This time last year, seven high school seniors — five from Georgia, one from California, and one from Florida — were wrapping up their high school careers. They were attending proms, completing their final exams in chemistry, biology, and calculus and preparing to turn the tassel at graduation.

Now, those same seven seniors are key contributors to Clemson softball’s postseason push. 

In their first campaign, the freshmen have helped the Tigers to a 41-12 overall record and a 19-5 mark in ACC play, earning the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, which begins today.

Collectively, the freshmen class has tallied 157 hits, 133 RBIs and 33 home runs. Additionally, Macey Cintron, a designated player and right-handed pitcher, has impressed with a 2.07 ERA, amassing 46 strikeouts in 61 innings of work in the circle.

At times, the freshman class has been a spark plug for the Tigers, like when Cintron launched two home runs to defeat Georgia Tech in the Tigers’ regular-season finale on April 27, or when shortstop Marian Collins escorted two solo-homers out of the park to defeat rival South Carolina on April 15. 

The freshman class came in with high expectations. Collins and outfielder Sam Minish appeared on D1 Softball’s Freshmen to Watch List. Cintron was Georgia’s Player of the Year as a senior, outfielder Ava Wilson was a Golden Glove recipient in 2021 and infielder Taylor Pipkins was named the No. 24 high school prospect by Extra Innings.

Despite the accolades, Cintron believes the freshmen’s greatest strength is their toughness.

“I think we are really gritty,” she said. “Obviously, we have a lot of freshmen on the field, which is very rare, and I think that we’ve stepped in and filled the shoes from last year that needed to be filled, and I think in the years to come we’re going to continue to get better.

“We’re really passionate right now. We love being here on the field with our teammates, and I think that shows and has a lot to do with our success this year.”

Cintron’s passion has not gone unnoticed, especially not by senior pitcher Brooke McCubbin.

Whenever McCubbin sees Cintron’s dad after the game, she gives him the same message: “Macey’s a dog.”

“The way she plays, she’s a competitor,” McCubbin said. “She lives for this, lives to compete, and she lives for the pressure moments, and that’s not typical for a freshman. I feel like she just came in here as an upperclassman with her mindset.”

Cintron’s intensity is evident, not only to McCubbin, but to Clemson fans, who observed the Cumming, Ga., native dive for extra base-hits and celebrate with her teammates after each of her 13 home runs. She credits McCubbin with helping her become a leader and a “good sister” to her teammates.

McCubbin, in turn, has shown leadership as a force in the circle, carrying a 2.75 ERA through 109.1 innings this season.

Another mentor for the freshman is veteran second baseman Maddie Moore, who was named a Top-25 Finalist for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year. This season, Moore leads her team with 15 home runs, in addition to 46 other hits and 61 RBIs. 

“I would love to be as good as (Moore) one day,” Collins said when asked about the senior’s impact.

“She’s such a good example in the field. She’s really good at bringing the team together. She knows how to slow the moment down, not make it too big. She’s a really good example for me and I’ve learned so much from her throughout this entire year.”

As a senior, Moore has watched three freshman classes come through the program under her. This class, she says, has been special.

“Every single day they come ready to play,” she said. “Every day, they were fighting for a spot, and they were really competitive. They never took anything off. They came in here ready to play, wanting to play, excited to play, which is awesome to see because when they’re excited, it pumps up the rest of the team and gives us more motivation to keep fighting.”

The Tigers will need every bit of that energy as they enter postseason play Thursday in Brighton, Mass., for the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals. Cintron’s fire, Collins’ power, Moore and McCubbin’s leadership, and contributions from 18 others on the roster will be essential to the Tigers’ success.

Clemson, the No. 2 seed, will play the winner of No. 7 seed Virginia (36-16, 14-10 ACC) and No. 10 seed Louisville (26-24, 9-15 ACC) at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Harrington Athletics Village.