CLEMSON, S.C. – McWhorter Stadium, home of the Clemson Tiger softball team, was recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as the 2025 Netting Professionals/NFCA Field of the Year.
This award, made possible by NFCA Official Sponsor Netting Professionals, recognizes top fields/stadiums in the nation for their flawless grounds maintenance and exceptional playing surfaces. These locations are selected by the NFCA Awards Committee for NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Cal JC, NWAC, and High School.
The winners were nominated by NFCA member coaches and selected by a panel of their peers on the NFCA Awards Committee. They will be recognized on Dec. 13 during the NFCA Convention’s Awards Brunch in Las Vegas.
The playing surface is tended by a crew led by Clemson’s Senior Director of Athletic Grounds K.C. Bell, Senior Director of Athletic Grounds Daniel McKinney and Associate Director of Athletic Grounds Ben Brown.
The stadium, which began construction as the Clemson Softball Stadium in December 2018 and was completed before the program’s inaugural season in 2020, was renamed in 2021, after Stuart and Leigh Anne Hendrix McWhorter pledged a $2.5-million-dollar Cornerstone Partner Gift to IPTAY. On Feb. 17, 2021, “McWhorter Stadium” signage was officially installed above the stadium’s scoreboard, press box and along the backstop to honor the generous gift from the McWhorter family.
Originally built to welcome 1,616 fans on game days for the inaugural season, Clemson Athletics expanded the outfield berm seating area in McWhorter Stadium in the summer of 2022 following the third season of play to extend grass and lawn chair seating from left field to right center to move capacity of McWhorter to 2,116 (an increase of 500 fans per game).
McWhorter Stadium is regarded as one of the nation’s premier softball stadiums as it hosted three regionals in the last four years and over 160 games in the six years as a program. The reigning ACC Champions finished the 2025 season 12th in cumulative attendance (50,464) and led the ACC in both cumulative and average attendance (1,628) while selling out all three of the 2025 Clemson Regional games.
