The 2021 Clemson Tigers softball team is the varsity college softball team that represented Clemson University during the 2021 NCAA Division I softball season. This was the second season of Clemson's softball program. The Tigers competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and were led by head coach John Rittman. Clemson played its home games at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

The Tigers finished their first full season as a program 44–8 and 29–5 in ACC play to finish in first place and claim the regular season championship. As the first seed in the ACC tournament, they defeated and before losing to in the Final. They earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and were placed into the Tuscaloosa Regional. There they defeated Troy twice, but lost to Alabama twice to end their season.

The team was led by Valerie Cagle who finished with 28 wins and 15 home runs. Cagle was named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year top 10 finalist list. She also won ACC Player and Freshman of the year while head coach John Rittman was named ACC Coach of the Year. Cagle and outfielder McKenzie Clark were named to the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association All-Region Southeast teams, with Cagle being named to the first team and Clark being named to the second team. Cagle would later be selected to the NFCA All-American Second Team, marking Clemson's first All-American in program history.

Previous season The 2020 season was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. On March 12, it was announced that the 2020 NCAA tournament would be canceled due to the pandemic. Clemson University suspended all events until April 5, 2020. On March 17, the ACC cancelled all spring athletic activities and thereby ended the softball season. The Tigers finished the season 19–8 and 5–1 in ACC play.

Personnel

Roster 2021 Clemson Tigers rosterPitchers 10 – Emma Whitfield – Freshman 17 – Regan Spencer – Freshman 34 – Logan Caymol – Freshman

Utility 9 – Sarah Howell (C/UTL) – Freshman 12 – Cammy Pereira (INF/OF) – Junior 15 – Madison May (INF/OF) – Freshman 19 – Jaden Cheek (INF/UTL) – Freshman 24 – Arielle Oda (INF/OF) – Freshman 25 – Marissa Guimbarda (OF/UTL) – Junior 26 – Carsten Puckett (P/IF) – Freshman 27 – Grace Mattimore (C/UTL) – Junior 72 – Valerie Cagle (P/UTL) – Freshman 87 – Millie Thompson (P/INF) – Freshman Catchers 13 – Abi Stuart – Freshman 23 – JoJo Hyatt – Freshman

Outfielders 6 – Carlee Shannon – Freshman 7 – McKenzie Clark – Freshman 16 – Alia Logoleo – Freshman 42 – Morgan Johnson – Freshman

Infielders 2 – Casey Bigham – Senior 3 – Ansley Houston – Freshman 8 – Ansley Gilstrap – Senior 18 – Bailey Taylor – Junior 58 – Kyah Keller – Freshman 77 – Hannah Goodwin – Freshman

Coaches 2021 Clemson Tigers softball coaching staffJohn Rittman – Head coach – 2nd season Kyle Jamieson – Assistant coach – 2nd season Courtney Breault – Assistant coach – 2nd season Reese Jacobs – Volunteer assistant coach – 2nd season

Schedule Legend Clemson win Clemson loss CancellationBoldClemson team member * Non-Conference game † Make-Up Game

