Ashley Chastain is back in Columbia after over a decade away from the South Carolina softball program. Introduced as the Gamecocks’ new head coach on Wednesday, she’s now tasked with turning the program into an SEC powerhouse.
Of course, that’s easier said than done. Oklahoma and Texas enter the conference fresh off runs to the Women’s College World Series final. That doesn’t even include the six teams that already inhabit the SEC that won over 40 games during the 2024 season. Chastain was matter-of-fact when discussing the upcoming season’s challenges.
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“Yeah, it’s all task, right? College softball is just really booming across the country now,” Chastain said at her introductory press conference on Wednesday. “It’s really fun to watch the talent in the game, it’s the best it’s ever been. I’m really excited for the challenge. You’ll get to know me, but my staff and I — we love really great competition. So we’re going to welcome those opportunities to play the best as we become one of the best.
“We’ve got to get the right players. That’s what it boils down to. We’ve got to recruit really well. And that’s not just on-field talent, but it’s the right people off the field too. We just need to make sure that all across the board we have the right players and develop them into being the best.”
Historically, South Carolina hasn’t had much success in that regard. Since joining the SEC in 1997, the Gamecocks have made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances during that stretch but have only advanced to a Super Regional twice in that span. Adding OU and Texas to the mix only complicates that goal further.
Of course, that means that once those added guns join the SEC — it’s Chastain’s job as head coach to instill the belief in her team that South Carolina can beat anyone on any given day.
“That was something that we did really well at Charlotte as I think back to the teams that I’ve coached the past few years,” Chastain continued. “When they put the uniform on, you know, they believe they can be anyone in the country. And, you know, they had a lot of success at some of those things. So, now for me, it’s just to watch our current team put on the Carolina uniform and go out and believe that they’re the best and that they’re going to be anyone that they play. I think that’s what it’s going to be about.”
In 2023, she helped lead her team to a 35-win season and the program’s first-ever outright regular season conference championship. At the same time, Charlotte earned its first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. This past season, she took Charlotte back to a regional tournament while also defeating ranked opponents such as Georgia, Virginia Tech and Arizona State.
She’ll have more than a few opportunities to lead her team to upset victories over her first season back at South Carolina. However, it’s now on her to turn those upsets into the new normal for the softball program in Columbia.
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