CLEMSON – Last May, Clemson Softball was just 60 feet away from advancing to the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history.

After winning Game 1 of the Austin (Texas) Super Regional, the Tigers put runners on second and third with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 2 against the Longhorns. They had Oklahoma City in their sights, but they could not plate the winning run.

Instead, Texas got out of the jam and found a way to win the game in the ninth inning, extending the series to a third-and-final game, in which the Longhorns won to advance, while Clemson went home wondering what could have been.

“We have a lot of hungry players and coaches that want to get over that hump and get to the World Series and that’s our goal,” Clemson head coach John Rittman said.

After a turbulent 6-5 start to the 2026 season with 11 new players, the Tigers started to round into expected form, going 13-2 over the second half of February and early March.

Clemson, ranked No. 22 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, swept the Clemson Classic at McWhorter Stadium from Feb 20-22, holding all four opponents scoreless, run-ruled No. 11 Georgia in Athens, did the same to a ranked South Carolina squad in Columbia and won its first two ACC series.

Things were looking great, then the Tigers were swept by Florida State at home, lost two out of three to Virginia Tech, plus some unexplainable losses to Georgia Tech, Louisville and Pittsburgh, after getting big leads, as well as a loss to the same Gamecocks team they run-ruled the month before.

The Tigers (32-19, 13-11 ACC) also lost head scratchers to Georgia Southern and Notre Dame, but swept nationally-ranked Virginia at home and tied a program-record with 10 wins over ranked opponents.

Now, with NCAA Tournament on the horizon, Clemson will soon find itself in a similar position to last season — an underdog with talent with the ability to beat anyone in the country. There is little question the Tigers will make it to the NCAA Tournament. However, the question is can they find a way to host a regional, which makes the task of getting to Oklahoma City for the WCWS a little easier.

Here are the main ways the Tigers can extend their postseason, and “get over the hump” of making it to the WCWS. 

Pitching Consistency

This season, USC Upstate transfer Sierra Maness, who played Clemson last season in the Clemson Regional, has done much of the heavy lifting in the circle. The junior made 24 starts, with 32 total appearances.

When the Woodruff, S.C., native gave up three or fewer earned runs this season, the Tigers were 18-4. When she allowed four or more, Clemson finished 1-7.

While maintaining a 2.95 Earned Run Average and a 16-9 record, Maness recorded eight scoreless wins. Paired with Boston College transfer Abby Dunning, who has an 8-8 record and a 4.0 ERA, the Tigers are heavily dependent on starting pitching success. 

Two-way player Macey Cintron has also helped in the circle after recovering from an injury, winning four games in April. Freshman Lexie Hames has also contributed, maintaining a 3.60 ERA through 23.1 innings pitched.

“It gives us another pitcher that we can rely on in tight situations,” Rittman said of Cintron. “Maness and Dunning have done a great job for us all year and we kind of brought Macey along slowly and she’s just stepped up big time for us. She’s pitching with confidence and she’s given us everything she has and as a coach that’s all you can ask for.”

When the Tigers give up six or more runs, they are 2-13, though both victories (at Pitt and at Duke) came in the last three weeks of the season with help from relief pitchers. 

If Clemson wants to make a deep postseason run it will have to be consistent in the circle. Based on a 51-game track record, Clemson cannot expect to overpower teams with 10-plus run performances, and so Maness, Dunning, and Cintron will need to rely on each other and work to have their best stuff in May. 

Best Hitters Contributing

Despite averaging just 5.6 runs per game, ninth in the ACC, Clemson has four everyday starters batting above .300. Three of these starters, centerfielder Jamison Brockenbrough, first baseman Mac Pavese, and second baseman Marian Collins, each have 13 or more multi-hit games this season. 

Shortstop Kiley Channell, batting .305, is not far behind with eight multi-hit games. 

The Tigers have won 93 percent of their games when Collins has multiple hits, holding a 76 win-percentage when Pavese notches more than one, and an 80 percent rate when Brockenbrough does the same. While some of these multi-hit games came against non-Power 4 competition, multiple of these players each had more than one hit in ranked wins over Georgia, South Carolina, Duke, and Virginia.

The Tigers have lost 94 percent of games when at least one of those four hitters does not record a hit.

While it may seem obvious, Clemson needs its best players to step up in the postseason. If one of its premiere hitters struggles, it is hard for the Tigers to win, though catcher Corri Hicks and third baseman Sarah Breaux have singlehandedly won a few games when older players have struggled.

Also, with Cintron getting healthy, the Tigers now have another consistent hitter in the lineup who has shown off her power down the stretch of the regular season. It is the same power that earned her ACC Freshman of the Year honors a year ago.

Taylor Pipkins is another who got hot in the last month of the season, as she banged six of her seven home runs in the last month, including five straight games with a home run at one point.

Others Stepping Up

If Clemson can have success from older players like Brockenbrough and young leaders like Collins, and add offensive bursts from Cintron, Pipkins, and others who have ticked up with the season, Rittman believes the Tigers will work their way to playing “their best” softball in the summer.

“We can’t just rely on one or two hitters,” Rittman said. “And I think in the last couple of weeks, you’ve seen our production up and down the lineup. And that’s kind of what we expect from our team. And we’re starting to see that, so that’s really a bonus for us as we go down the stretch here.”

While there are several wins required to get back to the precipice of World Series entry, Clemson has a chance to begin the journey on May 6, when the opening round of the ACC Tournament begins. The Tigers are currently the No. 7 seed in the ACC, and if results stand, will play 10th-seed North Carolina in the first round at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. 

If Clemson can hold teams to six or fewer runs, have multi-hit games from at least one of its best hitters, and get a few other players consistently in the offensive mix, the Tigers have the talent to make another postseason push.

Now they have to go and do it — and that is easier said than done.