What time is Clemson kickoff?

The Clemson softball team knows its postseason journey begins on Thursday in Boston. But who will the Tigers play in that first game?

We’ll find that out Wednesday evening, after Virginia faces off against Louisville in the ACC tournament -- with the winner advancing to play against the Tigers at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Clemson has had a remarkable season, finishing the regular season 41-12 overall and 19-5 in the ACC to earn the second seed for this week’s tournament.

The Tigers have hit 77 home runs, while giving up just 41. Let's take a look at why this team is deep in talent.

Seniors Drive Clemson Softball's Turnaround in 2025

The team's senior leadership stood out this season with plenty of help from the freshman class, a powerful sophomore and two key transfers to keep the momentum going this season for Clemson’s young program. That came to light as the squad recovered from a 3-6 start to its season. 

Let’s take a look at the key contributions from four of those seniors.

• Maddie Moore: Moore has had an All-America-type season, batting .434 with 15 home runs and 61 RBI.
• Alex Brown: Brown is hitting .431 with 61 runs scored and 34 RBI out of the leadoff spot. 
  
• Aby Vieira: The catcher has had her healthiest season with the program with three home runs and 30 RBI while continuing to be a rock behind the plate, starting every game.
• Brooke McCubbin: The pitcher has stepped into a larger role, going 13-5 with a 2.75 ERA in 31 appearances, including 18 starts. 
  

Julia Knowler Leads Tigers Youth Movement

Add to that core of talent a powerful sophomore: Julia Knowler, who was injured for much of her freshman season. Knowler has come on strong, batting .322 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI and serving as a big piece of Clemson’s power lineup.

Then there are several freshmen who have contributed quickly.

• Marian Collins: She has started every game at shortstop, batting .345 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI, and no Clemson fan will forget her walk-on home run against South Carolina any time soon.  
• Macey Cintron: She has started 52 games, batting .316 with 13 home runs and 48 RBI, and is 8-2 on the mound in 22 appearances, including seven starts. Cintron is one of the game’s rising two-way players.
• Ava Wilson: She has batted .253 with six home runs and 21 RBI, while making 32 starts..
  
• Sam Minish: She has batted .279 while making 29 starts. 
• Taylor Pipkins: She has batted .293 while making 22 starts. 
  

Clemson Transfers Add Big Contributions

Two more new faces have made a big impact as transfers: Jamison Brockenbrough and Reese Basinger.

Brockenbrough has started 51 times and has been stellar in center field while batting .344 with 42 runs scored and solidifying the bottom of the lineup. 

And in her first season with the program, Reese Basinger stepped right into the lead role on the pitching staff with a 16-5 record and 2.99 ERA in 35 appearances, including 26 starts.

A roster that looked shaky to start the season now looks like it could do some real damage this postseason, with all the pieces in sync.

Complete ACC Softball Tournament Schedule

The ACC Network will broadcast all of the games until the championship game, which will be broadcast by ESPN.


Wednesday
Game 1: No. 8 Georgia Tech vs. No. 9 California, 11 a.m. 
Game 2: No. 5 Stanford vs. No. 12 Pitt, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 7 Virginia vs. No. 10 Louisville, 5 p.m.
Game 4: No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. 


Thursday
Game 5: No. 1 Florida State vs. Game 1 winner, 11 a.m.
Game 6: No. 4 Duke vs. Game 2 winner, 1:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 2 Clemson vs. Game 3 winner, 5 p.m. 
Game 8: No. 3 Virginia Tech vs. Game 4 winner, 7:30 p.m.


Friday
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 1 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 3:30 p.m.


Saturday, May 10
Championship: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 2:30 p.m.

Hey, Clemson Family -- Cade Klubnik finds himself on much stronger footing coming out of spring practice, we'll talk about how that changes the outlook for the Tigers. And at the same time, the defense is thriving on a new energy source in defensive coordinator Tom Allen. Plus: Men's basketball welcomes a new transfer in Jake Wahlin, right on the heels of Butta Johnson choosing Clemson. And the baseball and softball teams are in top gear just weeks away from the postseason, find out why Erik Bakich needs to find some help for Aidan Knaak though.  We're glad you found us!

The Clemson baseball team’s trip to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech highlights a full schedule of action for Tigers’s spring teams this weekend.
Clemson (24-4, 4-2 ACC) has gone 3-2 in its past five games while the Tigers are searching for some answers in their starting rotation and at the bottom of the lineup. They're also looking for some power throughout the lineup. 
At the top of the pitching rotation, Aidan Knaak has been outstanding. The sophomore is 4-0 with a 3.41 ERA and 54 strikeouts in six starts (31-⅔ innings).

