'I've always loved playing against them': Here's how Reese Basinger chose Clemson softball

Reese Basinger is the latest Evans softball alum to make her mark in Division I softball.

A three-time All-Big South performer at Winthrop, she became the newest addition to the Clemson softball program last week. Upon entering the transfer portal after the 2024 season, Basinger quickly became one of the most sought-after college softball players in the country.

She chose Clemson over programs like North Carolina, South Carolina, Connecticut and others. While the better competition played into her decision making, the biggest component may have been on the academic side.

“I wanted to play for a more competitive program,” Basinger said. “I also wanted a school that would increase my odds of getting into medical school. Academics was probably the biggest part of it.”

Something that stood out during her recruiting process was that many of the schools courting Basinger had plenty of experience watching her play – from the opposing dugout. In five games against Clemson, South Carolina and North Carolina over the past two seasons, she has a 2.62 ERA over 24 innings pitched.

“Their coaching staff, I feel like they were very welcoming and made me feel very at home,” She said. “They have always been such a competitive team and I’ve always loved playing against them.”

Still in its relative infancy, Clemson softball enters its sixth-competitive season in 2025.

How Reese Basinger hit the college softball ground running

Basinger was a standout at Evans High School as she helped lead the Knights to three-straight region championships during her career. She graduated a semester early to get a head start on her freshman season at Winthrop.

She was a three-time all-region selection and capped her prep career as the Augusta Chronicle’s all-area softball player of the year (2021). That same season, she set the Knights’ program record for strikeouts in a season (231 in 117 innings).

While her first college season took place during what should’ve been her final semester of high school, Basinger didn’t skip a beat. She earned a Big South all-freshman team nod and in her three years Winthrop, she finished with a 2.16 ERA and 431 strikeouts in 461 innings in the circle (212 of which came as a sophomore in 2023). She added two more all-conference selections in 2023 and 2024.

That first year wasn’t easy, however. Going from a high school schedule immediately into a college regular season can be a jarring shift for even the most prepared student athletes.

“I think the biggest surprise for me was the amount of time that goes into softball, because I hadn’t done the fall half, which is fewer hours in the week for practice and lifting,” Basinger said. “I came in full swing in the season, so it was about hitting the ground running. I feel like that was the biggest surprise for me, but it was something I really enjoyed doing.”

Fortunately, she was able to lean on a familiar face to make it through that first season. Former Briarwood standout Ashton VanHouse was a junior at Winthrop at the time.

“She took me under her wing and really helped me out that first semester,” Basinger said.

For Basinger’s mother, Stefanie Corum, it’s why coach Winthrop coach Windy Thees played such a large role in their decision coming out of high school.

“It was a little scary, but the coach she was going to was also a mom and had two girls that were the same age,” Corum said. “We had built a relationship with coach Thees for years, so I just knew that she was going to somebody that had her best interest in mind. We just put a lot of faith and trust into the coaches and the group of girls she was with, we knew she was in good hands.”

A career-first for Basinger in 2024

Despite all her accolades, one thing Basinger never did prior to this season was leave the yard at the plate. That all changed March 26 against East Tennessee State, when she deposited a pitch over the right field wall.

“It was such a crazy feeling; one I never thought I’d get to experience, especially once I got to college,” she said. “I got five at-bats my freshman year, didn’t hit one, and I was like, ‘Well, there goes my chance of ever hitting a home run.’ Then they stuck a bat in my hand last year and I ended up hitting two. I stuck my hands up in the air and sprinted around the bases.”

Her second-career longball came against Charleston Southern on May 2. Basinger finished the 2024 season with a .258 batting average and 15 RBI over 93 at-bats.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Here's how Winthrop transfer Reese Basinger chose Clemson softball