Clemson softball rises in Coaches Poll after winning ACC opener
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Clemson softball opened ACC play by taking two of three from Georgia Tech over the weekend at McWhorter Stadium.
The Tigers' series win over the Yellow Jackets was enough to move coach John Rittman's team up in Tuesday's NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Clemson (16-8 overall, 2-1 conference) rose one spot to No. 24 in the rankings. The Tigers are ranked one spot ahead of Arizona State and one spot below rival South Carolina.
For the second week in a row, five ACC teams made the top 25 rankings. Florida State (21-4) remains the highest-ranked conference team at No. 7, followed by Virginia Tech (21-2) at No. 11. Virginia (22-2) rose two spots to No. 14, and Stanford (14-6) rose two spots, as well, to No. 19.
The Tigers opened the series with a 9-4 win over Georgia Tech on Friday and earned a 1-0 victory on Saturday behind a complete game no-hitter from Abby Dunning (5-2), who struck out four batters and walked two in seven innings. It was Clemson's eighth no-hitter in program history.
Clemson won the game in dramatic fashion on Corri Hicks' walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh, her fourth of the season. Hicks also had a clutch RBI single in Friday's series opener.
The Tigers are batting .284 with 20 home runs and 36 doubles in their 24 games this season. Clemson pitchers have combined for a 2.63 ERA and 114 strikeouts to 67 walks in 152 innings.
Softball Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee (30) | 23-0 | 774 | 1 |
| 2 | Texas Tech (1) | 25-1 | 739 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas | 22-1 | 712 | 3 |
| 4 | Alabama | 23-0 | 673 | 4 |
| 5 | Florida | 25-1 | 646 | 5 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 24-2 | 618 | 6 |
| 7 | UCLA | 21-3 | 577 | 8 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 21-2 | 559 | 7 |
| 9 | Florida State | 21-4 | 521 | 9 |
| 10 | Nebraska | 18-5 | 486 | 10 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 21-2 | 477 | 11 |
| 12 | Mississippi State | 24-2 | 434 | 12 |
| 13 | Arizona | 20-5 | 393 | 13 |
| 14 | Virginia | 22-2 | 334 | 16 |
| 15 | Georgia | 19-7 | 316 | 15 |
| 16 | Texas A&M | 17-8 | 300 | 14 |
| 17 | Grand Canyon | 27-0 | 286 | 20 |
| 18 | Oregon | 18-7 | 233 | 18 |
| 19 | Stanford | 14-6 | 199 | 21 |
| 20 | LSU | 17-7 | 189 | 17 |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 17-7 | 174 | 19 |
| 22 | UCF | 22-5 | 154 | 24 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 15-9 | 65 | 23 |
| 24 | Clemson | 16-8 | 53 | 25 |
| 25 | Arizona State | 19-6 | 38 | 22 |
Others receiving votes:
North Carolina (34), Duke (26), North Florida (22), Utah (10), Florida Atlantic (6), Michigan (6), Penn State (6), Belmont (5), Auburn (4), Ole Miss (3), Southeastern Louisiana (3).
Clemson softball schedule 2026
Clemson hosts Winthrop at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday at McWhorter Stadium in midweek play before welcoming the Louisville Cardinals to the Upstate for a three-game weekend series beginning Friday at 4 p.m.
All four games this week can be seen on ESPN+.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson softball on the move in Coaches Poll after Tigers' ACC opener
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