{| class="toccolours" width=95% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center" |- ! colspan=2 style="" | 2021 Clemson Tigers softball game log |- ! colspan=2 style="" | Regular season |- valign="top" | February (9–2) Date Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record ACC record Feb 12 vs * Pruitt Softball Complex • Jacksonville, FL W 11–0 (5) Cagle (1–0) Leonard (0–1) — 50 1–0 – Feb 12 vs * Pruitt Softball Complex • Jacksonville, FL W 4–3 Spencer (1–0) Dyhr (0–1) Cagle (1) 59 2–0 – Feb 13 vs Illinois State* Pruitt Softball Complex • Jacksonville, FL Canceled Feb 14 at * Pruitt Softball Complex • Jacksonville, FL Canceled Feb 18 No. 14 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 8–1 Cagle (2–0) Rochard (2–1) — 234 3–0 1–0 Feb 19 No. 14 Virginia Tech McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC L 0–9 (5) Rosenberry (2–0) Cagle (2–1) None 372 3–1 1–1 Feb 19 No. 14 Virginia Tech McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC L 1–4 Rochard (3–1) Thompson (0–1) None 372 3–2 1–2 Feb 20 at Shirley Clements Mewborn Field • Atlanta, GA W 5–2 Cagle (3–1) Neleman (3–2) None 88 4–2 2–2 Feb 21 at Georgia Tech Shirley Clements Mewborn Field • Atlanta, GA W 5–3 Spencer (2–0) McPherson (0–2) Thompson (1) 88 5–2 3–2 Feb 21 at Georgia Tech Shirley Clements Mewborn Field • Atlanta, GA W 5–4 Cagle (4–1) Ray (1–1) None 88 6–2 4–2 Feb 27 * McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 3–0 Cagle (5–1) Quinn (2–1) None 372 7–2 4–2 Feb 27 Elon McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 10–0 (5) Spencer (3–0) Nemeth (0–1) None 372 8–2 4–2 Feb 28 Elon McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 8–0 (5) Cagle (6–1) McKenzie (0–1) None 372 9–2 4–2 March (13–2) Date Rank Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record ACC record Mar 5 at Palmer Park • Charlottesville, VA W 9–1 (5) Cagle (7–1) Murphy (1–1) None 117 10–2 5–2 Mar 6 at Virginia Palmer Park • Charlottesville, VA W 5–3 Whitfield (1–0) Wooten (1–1) Cagle (2) 0 11–2 6–2 Mar 6 at Virginia Palmer Park • Charlottesville, VA W 4–2 Spencer (4–0) Grube (0–1) Cagle (3) 145 12–2 7–2 Mar 7 at Virginia Palmer Park • Charlottesville, VA W 8–1 Cagle (8–1) Houge (2–2) None 148 13–2 8–2 Mar 12 No. 25 * McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 8–0 (6) Cagle (9–1) Tufts (3–4) None 372 14–2 8–2 Mar 13 No. 25 Furman* McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 5–0 Thompson (1–1) Tufts (3–5) None 372 15–2 8–2 Mar 13 No. 25 Furman* McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 8–1 Cagle (10–1) Basso (0–3) None 372 16–2 8–2 Mar 19 No. 23 at Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY W 4–0 (11) Cagle (11–1) Leonhardt (0–3) None 134 17–2 9–2 Mar 20 No. 23 at Louisville Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY W 2–1 Thompson (2–1) Roby (5–4) None 0 18–2 10–2 Mar 20 No. 23 at Louisville Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY W 6–1 Spencer (5–0) Holloway (3–3) None 234 19–2 11–2 Mar 21 No. 23 at Louisville Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY W 4–2 Cagle (12–1) Roby (5–5) None 317 20–2 12–2 Mar 26 No. 20 No. 11 McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC L 0–2 St. George (11–0) Cagle (12–2) None 372 20–3 12–3 Mar 26 No. 20 No. 11 Duke McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC L 1–3 Walters (10–0) Cagle (12–3) None 372 20–4 12–4 Mar 27 No. 20 No. 11 Duke McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 4–1 Cagle (13–3) St. George (11–1) None 372 21–4 13–4 Mar 28 No. 20 No. 11 Duke McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC W 4–2 Thompson (3–1) Walters (10–1) Cagle (4) 372 22–4 14–4 {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="margin:auto; width:100%; text-align:center; font-size:95%" ! colspan=12 style="padding-left:4em;" | April (15–0) |- ! Date ! Rank ! Opponent ! Site/stadium ! Score ! Win ! Loss ! Save ! Attendance ! Overall record ! ACC record |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 1 || No. 18 || || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 4–1 || Cagle (14–3) || Pickett (8–5) || None || 372 || 23–4 || 15–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 2 || No. 18 || North Carolina || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 6–1 || Thompson (4–1) || Pickett (8–6) || None || 372 || 24–4 || 16–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 2 || No. 18 || North Carolina || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 12–1 (5) || Cagle (15–3) || Olinger (0–2) || None || 372 || 25–4 || 17–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 3 || No. 18 || North Carolina || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 9–1 (6) || Cagle (16–3) || Olinger (0–3) || None || 372 || 26–4 || 18–4 |- style="background:#bbb;" | Apr 9 || No. 18 || at || Melissa Cook Stadium • Notre Dame, IN || colspan=7 rowspan=4 | Postponed due to COVID-19 |- style="background:#bbb;" | Apr 10 || No. 18 || at Notre Dame || Melissa Cook Stadium • Notre Dame, IN |- style="background:#bbb;" | Apr 10 || No. 18 || at Notre Dame || Melissa Cook Stadium • Notre Dame, IN |- style="background:#bbb;" | Apr 11 || No. 18 || at Notre Dame || Melissa Cook Stadium • Notre Dame, IN |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 13 || No. 17 || * || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 9–0 (5) || Cagle (17–3) || Watson (11–9) || None || 372 || 27–4 || 18–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 13 || No. 17 || Winthrop* || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 6–2 || Thompson (5–1) || Weixlmann (7–7) || None || 372 || 28–4 || 18–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 16 || No. 17 || || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 6–0 || Cagle (18–3) || Anderson (5–12) || None || 372 || 29–4 || 19–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 17 || No. 17 || Boston College || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 10–2 (6) || Thompson (6–1) || Anderson (5–13) || None || 372 || 30–4 || 20–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 17 || No. 17 || Boston College || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 4–3 (9) || Cagle (19–3) || Anderson (5–14) || None || 372 || 31–4 || 21–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 18 || No. 17 || Boston College || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 6–0 || Cagle (20–3) || Schnackenberg (2–1) || None || 372 || 32–4 || 22–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 21 || No. 16 || at * || Beckham Field • Columbia, SC || W 6–0 || Cagle (21–3) || Drotar (3–6) || None || 400 || 33–4 || 22–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 23 || No. 16 || || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 9–3 || Cagle (22–3) || Czech (3–3) || None || 474 || 34–4 || 23–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 23 || No. 16 || NC State || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 4–3 || Spencer (6–0) || Nester (7–7) || None || 474 || 35–4 || 24–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 25 || No. 16 || NC State || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 4–3 || Cagle (23–3) || Trahan (11–6) || None'' || 474 || 36–4 || 25–4 |- style="background:#bfb;" | Apr 25 || No. 16 || NC State || McWhorter Stadium • Clemson, SC || W 4–3 || Thompson (7–1) || Czech (3–4) || Cagle (5) || 474 || 37–4 || 26–4 |} May (3–1) Date Rank Opponent Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record ACC record May 7 No. 13 at Skytop Softball Stadium • Syracuse, NY W 4–2 Cagle (24–3) Romero (7–9) None 23 38–4 27–4 May 8 No. 13 at Syracuse Skytop Softball Stadium • Syracuse, NY W 4–2 Thompson (8–1) Hendrix (3–3) Spencer (1) 24 39–4 28–4 May 8 No. 13 at Syracuse Skytop Softball Stadium • Syracuse, NY L 6–7 Romero (8–9) Cagle (24–4) None 24 39–5 28–5 May 9 No. 13 at Syracuse Skytop Softball Stadium • Syracuse, NY W 19–2 Thompson (9–1) Oliver (7–10) None 29 40–5 28–5 |- ! colspan=2 style="" | Postseason

