As finals week approaches and campus quiets in the early weeks of May, the only thing on most students’ minds is summer break. For some student-athletes this reprieve is still months away, as softball post-season play bleeds into early June.
Let’s take a look at No. 6 Clemson softball’s post-season expectations.  
The road to Oklahoma City is long, but the Tigers are armed with the talent to make the trip. The team, which is only in its fourth season as a program, earned a spot in D1 Softball’s way-too-early World Series picks back in February thanks to double-threat Valerie Cagle and the teams’ elite defense. 
The championship begins with a bracket of 64 teams in the national tournament, 32 of which come from automatic qualification, and a voting committee selects the remainder. Sixteen of these teams will then be seeded and named to a regional site for entrance to the championship bracket.  
Tune in to ESPN2 at 7 p.m. EDT on May 14 to watch the announcement of seedings for regionals. The regional round will then take place from May 19-21, followed by super regionals from May 25-28. 
The winner from each of the eight super regional sites will then head to the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City for the double-elimination style NCAA Women’s College World Series, taking place in the week between June 1-9.
Cagle, who has been named to the NCAA finalist list for 2023 USA Softball Player of the Year, led the Tigers to super regionals last year, where they fell to now- No. 3 Oklahoma State. Hopes are high that the pitcher and utility player, along with head coach John Rittman, will guide the way to the Tigers’ first ring season.