Louisville Heads to Clemson for ACC Road Series

CLEMSON, S.C. - The University of Louisville softball team hits the road for its first ACC away series of the season, facing the Clemson Tigers at McWhorter Stadium March 13-15. The Cardinals will play at 4 p.m., 1 p.m., and 12 p.m. ET this weekend on ACCNX.

Louisville is 19-5 overall this season with a 2-1 record in ACC play, tallying two wins against No. 13 Stanford to open the conference slate. The Cards recently defeated Evansville, 5-4 in an eight-inning contest on Tuesday.

QUICK HITS

Chelsea Mack leads the team with a .474 batting average, tallying 37 hits in 78 at-bats, 22 runs scored, 19 stolen bases, and 12 RBIs. Her 19 stolen bases ranks first in the ACC and third nationally.
Bri Despines is second on the team with a .438 average, posting 28 hits, 21 runs, six doubles, two home runs, and 25 RBIs, with a .656 slugging percentage.
Madison Pickens is third on the team with a .411 average, collecting 30 hits, 23 runs, seven doubles, three triples, three home runs, and a team-high 25 RBIs.
Louisville leads the ACC in stolen bases (59) and triples (15), and is second in the conference in on-base percentage (.458). The Cards rank third in the ACC and 15th nationally with a .362 batting average on the season.
Through 24 games, eight Cardinals have double-digit RBIs and six have recorded at least 20 hits.
Freshman Jayden Gohs leads the Louisville pitching staff with a 2.40 ERA and three wins in 23.1 innings pitched, giving up just eight earned runs and striking out 14 so far.
Senior Alyssa Zabala leads the team with 36 strikeouts and five wins in 41.1 innings. She has made a team-high 14 appearances in seven starts, limiting opponents to a team-best .220 batting average.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

Series Record: Clemson leads 8-2
At Louisville: Clemson leads 6-1
At Clemson: Clemson leads 2-1
Last Meeting: April 26-28, 2024 - Louisville took one out of three from Clemson in Louisville, Ky.
Scouting the Tigers: Clemson is 17-8 so far this season and went 2-1 on the first weekend of ACC play, defeating Georgia Tech on March 6-7 before taking down Winthrop on March 10. The Tigers started the season with three wins at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., where they won against SE Louisiana, Oregon and Liberty but dropped games to Auburn and Michigan State. CU is 11-3 at home this season, taking losses only to Georgia So., Mississippi St. and Georgia Tech.
Junior Sierra Maness has anchored the Clemson bullpen in her first year since transferring from USC Upstate. Maness ranks second in the ACC with a 1.65 ERA, owning a 9-3 record with two saves through 16 appearances.
Of the Tigers' eight shutouts this season, Maness owns two of them and has five complete games. The righty has 50 strikeouts through her 72.0 innings of work and has allowed just 28 runs.
Freshman Mac Pavese leads the offense with 30 hits in 2026, batting a .385 clip with 20 runs scored and four home runs. Sophomores Marian Collins and Corri Hicks each post a team-high five homers this season, with Hicks launching two in the last three games.
John Rittman is in his seventh season with CU and owns a 254-86 record with the club, including a 102-37 bid in conference play. Rittman led Clemson to its first ACC Tournament Championship in 2025 and took the Tigers to the NCAA Austin Super Regional where they won their first-ever Super Regional game, 7-4, over Texas.

University of Louisville Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Bri Despines

Jayden Gohs

Chelsea Mack

Madison Pickens

Alyssa Zabala

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