(2–1) Date Seed Rank Opponent Opponent Seed Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record Tournament record May 13 1 No. 13 Georgia Tech 9 Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY W 2–0 Cagle (25–4) Neleman (12–8) None 276 41–5 1–0 May 14 1 No. 13 No. 20 Virginia Tech 4 Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY W 2–0 Cagle (26–4) Rochard (25–8) None 328 42–5 2–0 May 15 1 No. 13 No. 21 Duke 3 Ulmer Stadium • Louisville, KY L 0–1 Walters (17–3) Cagle (26–5) St. George (4) 485 42–6 2–1

(2–2) Date Opponent Seed Opponent Seed Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Record May 21 3 vs. Troy 2 No. 13 Rhoads Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL W 8–0 (5) Cagle (27–5) Leanna (20–8) None 2,912 43–6 1–0 May 22 1 at No. 3 Alabama 2 No. 13 Rhoads Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL L 0–6 Fouts (23–3) Cagle (27–6) None 2,987 43–7 1–1 May 22 3 vs. Troy 2 No. 13 Rhoads Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL W 4–2 Cagle (28–6) Baker (7–6) None 2,987 44–7 2–1 May 23 1 at No. 3 Alabama 2 No. 13 Rhoads Stadium • Tuscaloosa, AL L 0–5 Fouts (24–3) Cagle (28–7) None 3,044 44–8 2–2

Note: All rankings shown are from the NFCA/USA Today poll.

Rankings *''' Softball America released a poll on May 25, 2021, during the NCAA tournament while all other polls did not release a poll. Pre-tournament rankings for NCFA, USA, and D1 Softball are shown for week 15 rankings.

References