CLEMSON — One week ago, the Clemson Softball team was considered one of those bubble teams.

Coming off a win over then No. 1 Tennessee, and on the road no less, the Tigers were already all but locked into the NCAA Tournament, but there were questions surrounding whether they would host.

Clemson would then go on the road and sweep Georgia Tech, before sweeping through the ACC Tournament and winning the program’s first conference championship.

After that, there was no doubt the Tigers were going to host, it was just a matter of seeding. While some believed this Clemson team did enough to earn a Top 8 seed, head coach John Rittman believes being seeded 11th is appropriate.

“I think so, we played a very tough schedule this year,” Rittman said. “Don’t envy the committee, it is a tough job every year. We know that to get to where you want to go, you got to beat some really tough teams. I think it is a good seed for us, No. 11, considering we were on the bubble a week ago, and didn’t know if we were going to host or not.”

The journey to hosting has been an eventful one. After a 3-6 start to the season, some thought this might be a rebuilding year for the Tigers. However, since then, Rittman has watched on as his team went on a 41-6 tear.

“Obviously, a rough start, with kind of a new team,” Rittman said. “I credit a lot of it to our seniors. We have a group that has been very successful in their careers here.”

As good as this Clemson squad has been much of the season, Rittman points to the 6-0 loss to the rival Gamecocks back in March as a turning point. Since being shut out in Columbia, the Tigers have lost just twice. That includes a 2-1 nine-inning win over that same South Carolina team at home last month.

“I think there were a lot of different moments that you can point your finger at and say, ‘wow, that was a turning point,'” Rittman added. “I think when we got back and played South Carolina on the road, kind of in the middle, and they thumped us pretty good over there. Then they came here to play us, and it was a closely fought battle. I think they were No. 2 in RPI at the time.”

“Then we go on the road and sweep a series, and then have to go to Tennessee. To beat Tennessee at Tennessee, at the time, they were No. 1 in the country. I think that just gave us the confidence and the swag to say, ‘hey, we are a really good team and we can play with anybody. We’ve played the toughest schedule in the country.’ And we kind of got on a roll. This team has been fantastic the second half of the season.”

Now, Clemson is hosting a regional for the third time in program history. And when the Tigers open regional play on Friday against USC-Upstate, they will do so with the same mindset that led them to be one of the hottest teams in the country entering postseason play.

“The attitude that we’ve had all year, just bring it on,” Rittman said. “Whatever it is. Adversity, success, rain, snow, getting stuck in airports. Hard practices, hard weight room workouts, whatever it is, we have had this bring it on mentality.