Why former South Effingham softball star Alex Brown transferred from North Carolina to Clemson

Former South Effingham softball star Alex Brown had a turnaround sophomore season at North Carolina this spring as the sophomore was arguably the most improved player in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The standout shortstop earned second-team All-ACC honors after leading the Tar Heels with 63 hits, a .399 batting average and a .438 on-base percentage, just a year after she struggled at the plate as a freshman — hitting .157.

When the season ended, longtime North Carolina coach Donna Papa announced her retirement after 38 seasons of coaching, and Brown decided to enter the transfer portal. On Saturday, she announced that she will play at Clemson next season.

"I was shocked when Coach Papa stepped down, she's a Hall of Fame coach who had been there for so long," Brown said in a phone interview Saturday. "There was a lot of uncertainty, and I decided to make the change. I opened myself up and looked for what I wanted in a coaching staff and program."

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Brown said she took trips to South Carolina, Missouri, Ole Miss and Florida State, in addition to a visit to Clemson last week.

"I really liked (Clemson) Coach (John) Rittman and another big thing is that Clemson is a new program, in its fifth year," Brown said. "This is an opportunity for me to help break down the door and be on the first team in Clemson history to reach the College World Series."

In her senior year at South Effingham, Brown earned All-Greater Savannah Softball Player of the Year honors after hitting .463 with five doubles, five triples, four homers, 19 RBIs, 40 runs and 33 stolen bases in 35 attempts for a South Effingham squad that finished 28-4-1.

She was also a star on the Mustang track and field team — running a personal best time of 12.36 in the 100 meters and a school record of 25.93 in the 200, with another PR of 5-foot-2 in the high jump. She went out for tennis for the first time in that same spring season, and went 12-1 playing at No. 3 singles as she earned Female Athlete of the Year honors at the Coastal Empire Sports Awards Show.

She had 42 starts as a freshman for the Tar Heels in 2022, but couldn't find her groove offensively. But she never stopped pushing herself, and with the help of Tar Heel batting coach Falepolima Aviu (now coaching at her alma mater, the University of Oklahoma), Brown was able to put together a tremendous season.

"Coach helped me with my mental and physical game at the plate," Brown said. "I had so many different swings and approaches, and we narrowed it down to three things and worked on my straight swing. I felt so confident coming into the season and also spent a lot of time looking at scouting reports and video, and that helped me a lot."

She started the season batting at the bottom of the lineup, but quickly made the move to the leadoff spot for the Tar Heels. In addition to leading the team in hits, batting average and OBP, Brown scored 32 runs with three doubles, a triple, four home runs and 20 RBI, while stealing 11 bases in 15 attempts. She was also excellent with her glove at shortstop for a Tar Heel squad that went 26-28.

Now she's ready to take her talents south to Clemson, which went 49-12 overall last year and finished third in the ACC with an 18-6 mark. The Tigers advanced to an NCAA Super Regional, where they lost to eventual champion Oklahoma.

"I just loved the campus, the environment, the coaching staff and the team at Clemson," said Brown, who is majoring in business. "I can't wait to get started."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: South Effingham's Alex Brown transfers to play softball at Clemson