Clemson softball transfer class bolsters pitching staff
The Clemson roster will look much different next season, especially in the circle. The graduations of Valerie Cagle, Millie Thompson and Regan Spencer mean that the Tigers have to replace about 82% of their innings pitched from last season. The Clemson softball transfer class focused on arms in the circle. John Rittman added senior pitchers Brook Melnychuk (Louisiana Tech) and Reese Basinger (Winthrop) as well as outfielder Jamison Brockenbrough (Tennessee) through the portal.
Melnychuk and Basinger were the aces of their previous staffs. Both threw over 120 innings last season, which is more than Clemson’s returning pitchers Brooke McCubbin and Olivia Duncan combined to throw last season. The two transfers aren’t necessarily guaranteed to be the top arms next season but they certainly allow for more options.
Brook Melnychuk
Melnychuk had a team-high 36 appearances with a team-best ERA (2.77), WHIP (1.19) and batting average (.242) against. She is a well-seasoned arm having spent time at Iowa Western, earning NJCAA All-American and ICCAC Pitcher of the Year in 2021 before heading to LA Tech.
The right-handed Canadian won’t fill up the K column. However, that doesn’t mean she won’t attack hitters. Melnychuk walked more than two batters in two outings last season. She needed 69 pitches in a complete game shutout of UTEP at the Conference USA tournament and never reached a three-ball count.
Melnychuk uses a heavy dose of screwballs and drop balls as those two pitches accounted for half of her pitch total last season. That’s how she produced a high amount of weak contact. According to Synergy Sports, when hitters put the ball in play against Melnychuk it was a ground ball or fly ball 64% of the time. They hit line drives just 17%, showing how difficult it was to square her up.
Last season, the LA Tech transfer tossed decently well versus SEC opponents – LSU, Auburn and Ole Miss, all teams Clemson could face in a regional setting. Melnychuk threw 14 innings, allowing 14 hits and seven runs. She didn’t allow any extra-base hits.
When Melnychuk does pick up strikeouts it is with her screwball. She’ll work it on the hands of right-handed hitters and tails it away from left-handed hitters.
Reese Basinger
Basinger was a prime example of consistency. She had ERAs of 2.49, 2.54 and 2.55 during her three seasons at Winthrop. Basinger pitched over 150 innings each season. Rittman knows what he’s getting from her once she arrives on campus.
She has a similar arsenal as Melnychuk. Her most used pitch was a screwball but she pairs it with a curveball and rise ball. Basinger spends most of her time attacking hitters up in the zone despite inducing a high percentage of ground balls.
Basinger had her highest percentage of strikeouts back in 2023 and held her opposition to a .213 batting average, the best mark of her career. When Basinger has her rise ball going, that’s when she is the most effective. She created about five percent more swing-and-misses in 2023 than she did in 2024. That correlates with the rest of her numbers.
Clemson had an in-person look at Basinger back in April. She pitched well in a 4-0 loss as all four runs were unearned after a two-out error extended the fourth inning and the Tigers scored all their runs after that. In the clip below, Basigner uses that rise ball to strike out left- and right-handed batters.
Jamison Brockenbrough
The Clemson softball transfer class isn’t all pitching. Jamison Brockenbrough comes from Tennessee and has ample opportunity to make the starting lineup. Clemson’s offense much like its pitching staff graduated a huge chunk of its production including McKenzie Clark, Alia Logoleo and Cagle.
Brockenbrough only had three at-bats last season after starting 44 games the year prior including the Lady Vols postseason run to Oklahoma City. Brockenbrough assumed the designated player spot for most of the season. She certainly could do that again for Clemson when Julia Knowler plays first base and the outfield will also be an option.
She did well against drop, curve, screwballs and changeups, hitting .326 with all five of her extra-base hits. However, her average dropped below .100 against rise and fastballs. Brockenbrough will need to improve in that area to be productive in the lineup.
Melnychuk and Basinger will be expected to carry a good portion of the team’s innings. Brockenbrough will have to carve out her role by being productive at the plate as she did as a freshman. The trio will help start a new chapter in Clemson softball.
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