Clemson begins supers vs. OSU two wins from College World Series

On3 imageby:Matt Connolly05/26/22

MattConnollyOn3

Clemson softball has already made plenty of history in its first three seasons as a program. The Tigers have an opportunity for their biggest moment yet over the next few days.

Clemson begins play in the super regionals against Oklahoma State on Thursday night, needing two wins to clinch a spot in the College World Series.

Game 1 is scheduled for Thursday at 9:15 p.m., with Game 2 scheduled for Friday at 8:45 p.m. If a Game 3 is needed, it will be played at a time to be announced later on Saturday.

“Definitely really excited to be a part of the super regionals, especially here in Stillwater. Very proud of our team and the effort that it’s taken to get this far in the NCAA tournament,” Tigers coach John Rittman said.

“We’ve had a great year. We’ve played a really tough schedule to prepare us for this moment. Looking forward to a great series against a great Oklahoma State team.”

No. 10 overall seed Clemson was matched up with Auburn, Louisiana and UNCW in its regional and came out on top to advance to its first super regional in program history.

No. 7 overall seed Oklahoma State came out of a regional that featured Nebraska, North Texas and Fordham to advance.

Clemson is 42-15 heading into the supers, while the Cowboys are 44-12.

“There are times when we have to pinch ourselves and make sure this is really happening. Certainly no one could predict this success as quick as we’ve had it,” Rittman said. “But we’ve worked really hard. We have a great group of players, a great culture. A lot of credit goes to our team. They’ve just really worked hard and believed and we’re here and excited about it.”

Clemson’s plan for advancing out of the super regionals is simple — the Tigers plan to play their game.

Rather than focusing on their opponent and how strong of a season Oklahoma State has had, Clemson is focusing on itself and doing the things that put the Tigers in this position.

“We’ve been in big games like this before,” sophomore Alia Logoleo said. “So trying not to make the game bigger than it is and just going out and playing our game rather than looking at our opponent and saying, ‘Oh, they can do this, they can do that.’ Well we can do it and we’re going to do it better.”

It’s clear that the Tigers are confident entering the matchup with Oklahoma State, and Rittman believes that his team is ready.

“They’re a well-coached team, great pitching depth, outstanding defense. And they hit the ball well. They’re a lot like us where offensively they struggled a little bit at times during the year, but they’re peaking at the right time,” Rittman said of the Cowboys.

“We’ve played a very difficult schedule this year. We’ve faced some of the top pitchers in the game, top offensive lineups in the game, and we’re prepared for this moment.”