Why Not Us? Confident Clemson team headed to Oklahoma

Clemson seeks its first-ever Super Regional win against the nation's most dominant teams lately with Oklahoma.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Thu May 25 07:00:21 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Why not us?

Sure, Oklahoma has an incredible record of 54-1, the best pitching staff country and a perfect home record, but who better to break a streak than the Clemson Tigers?

When asked about the task that lies ahead in the NCAA Super Regional in Norman, Oklahoma, head softball coach John Rittman said the Sooners are no different than the Tigers and both teams prepare the same way.

“Why not us? Really, why not us? They've got a winning streak going and, and they're a great program,” Rittman said before the Tigers departed McWhorter Stadium. “There's no question about it. Great players, great coaches. There's a reason they're number one in the country, but like I mentioned earlier, the game doesn't know who's supposed to win. That's why we play the game. We're going to go out there and give it our best shot.

“I think probably each individual player has a moment or a memory where they can draw back from. The biggest thing is as coaches, we don't put a lot of pressure on our players. Once the game starts, we let them go out and have fun and play the game, and that's the way it should be. The biggest thing is we're prepared. The game doesn't know who's supposed to win. They put their shoes and pants on just like we do. Certainly, it's going to be a big challenge for us, and we know we have to play our best softball to come out with victory this weekend.”

Clemson defeated Auburn twice last weekend to advance to the Super Regional, and Rittman said workouts in Clemson were what he expected out of his veteran team.

“Finished a great workout with our team. Just super excited to head to Norman, Oklahoma, for Super Regionals. I'm just really proud of our ball club the way we fought back last weekend to win the if game against a very good Auburn team, and looking forward to the challenge of facing the number one team in the country, Oklahoma,” Rittman said. “And, we're going to go up there and, give it our best shot. I know that, Like I said, we had a great workout this morning. Just really proud of our players, staff, everybody involved with our program to make it to our second Super Regional, in a short four-year period of our program.

"So just says a lot about our overall culture, our team, everybody that works with our program, and just very excited for the challenge of going up against Oklahoma this weekend.”

Playing against a top-notch opponent is nothing new for the Tigers.

“We've played in a lot of big games our program's short history and played in a lot of big games this year, so I know our team's up for the challenge,” Rittman said. “We are a team that plays relaxed. We really do, and we have a lot of fun when we play. This weekend's going to be no different. Obviously the stage is going to be different, but I think we're, we're well prepared for what lies ahead.”

Rittman said all of the pressure is on Oklahoma.

“Once the game starts, it all goes out the window. I think certainly nobody's given us a chance, really,” he said. “I mean, honestly, and I think that takes some pressure off of us to just go out and play our game. I think our team is accustomed to being on the road. We play in so many tough tournaments at the beginning of the year, and then our conference schedule prepares us for moments like this, so I think we'll be ready and, and obviously can draw back from the experience in Stillwater last year.”