CLEMSON – Over 2,000 collegiate softball players submitted their names into the transfer portal after the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

On Sunday, two of these formal portal entries–centerfielder Jamison Brockenbrough and pitcher Abby Dunning–celebrated their Senior Day at Clemson after a 6-1 win over No. 18 Virginia at McWhorter Stadium.

While neither player started their college career at Clemson, they received full gratitude and applause from an orange-clad crowd after securing the Tigers’ first ACC series sweep in its last home conference game.

“In this era of transfers and the transfer portal, it’s a little different in the fact that you don’t have those players for four years or five years,” head coach John Rittman said after the series sweep. “But both of those players, it just seems like they’ve been in our program from day one.”

Brockenbrough, the Tigers’ leadoff hitter, committed to Clemson after two years at Tennessee, after breaking out in her freshman season 2023 and then suffering an injury the next year that kept her limited. In her two seasons as a Tiger, the Locust Grove, Ga., native has maintained a .326 batting average, notching 97 hits and 52 RBIs for her squad.

Brockenbrough also played a large role in Clemson’s Super Regional berth last season, driving in a fifth of the Tigers’ runs in their final three games.

“She’s just a bubbly personality,” Rittman said of Brockenbrough, currently one of the top hitters on his team. “You never know what you’re going to get with her every day, but you know it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be exciting. She brings an energy to the field every day. She provides leadership just the way she goes about her business.”

This season, Brockenbrough has blasted 48 hits, ranking third on the team, and held a nine-game hit streak entering Sunday. She has also maintained a .966 fielding percentage, robbing several hits.

“(Brockenbrough) plays a terrific centerfield,” Rittman said. “She’s a versatile offensive player, can beat you with a bunt, can slap, can hit the long ball. You saw that this weekend where she was, four-for-seven going into today’s game. So, just a terrific player and a teammate and just brought so much to our program.”

Dunning, the only other senior honored Sunday, also made an immediate impact for the Tigers after transferring in from Boston College last season. The Chicago, Ill., native, has made 23 appearances in the circle, including 13 starts, for Clemson this season. She holds a 3.53 Earned Run Average and threw only the eighth no-hitter in program history against Georgia Tech on March 7.

Like Brockenbrough, Dunning has been a crucial part of Clemson’s success in the second half of the season, allowing no runs in 5.2 innings since April 11.

“We faced her against Boston College for four years,” Rittman said of Dunning. “She’s just a terrific pitcher, great human being. She’s just added to our culture here and and just been a huge, huge part of our program in one year and you can see how our players respond to her and for her, especially when she’s pitching.”

Although Clemson players, primarily underclassmen, have only played with the senior transfers for a maximum of two years, right fielder Taylor Pipkins was quick to highlight their importance on the team’s success after the win.

“I think both of them just bring such a good energy to our team, such a good leadership mentality,” Pipkins said. “And I think we’re just so lucky to have them, both being transfers, come into our program and truly lead this place better than they found it. And I think not just for their ability playing softball, but just who they are as people has just changed our program for the better.”

Though Brockenbrough and Dunning have only played a combined three seasons for Clemson, they bring in six more seasons of experience with postseason play. Dunning was named to the All-ACC Tournament team in 2024, and Brockenbrough enters this postseason with six combined NCAA Regional appearances, as well as a trip to the College World Series as a freshman with the Volunteers. 

This experience, Rittman explained, will be crucial to anchor Clemson’s team over the next several weeks.

“Anytime you have experience and leadership and players who put the team ahead of themselves,it’s going to be a bonus,” he said. “And both of those players are just great examples for our younger players to follow.”

The Tigers, led in part by Brockenbrough’s 23-game on-base streak and Dunning’s most recent 5.1 scoreless innings, have started to put all three phases together as they enter their final week of the regular season. Clemson is now 5-0 in its most recent ACC games, and have outscored opponents 46-15 dating back to April 11.

With Dunning, Brockenbrough, and the entirety of Clemson’s team playing its “best softball,” of the season, according to Rittman, the Tigers have one more ACC series against No. 14 Duke next weekend and a midweek game against Presbyterian Tuesday before looking ahead to postseason competition.

Though taking players from the transfer portal in any sport can be a risk, Clemson’s two senior transfers have been two of the most secure facets of the Tigers’ 2026 team. Though their limited time playing at McWhorter Stadium could be over, Dunning and Brockenbrough will always be remembered as two portal ‘wins’ at Clemson.

Now, they have one final chance to make a postseason push, this time, in the orange and white.