CLEMSON — Clutch moments–a two-out home run, a timely strikeout, a stolen base–are the currency that successful softball teams use to dominate lesser opponents.

While all softball teams “make their money” on big-time plays, No. 18 Clemson is taking the idea of currency to the next level this season.

The Tigers (4-2) literally have an ATM, and a money gun, in their dugout at McWhorter Stadium.

“One of our mantras this year is to attack the moment — A.T.M.,” Clemson head coach John Rittman said after Clemson’s 9-1 rout of Furman Tuesday night. “Our manager, Mac [McLaughlin], is pretty creative and he did a little machine so you can deposit money or you can take money out.”

The “Attack the Moment,” motto hatched after the Tigers came 60 feet shy of advancing to their first Women’s College World Series (WCWS) last May, as they fell to eventual national champion Texas in Game 3 of the Austin (Texas) Super Regional.

Fresh off of the near-historic season, Rittman and the Tigers are determined not to walk away without ringing out every possible opportunity found in high-stress moments. According to first baseman Julia Knowler, attacking the moment is the way for Clemson’s program to get over the hump and make it to Oklahoma City, Okla., this summer.

Oklahoma City hosts the WCWS. 

“Attack the Moment, It’s our motto this year,” Knowler said. “I think it’s a big thing for us, you know, to attack every moment. It’s big after last year, we’re just trying to take it further.”

This season, when Clemson players “Attack the Moment” it usually results in a run scored, a leaping defensive snag, or a timely hit. As a reward, athletes get to visit the dugout’s ATM machine and receive their very own fake $100 bills with Rittman’s bust situated in the place of Benjamin Franklin’s.

Once presented with their coach in minted form, the next step for the Tigers is pretty straightforward.

“It shoots a little money at you, you give it a sign, and you put it back in the ATM.”

Just like traditional ATMs, the Tigers’ machine requires frequent deposits to withstand nightly withdrawals. For every long ball knocked out of the park, every run driven home, every jam escaped by a Clemson pitcher, another bill is presented back to the machine — a promise that more game-changing moments are on the way.

The money will be there. The opportunities will be there. For Clemson, it is now about earning it.

Centerfielder Jamison Brockenbrough and third baseman Marian Collins acted with a pledge, a withdrawal, a signature, and a deposit to the ATM on Tuesday night. Brockenbrough, a senior, opened the Clemson first with a solo homer in the first inning, and Collins, a sophomore, followed her lead two batters later with a two-run shot to left centerfield. 

As phony $100-bill editions of Rittman fluttered to Brockenbrough and Collins’ feet, Clemson grabbed its first early lead over an opponent in the young 2026 season, and their first runs at McWhorter Stadium since the end of last season.

Knowler, batting third, also made the most of her moments, sending in two RBIs on a third-inning single. ​​”Our goal was to score first and get that first run on the board and it definitely felt good,” the junior said with a smile.

The Tigers opened their season last week in full attack mode, defeating No. 5 Oregon and No. 21 Liberty, as well as Southeastern Louisiana, in the first two days at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. However, Clemson slipped on Saturday and Sunday, falling to unranked Auburn and Michigan State squads to conclude the trip.

With the bounce back against Furman serving as an “ATM,” equalizer after the back-to-back losses, the Tigers hit the road again, again playing tough competition this weekend in the Bobcat Tournament in San Marcos, Texas. 

The Tigers open a five-game slate against Texas State at 6 p.m. Thursday. 

If viewers are tuned into the broadcast on ESPN Plus, they may just catch a glance of a clunky-looking machine in Clemson’s dugout that is brimming with dollar bills and promise.