When thinking about Clemson athletics, football is probably the first sport that comes to mind, thanks to our excellent run in the 2010s and the fact that football is the most popular college sport. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that Clemson excels in far more than just football.
Two weeks ago, seven Clemson teams ranked in the top 25 of their respective sports. Baseball led the pack, ranked No. 4, lacrosse was ranked No. 6, men’s basketball was No. 11, women’s track and field was No. 17, softball was No. 22, men’s tennis was No. 23 and women’s tennis came in at No. 24.
Clemson is still great at football — it had a 10-4 record last season and, of course, was the ACC champion once again. Football isn’t going anywhere, but let’s shine the light on the sports in season right now.
Clemson baseball had a 15-game win streak and currently holds a 19-2 record, complete with a series sweep over their rival, the University of South Carolina, in the annual Palmetto Series. Following its dominant 11-2 victory against Presbyterian, head coach Erik Bakich notched his 100th career win in just his 136th game.
After falling just short of Omaha last season, the Tigers aim to bounce back even better, and they’re on the right track. MLB prospect Cam Cannarella is returning to form after offseason surgery, while transfers Collin Priest, Luke Gaffney, Dominic Listi and Josh Paino have arguably been the best part of the early season. Listi is batting over .400, while Paino has four homers and 23 RBIs.
The men’s basketball team, on its route to March Madness, won an eighth straight game after taking down Virginia Tech in the regular-season finale. With this win, the team extended the program record of ACC wins with its 18th and set a program record for regular-season wins with 26.
For the first time in its 113-year history, Clemson beat all three basketball blue bloods — Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina — in the same year. The Tigers’ win over No. 2 Duke in early February proved the team is a legitimate contender for March again after making the Elite Eight the previous year.
Despite a tough season overall, women’s basketball defeated No. 11-seeded Stanford in the first round of the ACC Tournament behind Loyal McQueen’s team-leading 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The softball team is also blistering, coming off a recent 15-game win streak, which includes a victory over No. 10 Georgia. Following a win over Duke, the Tigers picked up their eighth run-rule victory of the season.
Senior Maddie Moore, ranked No. 3 on Softball America’s March second baseman rankings, has continued to live up to the hype. She bats .474 with five doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 26 RBIs. Freshmen Ava Wilson and Macey Cintron have each hit five home runs, with Wilson driving in 19 RBIs and Cintron bringing in 20. In addition to her offense, Cintron also holds a 2.85 ERA over 12 appearances on the mound.
Clemson lacrosse began its season 6-0, 2-0 in the ACC. The team extended the program-record win streak after it dismantled Queens, 25-5. Regan Byrne led the game with five goals, while Lindsey Marshall, Demma Hall and Susan Lowther each added their own three goals.
History was made in the Clemson gymnastics meet against TCU, where junior Brie Clark became the first collegiate gymnast to perform the Biles I successfully. This move, a double layout half twist named after Olympic champion Simone Biles, also marked Clark as the first collegiate gymnast to execute any Biles skill.
The skill quickly went viral over social media, even catching the attention of Biles herself. She commented twice on an ESPN post, first with “congrats,” and later adding, “& closing out black history month! YES MA’AM.”
The women’s track and field team was recently crowned ACC champions, for the first time in 10 years. Freshman Aniyah Kitt earned ACC Women’s Track Most Valuable Player after winning gold in the 200 meters.
Clemson medaled in 11 events, and three Tigers took home gold, marking the third year where multiple Tigers won gold.
The men’s tennis team is 17-1 and undefeated in conference play so far, its best start since 2010. Its No. 23 ranking marked the first time since 2015 that the Tigers have been ranked in the top 25. The women’s tennis team now sits at 11-5 on the season and 1-3 in the ACC, ranked 22nd.
While most schools tend to focus on one sport, like Duke with basketball or the University of Georgia with football, it may be time to start calling Clemson an “everything school.” No matter what sport it is, you’ll likely witness a great game, and that’s all a college student can ask for.
