South Carolina softball will open its 2026 season at home Thursday, hosting the Gamecock Invitational series beginning Feb. 5 at Beckham Field. South Carolina will face Virginia Tech twice, along with Syracuse, Binghamton and Winthrop.
Coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history, the Gamecocks face high pressure and expectations in Columbia. South Carolina finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 44-17, marking its fourth consecutive winning season.
The Gamecocks also posted a 13-11 record in SEC play, leading to an appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals for the third time in program history. However, in a best-of-three series, South Carolina fell to UCLA in the third game.
The season also marked head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard’s first year, helping the team improve its win total from the previous season’s 36-24 finish. The Gamecocks started the year with a 20-0 record, which helped to build team confidence that carried throughout the season.
“Everything that we accomplished last year is definitely bleeding into what’s to come for this year and this team,” Chastain Woodard said.
The Gamecocks welcome back a strong core of returning players to this season’s roster. Senior infielder Arianna Rodi and senior catcher Lexi Winters expressed the team’s determination to build on last season’s success.
“My eyes are focused on this team and this set of girls because we’re planning on going past the mark that we did last year,” Winters said.
New talent
South Carolina also added 10 newcomers to its roster, including freshman outfielder Dakota Potter, freshman utility Ansley Bennett and freshman pitcher KG Favors. The team also utilized the transfer portal, securing junior utility Tori Ensley from NC State, sophomore infielder Tate Davis from Ole Miss and senior pitcher Emma Friedel from Kennesaw State.
The transfers bring immediate impact for South Carolina. Last season, Ensley hit .294 with 47 hits, three home runs and 12 stolen bases, adding both speed and power to the roster. In the circle, Friedel recorded a 3.42 earned run average with 132 strikeouts and four shutouts, providing experienced depth in the rotation. Davis proved her potential for power, recording a home run in limited at-bats.
Winters said the additions have strengthened the team’s depth and competitiveness.
“We already knew that we were on to something great, and we had what we all needed in the room,” Winters said. “Now that we add in the right pieces, it’s just going to make it better.”
Depth in the circle
In the circle, South Carolina added depth after utilizing only five pitchers in 2025 and now entering with seven. Senior Jori Heard returns after anchoring the rotation last season, logging 140.2 innings , while transfer Friedel is expected to play a major role this year.
"(Friedel's) swing-and-miss is really, really high, as far as the national average,” Woodard said. “She’s got really good stuff … so we feel really good about her.”
Chastain Woodard relayed her hopes of utilizing all seven pitchers to start the season and slowly establishing a reliable rotation that can play to the different opposing offenses throughout the year.
“We felt, as we manage the roster year to year, we can have more pitchers than we’ve ever had before,” Woodard said. “I think we’ll establish four — that is our goal — that we can rely on at any time.”
Power at the plate
Offensively, South Carolina returns most of last year's productive lineup, while also strengthening it with several new key contributors, including Davis and Ensley. The new additions are expected to add power and speed to the lineup.
“The power is coming from Tori Ensley,” Chastain Woodard said. “She is one of the fastest players on our team and also one of the most powerful.”
Chastain Woodard also highlighted Davis as someone to watch offensively throughout the season.
“That’s someone you’ll see in the lineup with probably more power than I’ve ever seen,” Chastain Woodard said.
South Carolina's 2026 schedule features several notable matchups, including non-conference games against Clemson and an SEC series against Texas, LSU, Florida, Texas A&M and Alabama. Many of these series will take place at home, where South Carolina hopes to improve upon last season’s success.
“I fully believe, with all my heart, our best days are still in front of us,” Chastain Woodard said.
What's next?
The Gamecocks begin their season against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Feb. 5, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Beckham Field to begin the Gamecock Invitational.