Clemson softball returned to the field for some fall ball action this weekend, giving fans an early glimpse of an exciting, reloaded roster for a season just five months away.
Despite a casual setting, the 2025 ACC champions came out with purpose. The offense showed no signs of rust, scoring over 20 runs in Friday’s exhibition — powered by a mixture of new and old faces.
With several key players graduating or moving on to professional leagues, head coach John Rittman turned to the portal to reload. He brought in four experienced additions: junior infielder Kiley Channell, graduate pitcher Abby Dunning, sophomore catcher Corri Hicks and junior pitcher Sierra Maness.
Channell, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, enters with some serious offensive firepower. The 2025 AAC Second Team selection and 2024 AAC Rookie of the Year batted .330 with 44 RBIs last season, including a five-hit game that clinched the regular-season title against Tulsa.
She steps into a key infield role vacated by Clemson star Maddie Moore, who wrapped her Clemson career with a .324 average, 1.012 OPS, 40 home runs and 161 RBIs over 230 games.
Dunning, a standout at Boston College, adds veteran leadership and strikeout ability to the Tigers’ rotation. She posted a 2.46 ERA last season, including 172 strikeouts — the third-most in the ACC.
She earned All-ACC Third Team and All-ACC tournament honors along the way.
Maness, coming in from USC Upstate, was a Big South All-Conference First Team selection last season. The right-hander struck out 120 batters in 2025 and holds a career ERA of 2.34.
With the departures of Brooke McCubbin and Reese Basinger to the pros, Dunning and Maness will be tasked with anchoring the new-look bullpen.
For Clemson last season, McCubbin won 18 games and recorded a 2.46 ERA across 142 innings, while Basinger, the reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year, also notched 18 wins, 10 complete games and a 2.94 ERA over 178 innings.
Behind the plate, Hicks — a former Oklahoma Sooner — appeared in 24 games as a freshman, hitting .261 with three home runs and eight RBIs. One of those home runs came in an 8-0 postseason win, highlighting her ability to perform in the big moments.
She’ll compete for a starting catcher role left open by now-pro Aby Vieira, who hit .337 with three home runs and 33 RBIs during her final season at Clemson.
Alongside the four transfers, Clemson welcomes seven incoming freshmen: Sarah Breaux, Sophia Burmeister, Keira Crosby, Lexie Hames, Maddie Johnson, Mac Pavese and Sarah Rocheleau.
The group joins 13 returners as the Tigers look to defend their ACC title and aim for a deeper postseason run in 2026.
Clemson is set to play four more exhibition games this fall: Oct. 8 vs. Erskine, Oct. 9 vs. Southern Wesleyan, Oct. 16 vs. Spartanburg Methodist and Oct. 24 vs. Anderson before the Tigers open their regular season on Feb. 5.
