Questions about Clemson Softball’s Valerie Cagle, reigning National Player of the Year, continue to dominate message boards and internet searches of softball fans around the country. And with good reason. With everything Cagle has done for Clemson and NCAA softball, everyone is genuinely concerned for her health after an injury, and concussion protocol has kept her sidelined. Less importantly, what does her health mean for the final stretch of the 2024 Tiger season?
The expectations for the 2024 Clemson Softball team are well-documented. After a tooth-and-nail fight with eventual back-to-back national champions Oklahoma in Norman during 2023’s Super Regionals, the Tigers had earned the respect of the softball world. And, with National Player of the Year Valerie Cagle coming back for her fifth and final year with the program, the set up for a return to the Super Regionals – and maybe even a trip to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City – was (and still is) within the realm of possibility and fair presupposition. With Val still in the fold, why not?
Just as in every sports season, a winning campaign comes with a good amount of dedication, skill, and a little bit of luck. For the Tigers, that luck hasn’t always fallen their way. When it comes to Valerie Cagle, that could be said to be true. Specifically, with injury.
During game two of Clemson’s road trip to New York against the Syracuse Orange, Cagle would attempt to catch a fly ball in foul territory from her position at first base. She’d make the grab, but not without reaching over, and running into, the nearby fence bordering the ball field. She’d take a moment, noticeably holding her side during the following pitches of the game, but seemed to be fine. Not many could have predicted what happened next.
Valerie would proceed to strike out twice at the plate, back to back – something no one is accustomed to seeing – and Coach John Rittman had seen enough to warrant worry. He’d take her from the field and the game, and that would be the last we’d see of Cagle for the series.
As the Tigers would go on to sweep the Orange in dominating fashion, questions would begin to arise about Valerie’s health moving forward, especially with the big week ahead (on the road facing the South Carolina Gamecocks, followed by a huge home conference tilt with ACC-leading Duke). During an interview on local sports radio the next day, Rittman would say that Cagle had been entered into concussion protocol and would be questionable for the weekend and definitely out for the South Carolina game.
The weekend would come – and Cagle would not be in the lineup, seen wearing street clothes, supposedly not cleared to play. Game two of the weekend would bring Senior Day for this storied Clemson Softball class. Surely Val would be playing on her Senior Day, right? Not so. Games two and three came and went, with Valerie still making no appearance in a uniform. Clemson would go on to lose all three games, with a significant miss of that reliable (albeit, the most reliable) arm in the bullpen and that steady bat at the plate.
Chalk up her absence to that bad luck coming home to roost. No big deal, she’d be back. Definitely for the ACC tournament, where the Tigers could exact some revenge on the Blue Devils, fully healthy – with Cagle in the lineup. Here’s where things get worrisome: Clemson would host Winthrop for a mid-week game that would mark the final regular season home game for this year’s season. Valerie would be seen dressed and ready to play, but not in the starting lineup. Even when the game wasn’t fully in hand heading into the later half of the game against the lowly Eagles, Cagle was not inserted to play in any capacity.
Making sure to be sensitive to whatever her injury may be, especially beyond softball, fans begin to wonder – right, wrong, or indifferent: Where’s Valerie? Is everything OK? Is she done playing for the Tigers for good? What’s the deal?
Some other questions that may be worth asking begin to surface. After her other-worldly 2023 campaign, 2024’s version of Cagle has not been quite as spectacular.
| Valerie Cagle, Pitcher | 2023 (full season) | 2024 (through 43 games) |
|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 66 | 33 |
| W-L | 25-8 | 7-5 |
| ERA | 1.56 | 2.43 |
| CG | 22 | 6 |
| K | 188 | 84 |
| Valerie Cagle, Hitter | 2023 (full season) | 2024 (through 43 games) |
|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 61 | 33 |
| Average | .469 | .364 |
| Hits | 83 | 39 |
| HR | 19 | 6 |
| K | 22 | 20 |
While the statistics may be misleading, based on games played and the variances that come with each appearance, the questions still remain: What gives? Some fans would speculate that now that Val has accomplished all she has accomplished, she is taking it much easier this year on herself. While a nice sentiment, it doesn’t necessarily reflect well on the field – or for the successes of her team. The Tigers are 29-14 through 43 games, when 2023’s team lost a total of 12 games all year – including the postseason. Granted, the 2024’s team’s schedule is much more difficult.
Softball is a team sport, so not all is on one player. However, it still warrants the question as to why – specifically, when it comes to Cagle’s play. Some uncharacteristic moments from the once seemingly invincible Shohei Ohtani clone would indicate some cause for concern: untimely runs given up in the circle, strikeouts at the plate in crucial moments, and an error or two to boot (most memorably against Furman, where a ball would fail to be fielding cleanly by Cagle at first, resulting in two runs by the Paladins. Clemson would go on to lose by one).
I’ve already done everything I wanted to do individually – This year I don’t really care… I’m way more team focused. Just taking that next step… But also this is year five. This was never supposed to happen, those expectations. It’s just all about playing with my teammates and really just enjoying this year and experiencing what this last year has for us.
Valerie Cagle, when asked about exceeding 2023’s lofty results
Sources close to the situation would suggest it’s less about any specific injury for Cagle, and more of a mental block that stands in the way. Changing her perspective and future-casting of life after Clemson may be affecting her approach to the game. Coach Rittman would say it is the opposite – The team is only giving her the space she needs to come back strong for a deep postseason run. When asked about her availability after the Winthrop game:
We’re not rushing her back. We want to make sure she’s ready to play.
Coach John Rittman on Valerie Cagle’s health, following the 4-0 win over Winthrop
A personal suggestion: Let’s extend Valerie some grace. She has done everything for this Clemson program – bringing it from its infancy to a national powerhouse in five short years (literally short, with 2020’s season cut short due to COVID). A statue to be erected outside of McWhorter Stadium, followed by a Ring of Honor nomination, should come in short order for Cagle when her time has come and gone in a Tiger uniform.
The Tigers, and all of their fans, continue to hope she can get back on the field – where we all know she wants to be – and bring a strong finish to an otherwise legendary career.
