Clemson softball learns NCAA path. Tigers headed to nearby SEC school

Clemson softball has learned its 2026 NCAA Tournament destination.

The Tigers are the No. 2 seed in the Athens Regional, which is being hosted by No. 1 seed and No. 9 overall seed Georgia, it was announced Sunday night.

Clemson will play its opening game in the double-elimination regional against No. 3 seed UNC Greensboro on Friday (4:30 p.m., ACC Network). No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Charleston will play later Friday (7 p.m., ESPN+).

Clemson softball finished the regular season 32-20 and 13-11 in the ACC. The Tigers lost in the opening round of the ACC tournament Wednesday.

This is Clemson’s sixth straight and overall NCAA Tournament appearance. The Tigers have reached the super regional round three times, including last season, but they’ve never reached the Women’s College World Series.

Clemson and Georgia are regional schools separated by roughly 90 minutes and 79 miles. The ACC and SEC schools face off in football and other sports often.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Chapel Fowler

The State

Chapel Fowler, the NSMA’s 2024 South Carolina Sportswriter of the Year, has covered Clemson football and other topics for The State since summer 2022. His work’s also been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a UNC-Chapel Hill alum and a pickup basketball enthusiast. Support my work with a digital subscription