Clemson’s softball regular season isn’t winding down without some on-field drama.

The sixth-ranked Tigers will begin their final ACC series tonight when they head to Blacksburg to square off against Virginia Tech. Since its only real stumble of the season – a sweep at the hands of No. 4 Florida State earlier this month – Clemson has won seven of its last nine games and four of its last five heading into the weekend.

At 44-6 overall, the Tigers already have the most regular-season wins in the program’s four-year history. Grabbing another over the Hokies would set the record for the most wins in a single season, surpassing the 44 victories Clemson amassed in 2021.

Yet as consistent as Clemson has been throughout the season, it’s not the Tigers that everyone in the league is chasing for the ACC’s regular-season title. That would be FSU, which sits atop the conference standings with a 16-2 league record.

An outright regular-season title, though, is still within reach for the Tigers, who, at 17-4 in league play, are just two games back of the Seminoles in the loss column. There’s not much room for error with the number of games left on the schedule dwindling, but a Clemson sweep of Virginia Tech (33-16, 12-9 ACC) coupled with FSU losing at least three of its final six ACC games (at Notre Dame this weekend, vs. Louisville next) would give the Tigers the crown.

There’s also Clemson’s pursuit of hosting a regional for the second straight year, which may not be a lock just yet despite the Tigers’ gaudy record. The NCAA Tournament’s top 16 seeds get to play host to a regional, and Clemson is teetering at No. 15 in the latest RPI rankings. Pulling that number down is Clemson’s strength of schedule, which ranks 60th nationally, according to D1Softball – the lowest of any top-20 RPI team.

That likely leaves the Tigers with some work to do in order to feel good about their hosting chances. Virginia Tech is riding a four-game losing streak into this weekend’s series after getting swept by FSU last week, though the Hokies have won four of their seven conference series.

Clemson is led by star two-way player Valerie Cagle, who leads the ACC with 53 RBIs and ranks second with 18 home runs. Cagle has posted a 1.05 earned run average in the circle with 160 strikeouts in 153 ⅓  innings.

Outfielder McKenzie Clark (11) and Caroline Jacobsen (10) have also hit double-digit homers for the top-hitting team in the league.