John Rittman: Clemson softball cannot focus on careers nearing their end

Clemson suffered a heart-breaking defeat in the semifinals of the ACC Softball Tournament, losing to Duke 4-3 in a 10-inning affair. But the Tigers are postseason bound again.

It marks the fourth consecutive postseason appearance for the fledgling program.

“Obviously when you get to postseason it’s an exciting time of year,” coach John Rittman said. “We have 10 seniors that have been through an awful lot with our program.”

Clemson’s program launched in 2020, only to see the inaugural season canceled due to the onset of COVID-19 globally. Still, it was clear early on that the Tigers would be a contender under Rittman.

The program was 19-8 at the time of the COVID-19 cancellation, sporting a 5-1 mark in conference play. Everything since has reaffirmed that the Tigers are a program that’s here to stay.

Clemson has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years, reaching the Super Regional round in each of the last two years.

To get there this year, of course, Clemson will have to go through No. 14 national seed Alabama in the Tuscaloosa Regional. That’s never an easy proposition. To that end, Rittman is encouraging his players to keep a short memory.

“It’s like I tell our team, we have to live in the present,” Rittman said. “The past is the past and I know you start going toward the end of your playing career and the biggest thing we’ve got to do is try to avoid thinking about that.”

Clemson will open the double-elimination regional on Friday against Southeastern Louisiana. First pitch is currently slated for 2 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.

Alabama will host USC Upstate in the other half of the regional.

For the Tigers, Rittman just wants to keep a simple and singular focus in the postseason.

“We’ve got to think about the next game, the next opponent and keep our mind set on the present,” he said.