Clemson softball picked sixth, three Tigers make preseason All-ACC

Valerie Cagle impressed as a freshman last year.

by Press Release - Thu Jan 28 16:14:58 GMT-04:00 2021

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Florida State leads all ACC teams with four selections to the 2021 Preseason All-ACC Softball Team and has been selected as the 2021 ACC preseason favorite in a vote of the league’s 13 head coaches.

The Seminoles, who have won the last six ACC Softball Championships, received nine first-place votes. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.

Virginia Tech finished second in the poll with 136 points and four first-place votes, while Notre Dame was picked third with 114 points. Duke (99 points), North Carolina (96 points) and Clemson (88 points) were slated fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Louisville was picked seventh with 81 points, followed by NC State (78 points), Georgia Tech (61 points) and Syracuse in 10th with 39 points. Pitt finished with 31 points for 11th, and Virginia (28 points) and Boston College (22 points) rounded out the voting.

Virginia Tech and Clemson each have three representatives on the team, while Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Notre Dame each have one selection.

The preseason squad includes nine players named to the 2020 Preseason All-ACC Softball team. Five members were named 2019 First Team All-ACC, two of which were named to the All-Freshman Team, and two 2019 Second Team All-ACC selections. There was no 2020 All-ACC Softball team due to the COVID-shortened season.

The Preseason All-ACC Softball Team is voted on by the league's head coaches and consists of a minimum of 14 players. Each ballot was comprised of five infielders, four outfielders, three pitchers, a catcher and either a designated player or utility player.

2021 Preseason All-ACC Softball Team

Hannah Goodwin, Clemson, R-Fr., IF

DJ Davis, Duke, Sr., IF

Sydney Sherrill, Florida State, Jr., IF

Katie Marino, Notre Dame, Gr., IF

Kelsey Bennett, Virginia Tech, So., IF

Marissa Guimbarda, Clemson, Jr., OF

Dani Morgan, Florida State, Sr., OF

Taty Forbes, NC State, Sr., OF

Jayme Bailey, Virginia Tech, So., OF

Caylan Arnold, Florida State, Sr., P

Brittany Pickett, North Carolina, Sr., P

Keely Rochard, Virginia Tech, Jr., P

Anna Shelnutt, Florida State, Sr., C

Valerie Cagle, Clemson, R-Fr., UT

2021 ACC Softball Preseason Coaches Poll

Florida State (141 points, nine first-place votes)

Virginia Tech (136 points, four first-place votes)

Notre Dame (114 points)

Duke (99 points)

North Carolina (96 points)

Clemson (88 points)

Louisville (81 points)

NC State (78 points)

Georgia Tech (61 points)

Syracuse (39 points)

Pitt (31 points)

Virginia (28 points)

Boston College (22 points)

Cagle profile

Cagle dominated as a true freshman for the Tigers in 2020. Having started in all 27 games last season, including 13 starts in the circle, Cagle hit .376 and was tenth in the nation in home runs (10), making her the only freshman in the country with double-digit homers. She was also second in the nation and led the league with 36 RBIs. Last season, Cagle was the only player in the conference to earn ACC Player of the Week honors on two occasions (Feb. 18 & March 3). The Yorktown, Virginia native was also one of four players in the country to record eight RBIs in a single game. Her eight RBIs came in the Tigers’ second contest against Maryland in which she posted one of her two grand slams on the season. Cagle was also stout for the Tigers in the circle after tossing a team-best eight complete games and was instrumental in holding then-No. 14 Georgia to just one run in Clemson’s first-ever ranked win. Since all 2020 spring student-athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, Cagle was tabbed the No. 2 freshman in the country – for this upcoming season – according to SoftballAmerica.com and was named a 2021 Preseason Second Team All-American by D1Softball.com.

Goodwin profile

Goodwin started at shortshop in 26 games for the Tigers last season. She led the team and was second in the ACC with a .385 batting average. Goodwin was also second on the team and ninth in the conference in on-base percentage (.448). Last season, the West Columbia, South Carolina native hit game-winning home runs on two occasions, including the program’s first-ever homer in its inaugural contest against St. John’s, which the Tigers won, 6-2. In addition to coming up clutch on multiple occasions, Goodwin was a model of consistency at the plate, orchestrating both nine-game and eight-game hitting streaks in 2020.

Guimbarda profile

Guimbarda hit cleanup for Clemson last season. The transfer from Furman University started in all 27 games and hit .355 on the season. Guimbarda tied for fourth in the nation with an ACC-leading 11 home runs, which was on pace for 22 before the season was abruptly cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Suwanee, Georgia native was also second in the conference and 12th in the nation with 31 RBIs on the season. Additionally, Guimbarda led the ACC with an .868 slugging percentage, which was good for 22nd in the nation last year. Guimbarda was named ACC Player of the Week on March 10 after hitting .615 against Charlotte and Pitt in route to helping the Tigers win their second ACC series of the season. This season, Guimbarda was ranked No. 11 among all juniors in the nation, according to SoftballAmerica.com.