the mound, while Julia Knowler hit her sixth home run of the season. This win served as a statement to not just themselves, but to the rest of college softball that they are capable of competing with anyone.
Since the Georgia game, Clemson has run-ruled, shut out or both, six of the seven teams they’ve faced.
The newest Tigers on the team, including freshmen and transfers, have been a major key to Clemson’s success. Clemson features four freshmen regularly in its starting lineup: left fielder Sam Minish, utility player Macey Cintron, shortstop Marian Collins and right fielder Ava Wilson.
Minish holds a .371 batting average, along with four doubles, one triple and six RBIs. Collins bats .333 with four home runs and 12 RBIs, including a homer in Tuesday’s doubleheader.
Wilson and Cintron have each hit five home runs, with Wilson driving in 16 RBIs and Cintron collecting 20. Cintron is also a force on the mound, holding a 5-2 record and a 2.87 earned run average over 11 appearances.
Jamison Brockenbrough, a junior transfer from Tennessee, completes the outfield of the new Tigers as the starting center fielder. Brockenbrough bats .286 with two home runs and 10 RBIs to go along with her solid defense.
Basinger, a senior transfer from Winthrop, has emerged as one of Clemson’s most dominant pitchers. In 14 appearances and 52 innings pitched, Basinger is 5-2 with a 2.29 ERA.
Beyond the freshmen and transfers, the Clemson seniors have also stepped up. After losing 10 graduating seniors last year, the team knew it would need to lean on this year’s veteran players. These seniors have led the team through both the highs and lows of the season.
Clemson’s star second baseman Maddie Moore has continued to shine after earning first-team All-ACC honors last season and entering this year ranked No. 2 on D1Softball’s preseason second baseman rankings. Since missing the first five games of the season, the senior bats just short of .500, with a .491 average. Moore has also recorded four doubles, two triples, five home runs and 20 RBIs.
Third baseman Alex Brown is also contributing significantly, batting .400 with 13 RBIs. In Tuesday’s game against Charleston Southern, Brown hit her first home run of the season with a grand slam.
Catcher Aby Vieira had a standout performance against Indiana on Saturday, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs, bringing her season average to .365.
One player who isn’t a freshman, senior or transfer but deserves recognition is first baseman Julia Knowler. Knowler leads the team with 33 RBIs, 11 doubles and eight home runs. Her eighth homerun came on Tuesday in Game 1 of the doubleheader, a 263-foot blast that drove in her 32nd and 33rd RBIs.
When watching the team, it’s clear the Tigers are firing on all cylinders. The team wastes no time getting on the board early and frequently tacks on four, five or six runs an inning. The lineup is packed with power, anyone is capable of knocking one out of the park or lining a ball into the gap. The pitching is equally resilient, which is shown by the seven shutouts.
Clemson is set to play a three-game series against Duke this weekend. First pitch on Friday is set for 6 p.m.
