It’s no secret that Clemson’s softball program is in the midst of what looks to be another historic year and now 30 games into the Tigers fourth ever season, head coach John Rittman and his team are one of the top defensive teams in the country in what was once considered a weak spot for Clemson just one season ago.
In the Tigers heartbreaking loss versus Oklahoma State in the program’s first ever Super Regional appearance last season, Clemson dropped four unearned runs following three consecutive defensive errors to the then-sixth ranked Cowgirls in the eventual 5-1 loss and end to the 2022 season.
Now just one year later, Clemson has since flipped the narrative and now boasts one of the top fielding percentages in the country with the Tigers defense now exhibiting itself as a strength rather than a weakness.
“Oh, it’s huge,” shortstop Alia Logoleo said regarding the Tigers defensive improvements. “There were a lot of games last year where defense kind of was the issue that we had, and this year defense is what’s winning games. Sometimes we’re putting up one run, two runs, and defense is what is really pulling through in those games. You saw it this weekend, not a lot of offensive production, but our defense is what won and got us the sweep.”
Following the series sweep over Virginia last weekend, the Tigers are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation in fielding percentage. Sporting a .985 fielding percentage with 564 put outs, 235 assists and just 12 errors thus far, Clemson sits behind two powerhouse programs: Stanford (.986) and the reigning national champions in the Oklahoma Sooners (.992), who are ranked second and first respectively.
Logoleo and the Tigers hope to continue their defensive dominance moving forward with hopes of making history once again this season… but this time in the form of a 2023 Women’s College World Series berth.
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