If you listen to any softball broadcast, read any softball article, or have simply just come out from under your non-softball rock, you have heard the name Valerie Cagle. She’s the reigning national player of the year, and she is rounding out her hall-of-fame career as a Clemson Softball Tiger. Despite her short hiatus of missing games due to injury, she’s back in uniform – and ready to take Clemson to its biggest and brightest destination yet. But is it too little too late?
We – as well as many others – have written about what Valerie Cagle’s absence – both literally and somewhat statistically – has meant for the story of this year’s Tiger team. In games that Cagle has not played, the Tigers are 6-4. More than that, her most recent stretch of games – missing 5 games in a row – created more questions about her overall play heading into the final stretch of the 2024 season. Would she return in time to help in the postseason? Would she join the team for the end of the year at all?
Question no more. Seeing Cagle’s name in the starting lineup for Friday’s series opener against Notre Dame in South Bend was a welcomed sight for Clemson fans’ sore eyes. And she didn’t take long to make her presence felt.
Leading 3-2 in the top of the fifth, Cagle would take her second at-bat against Irish pitching deep for a 2-run home run way out and above the right field pole.
Coach John Rittman always gives a congratulatory handshake to any Tiger that hits a home run as they round third, but this one seemed to have a little more “juice.” He knows what that meant for this team, and, maybe more importantly, Valerie’s confidence.
She’s a generational type of talent, and as her coach and as her teammates its really fun to watch her play every day.
Coach John Rittman
It is that generational talent that this version of Clemson Softball is going to need down the stretch. As of this writing, the Tigers sit at #23 in the NCAA Softball RPI rankings – a key indicator on where you stand headed into postseason play. To host a super regional in the national tournament, you need to be selected as a top-8 seed. To host a regional, you are hoping for a top-16 selection. Clemson fans would love nothing more than to host a regional at McWhorter Stadium for the third year in a row, but with the current results as they stand (31-15, 13-8), the Tigers will need a special type of finish to add some home games to the end of the year. Cagle’s availability – and with that, her ability – will play a key role in making that happen.
In Clemson’s series win against the Fighting Irish, Cagle had a good day at the plate in game one (2-4, HR, 2 RBI), a so-so game two (1-3, 2 BB), and a pedestrian game three (1-4, 2 K). Pitching, it was a mixed bag for Saturday’s appearance (W, 7.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 6 K, CG). As expected, it may take a moment for Valerie to get back to her expected consistency at the plate and in the circle. But if the career numbers say anything about where she will even out, all systems look to be a “go” for the final few games of her career (.385 AVG, 66 HR; 1.71 ERA, 86 W, 808 K).
So, what’s next for this year’s campaign? Look for Cagle and the Tigers to push the Louisville Cardinals during the final regular-season weekend of the year (Friday, 6pm on ACCNX), followed by a visit to Durham for the ACC Tournament. Clemson will most likely fall between the fourth and fifth seeds, which will in turn determine their path to a potential conference title (the first tournament championship in program history). More importantly, to continue to boost the RPI, some dates with some highly ranked foes – Florida State, a rematch against Duke (with Cagle fully healthy this time around), or a game versus Virginia – another revenge spot for the Tigers as well as a team that is peaking of late.
If the Tigers can claw their way into a deep ACC tourney run, a national tournament with this experienced team of Cagle, McKenzie Clark, Alia Logoleo, Millie Thompson, Regan Spencer, and others, would pay dividends. And, just maybe, take 2024 Clemson Softball to the mountaintop. If any of those things are to happen, the all-world softball player Valerie Cagle will have a lot, and need to bring a lot, to say about it.
