Clemson softball opens up the 2023 ACC Tournament play against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday in South Bend, IN at 7:30. North Carolina is the number 6 seed in the tournament and Clemson is slotted as the number 3 seed. This will be Clemson’s third trip to the ACC Tournament (no tournament in 2020 due to COVID). Clemson still has plenty of work to do in order to lock up a top 16 national seed, and regional hosting spot.
The NCAA selection show will follow all of the conference tournaments, going live on Sunday, May 14th at 7:30 pm on ESPN2. This opening game against the Tar Heels will be the beginning of the Tiger’s path to reaching their goal of getting to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series.
North Carolina has a total team batting average of .278 and is led by sophomore utility player Alex Brown who is hitting .406 on the year. Brown also has 4 home runs, 20 RBI, and 80 total bases. The Tar Heels have five total players hitting over .300 for the season. North Carolina will likely turn the ball over to sophomore Lilli Backes who has a team-high 14 complete games this season. She has a 16-13 overall record, 2.86 ERA, and 149 strikeouts.
Clemson Softball in ACC Tournament
Clemson is undefeated against North Carolina in the program’s short history, with the most recent matchup being in the 2022 season where Clemson completed the sweep in Chapel Hill by a score of 12-4. This will be the first matchup between Clemson and North Carolina in the ACC Tournament. The Tigers swept North Carolina in Clemson in 2021 during a four-game set in McWhorter Stadium and also swept the 2022 series in Chapel Hill.
Clemson will be led into this game by junior do-everything player Valerie Cagle who boasts a .468 batting average, adding 18 home runs, 53 RBI, and 143 total bases. Cagle is also the Tiger’s go-to on the mound with a record of 22-5, an ERA of 1.22, and 165 total strikeouts. Clemson’s lineup is one of the most dangerous in the country having a total team batting average of .320 and of the normal starters 6 are hitting .316 or better.
Clemson’s path in the tournament starts with North Carolina on Thursday, but the Tigers have some big challenges if they are able to get past the Tar Heels. Should Clemson win their opening game they would have a date with the winner of the Duke/Notre Dame or Georgia Tech game. For the easiest path to the championship game, It would be the path of least resistance if Duke were to be upset but to help bolster the Tiger’s resume it would be better if Duke wins and Clemson is able to take down the number 2 seed to advance to the championship game.
Clemson softball is yet to win an ACC Tournament Championship despite having very good runs in each of the tournaments they have been in. In the 2021 ACC Tournament Clemson was the number 1 seed and made it to the championship game where they would eventually fall to the Duke Blue Devils by a score of 1-0. In the 2022 ACC Softball Tournament Clemson came in as the number 5 seed and would make it all the way to the title game and would eventually fall to Florida State. Clemson has a team capable of making the championship game and they will look to change their title game luck and bring home the ACC crown, but it all starts with the opening game against North Carolina.
