A first look at Clemson softball ahead of midweek matchup against South Carolina

Regardless of whether it is contested on a field, court or diamond, any matchup between South Carolina and Clemson will be a highly-anticipated affair. And much like several of the matchups played over the last year, this one will be another top-25 matchup.

The Gamecocks and Tigers are set to renew their rivalry in Columbia after both teams have gotten off to positive starts to the 2025 season. Here’s what Clemson brings to the table.

Stay on top of all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer today!

How they got here

The Tigers head into Tuesday’s game with a 24-9 record, including a 6-3 mark in ACC play. Much of that success has come as of late, as the team stumbled out of the gate.

Clemson played in five games in each of its first two regular season tournaments of the year – the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton and the Shriner’s Children’s Clearwater Invitational. The Tigers went 3-2 in the former tournament but won just one game in the latter. They suffered four consecutive losses to Missouri, Kentucky, Auburn, and UCF before claiming a win over Ohio State.

With a 4-6 record in tow, Clemson looked ahead for an opportunity to rebound. It did so in a big way, rattling off 14 straight wins in a run that extended into the start of conference play. A series loss to Duke put that streak to an end, but the Tigers promptly responded with two wins against North Carolina.

Clemson’s new win streak has since extended to five games after an undefeated week. The Tigers claimed a 14-1 run-rule win over Fordham before sweeping Syracuse on the road this past weekend.

Last time out

The South Carolina-Clemson rivalry has only recently emerged on the softball diamond. The two teams faced off just once before the 2020s – in a game that resulted in a 24-5 win for the Gamecocks on April 21, 1979.

Since then, the series has been all Tigers. Clemson now owns a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series, as well as bragging rights from the two squads’ most recent matchup.

The Tigers claimed a 7-0 win over South Carolina when the two teams last played each other on April 9th of last year. Clemson spread out its offense over the course of the game, scoring two runs in the second inning, one each in the third and fifth, and three more runs in the seventh. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, could not generate much firepower on offense, going a combined 5-26 at the plate.

South Carolina did earn its second-ever win in the rivalry by a 6-4 score in the two squads’ other matchup last year, though. Jen Cummings provided much of the Gamecocks’ run-scoring offense, going 2-5 with two RBI. Both Carlie Henderson (3-5) and Giulia Desiderio (2-3) also had multi-hit performances at the plate.

But it wasn’t until the 12th inning that South Carolina pulled ahead with the lead. With one out and the bases loaded, Denver Bryant brought a run home to score on a fielder’s choice to make it a 4-3 ball game. Riley Blampied came up to bat next with the bases still loaded, and she roped a two-run single up the middle to extend the Gamecocks’ lead to three.

The Tigers responded with a run in the bottom of the frame, but their comeback attempt would come up short. Alana Vawter, South Carolina’s starting pitcher, threw 153 total pitches across 12 innings of work, allowing eight hits and three earned runs while striking out two batters.

Where they sit in the rankings

There are four major polls in NCAA softball: D1Softball, Softball America, ESPN.com/USA Softball and NFCA Coaches. Clemson appeared in two of them.

D1Softball listed the Tigers as the No. 23 team in the country, a jump from being unranked last week. Softball America similarly did not rank Clemson last week but put the team at No. 25 in its rankings.

Neither the ESPN.com/USA Softball or NFCA Coaches polls ranked the Tigers in their respective lists, but they received votes in both. Clemson received 14 votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and one from the NFCA Coaches poll. Had these rankings extended beyond 25 teams, the Tigers would have placed 28th and 35th, respectively.

Players to watch

Maddie Moore (Senior, infielder) – Moore has shown drastic improvement in her hitting metrics over the past three seasons. Between her sophomore and junior years, her batting average increased by over 100 points (from .264 to .368). Should she continue hitting at her current pace, Moore is expected to do so again. She currently leads the team with a .473 batting average, which places her 23rd overall in the country. Moore has also hit eight home runs, driven in 37 runs, and scored 31 more herself.

Reese Basinger (Senior, pitcher) – After spending the first three years of her college softball career at Winthrop, Basinger has emerged as a bright spot in the circle for Clemson. She has pitched to a 10-3 record and a 2.02 earned run average across 21 appearances (13 starts) and 90 innings pitched. Basinger has also struck out nearly three times as many batters (76) as she has walked (26). While she has yet to be called upon to hit this season, she showcased her prowess at the plate last year with the Eagles, where she had a .262 batting average, two home runs, and 26 RBI.

Julia Knowler (Sophomore, infielder) – Knowler may not be one of the team’s .400-plus hitters, but she provides plenty of power to the Tigers’ lineup. Knowler leads the team in both home runs (10) and RBI (40), while also making a lot of contact (.355 batting average). Her slugging percentage (.736) is only behind that of Moore, and her OPS (1.127) ranks third on the team.

Game details

South Carolina and Clemson will play the first game of their Palmetto Series tilt on Tuesday at Beckham Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., and the game will be available for streaming on SEC Network Plus.

Visit GamecockCentral’s exclusive Gamecocks-only, no-trolls message board!