Coach says ACC champ Tigers have proven they can compete with anybody

Clemson softball has a lot to smile about. (Clemson athletics photo)

by Zachary Wagner - Correspondent - Sun May 09 15:42:58 GMT-04:00 2021

John Rittman's expectations rose as he watched his team come together this season.

“At the beginning of the year, no way,” the second-year Clemson softball coach said when asked if he thought the Tigers would be where they are Sunday, the 2021 ACC Regular Season Champions. “Once we started playing and having success and confidence, then you’re like, 'OK, let's do this.'"

Rittman and company secured the championship with a resounding win over Syracuse in a must-win game, 19-2. Clemson, which was playing in just its 72nd game in program history, locked up the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament next week in Louisville where they will play the winner between the No. 8 and No. 9 seed matchup on Thursday morning.

“Just super happy for our players, our staff, and anyone who’s been involved with building this program from day one,” Rittman said. “Words can’t describe how we’re feeling right now, to be ACC Champs and just the ride that we’ve been on. We have really come together as a family and I think it shows in how we play on the field, and the way we conduct ourselves off the field.”

Rittman, who won a championship previously with Stanford as a head coach and multiple as an assistant, knows what the accomplishment means, especially while at Clemson.

“It’s special,” said Rittman. “You learn from your failures and you learn from your past and you grow as a person. Personally, to be in this situation is a blessing and I’m so grateful to be at Clemson, I’m so grateful for the people I get to work with. This is so meaningful to myself and my family, as well as our players and staff.”

While the head coach said words cannot describe how he’s feeling at the moment, he did clue into just how surreal it is for him.

“It’s like I’ve said in a few interviews this year, I literally have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure this is real,” Rittman said of his emotions following the win. “I have to pinch myself because of the success that we’re having.”

Clemson finishes the season with a 40-5 record and reaches the coveted 40-win season mark and secures the No. 1 seed with a 29-5 mark in conference play. The road wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows though according to the head coach.

“We went on our first winning streak and then our next losses came against a very good Duke team,” Rittman said when asked when he knew his team had “it” in them. “We lost two games in a doubleheader and at that time you kind of question, ‘Are we good enough -- did we just get lucky?’ But our team bounced back and we won the next two. That’s when I said: ‘OK, we can compete against anybody in the country.'"

Rittman said the buses were rocking Sunday morning on the ride over to the field from the hotel, but once the game began, he knew his team was locked in.

With the ACC crown on the line, Rittman decided to put the season on the line with a true freshman in Millie Thompson in the circle. Thompson secured her ninth consecutive win and struck out seven while allowing two runs.

“I was very confident in throwing Millie, I went to bed last night fairly confident we were going to throw her,” Rittman said of his freshman left-hander. “We don’t go on these win streaks and we don’t do what we do without Millie (Thompson) and Regan (Spencer). Valerie (Cagle) is obviously a huge part of our success, but today, Coach Jamieson and myself and all of us were comfortable throwing her. We knew that she would keep us in the game and she pitched her butt off and Regan’s right there and that’s why we have been so successful.”

The Tigers will travel back to Clemson Sunday and have Monday off before beginning to prepare for the ACC Tournament on Tuesday. The team will travel to Louisville as the No. 1 seed on Wednesday and play the winner of the 8/9 game on Thursday morning at 11 a.m. and can be seen on ACC Network.