Caption: Aiden Knaak has keyed Clemson's pitching this season (credit: YouTube.com/@ClemsonSportsInfo).

Starter Ethan Darden is 3-1 with a 3.77 ERA but has been shaky at best during his last two outings. Closer Lucas Mahlstedt has eight saves in 10 outings. But other than that, there are a lot of questions about the pitching staff.
The Tigers have four regulars batting better than .300 (led by Jarren Purify at .369, Cam Cannarella, Dominic Listi and Luke Gaffney), but the rest of the regular lineup is struggling. And Clemson has only 27 home runs.
Georgia Tech (21-4, 7-2) comes into the ACC showdown with seven regulars batting better than .300, led by Kent Schmidt (.415) and Carson Kerce (.400), and the Yellow Jackets have hit 37 home runs. Tate McKee, the Yellow Jackets’ top starting pitcher, boasts a 4-0 record and a 2.97 ERA in six starts.
The series starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Also this weekend:
Softball (24-10, 6-3): vs. Cal (25-7, 6-3), 6 p.m. on Friday; 6 p.m. on Saturday; 11 a.m. on Sunday
Lacrosse (8-4, 3-2): vs. Cal (5-6, 0-5), Noon on Saturday
Men’s tennis (17-3, 6-2): vs. Wake Forest (26-0, 8-0), 5 p.m. on Friday; vs. N.C. State (16-4, 8-0), Noon on Sunday
Women’s tennis (13-6, 3-4): at N.C. State (9-5, 4-2), 3 p.m. on Friday; at Wake Forest (12-7, 2-4), Noon on Sunday

What will Clemson’s men’s basketball roster look like for the 2025-26 season? That’s the question Tigers fans are looking for answers for after the team’s ugly performance in the NCAA Tournament first round and the several departures in the first few days of the transfer portal window. 
It’s hard to have a true answer because we don’t know who will be joining the program, but let’s take a look at where things stand:
First, the departures (more could follow): Chauncey Wiggins, Del Jones, Asa Thomas and Jackson Roberts. There’s not much there in terms of losses. Thomas and Jones leaving was a surprise, Wiggins leaving was not, and Roberts was a walk-on, so we won’t worry about him too much.
Wiggins had a disappointing season, lost his spot in the starting lineup and generally regressed from last year. Thomas never got a shot with the program, so we’ll never know what he could have been. Was he really worse than Jake Heidbreder? If so, he can’t be considered a loss. 
Then there’s Jones, who showed flashes during his freshman season (Who knew a freshman was allowed to play?). It’s disappointing to see Jones leave. There is potential there, and we don’t know why he jumped into the portal. We’ll leave the speculation for others.
So, who is returning?
Dillon Hunter looks like the leader of next year’s roster, and he can handle that role. But can he turn into a scorer next season and be “the guy?” That will be a big storyline for that team. 
Heidbreder is supposed to be a talented shooter, but he didn’t fill that role this season and is a big-time liability on defense. Christian Reeves is a liability on offense, but he can rebound and play defense. Heidbreder and Reeves still could leave, too, but would they be considered losses?
And … that’s it. 
It doesn’t sound very promising, does it? 
Then there are the new faces: Dallas Thomas and Ace Buckner redshirted this season, and you have to wonder if they will get any meaningful minutes next year. It would be wise for the coaches to stop redshirting players if they’re not going to get them any minutes the following year and have them walk away. We saw this year how much depth is needed at the end of the season, especially when there’s a key injury. 
Zac Foster, Chase Thompson and Trent Steinour make up a talented signing class, but again, you have to wonder if they actually will get any minutes. Maybe this is the group that changes that, and it really can have an immediate, big-time impact on the program. It would be nice to see these young players form the core of the program, but first, they have to get on the court.
With the new roster limits coming for men’s basketball (15 reportedly will be the number), Brad Brownell and his staff could look for as many as nine players to fill out the roster. That’s … a lot, especially in a coach’s 15th year with the program. 
We’ll see where the staff turns and who it brings in, but this new group needs to be more athletic with better shooting than what we saw in the NCAA Tournament. If not, next year could be rough, and there will be a drop in the ACC standings with a longshot chance at getting back into March Madness.
We're glad you found us -- be sure to watch on YouTube so you can share your reactions in the comments, and find us on social media @ClemsonKickoff!