Gamecocks Host Bruins in Best-of-Three Softball Super Regional

COLUMBIA, S.C. – For the first time in program history, the South Carolina softball team will host an NCAA Super Regional when the 8th seeded Gamecocks take on 9th seeded UCLA May 23-25 at Carolina Softball Stadium in a best-of-three series. Friday and Saturday’s games will be at 1p.m., while Sunday’s if necessary game will be announced later.

#14 South Carolina Gamecocks 43-15, 13-11 SEC
Coach: Ashley Chastain Woodard | 1st Season
AVG Leader: .360 | Quincee Lilio
RBI Leader: 53 | Arianna Rodi
Home Run Leader: 17 | Arianna Rodi
ERA Leader: 2.53 | Jori Heard
Strikeout Leader: 109 | Jori Heard
Wins Leader: 18 | Jori Heard

#9 UCLA Bruins 52-10, 17-5 Big Ten
Coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez  | 19th Season
Series History: UCLA leads 12-1
Trend: UCLA won 4
Last Meeting: UCLA 5, South Carolina 2 | Mar. 5, 2017 | Fullerton, Calif.

LEADING OFF

• The 2025 season is the 52nd season for the Carolina Softball team.
• The Gamecocks are a national seed for the first time in modern program history (since Super Regionals began in 2005).
• This will be the first time hosting an NCAA Super Regional in program history.
  • 8 seed is the second highest in program history behind No. 2 seed in 1997.
  • This is the third Super Regional in program history (2007, 2018).
• Carolina is making their 25th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
  • All-time in the NCAA Tournament, South Carolina is 53-52.
• Carolina has the third most wins against Top-25 RPI teams in the nation (17), trailing only No. 1 overall seed Texas A&M (19) and No. 2 seed Oklahoma (18).
  • Their 31 games against Top-25 RPI opponents is tied for the most (Missouri).
• The Gamecocks had a final strength of schedule of 4 and a non-conference strength of schedule of 12.
• With the win over Alabama on May 3, head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard becomes the winningest first-year head coach in program history with 39 wins.
  • She surpassed Judy Martino (38, 1979).
• With the series win over #19 Alabama, the Gamecocks had six series wins over top-20 opponents.
  • They also have four series wins over top-15 opponents.
• Carolina has played more games at home this season than ever in program history, surpassing the 35 games from 2014.
  • They also surpassed the previous mark for wins at home, 29, in 2018.
• South Carolina ranks 6th in the country with 17 comeback wins on the season.
• The Gamecocks set multiple program records this season.
• Against Auburn they set a new record for walks in a season.
• In the win over North Florida on Saturday they set the single-season records for doubles and runs scored.
• In the win over UNF on Sunday they broke the record for RBIs in a season.
• Three players earned NFCA All-Region Second Team honors and two Third Team.
  • Arianna Rodi, Lexi Winters, and Jori Heard were named to the second team.
  • Quincee Lilio and Sam Gress were named to the third Team.
• With a walk in game one against Auburn, Arianna Rodi set a new single-season program record with her 43rd walk. She currently has 47.
  • Quincee Lilio also surpassed the previous record and now has 44 on the season.
  • Rodi set a new program record with her 16th home run of the season in the sixth inning against Alabama in the SEC Tournament. She tied the record in the fifth inning.
  • She is 12th the nation in walks per game.
  • She had her on-base streak end at 37 games, second longest in recorded history.
  • Rodi hit a home run in five straight games (Feb. 25 – Mar. 5), which is tied for the 14th longest streak in NCAA Division I history.
• Brooke Blankenship ranks 3rd in the nation in sacrifice flies.
  • Her eight sac flies are tied for 2nd in a single season in program history.
  • Her 13 career sac flies are second all-time in Carolina history.

PITCHER FRIENDLY CAROLINA SOFTBALL STADIUM

• This season, the Gamecocks are 34-5 at home.
• South Carolina has the most pitcher friendly softball stadium in the SEC.
• Of the 15 SEC programs, Carolina Softball Stadium is the lone one to allow fewer than one home run a game at 0.72.
• There have been 106 combined doubles hit in games played at Carolina Softball Stadium, 19 more than the next closest SEC team (87 at Texas A&M)

THIS IS CAROLINA – TRADITION LIVES HERE

• South Carolina has made 25 trips to the NCAA postseason, a number that started in 1982. The Gamecocks have reached three super regionals and three WCWS. In conference play, Carolina owns two SEC Championships.
• The Gamecocks also made five AIAW College World Series appearances prior to the NCAA sanctioning softball as an NCAA sport in 1982.
• They have made the tournament 10 of the last 12 seasons.
• Carolina in the postseason season holds a 53-52 record all-time.
• Fans and opponents have become accustomed to seeing the Gamecocks play on Sunday in the postseason. Carolina reached the regional final four-straight years (2016-19) and again in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The Gamecocks are 4-5 in those past eight Sunday games.
• Since 1982, the Gamecocks are 3-14 against host schools. On the flip side, South Carolina is 21-11 at home in the postseason.

CAROLINA HOSTING NCAA REGIONAL’S

• This will be the first time South Carolina has hosted an NCAA Super Regional at Carolina Softball Stadium.
• This was second time the Gamecocks have hosted an NCAA Regional at the Carolina Softball Stadium since it was built in 2013.
• The Gamecocks hosted the 2018 Columbia Regional, which they won, comeback to defeat Liberty twice on Sunday.
• South Carolina previously hosted three Regional Tournaments at Beckham Field (1997-2012) 1997, 2002, and 2007.
• The Gamecocks won the 1997 and 2007 Regional’s but fell to No. 1 UCLA 1-0 in the championship game of the 2002 tournament.
• Carolina also hosted NCAA Regional tournaments in 1982, 1983, 1994, and 1995.
• The Gamecocks won the best-of-three series over Central Michigan in 1983.
• They fell to Creighton in a best-of-three series in 1982, while UCLA claimed the 1994 and 1995 (later vacated) Regionals

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

• South Carolina is 277-108 (.720) at Carolina Softball Stadium since being built in 2013. That includes a 7-1 record at home while hosting an NCAA regional at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• Prior to 2021, South Carolina had not lost double digit games at home in seven years and has won 20 or more eight of the past nine seasons.
• Since 2016, South Carolina has consistently ranked among the nation’s leaders in attendance. Since that time, excluding the 2021 COVID season that limited attendance, they have never finished lower than 15th in average or cumulative attendance.
• In 2024, Carolina ranked 7th in the nation in total attendance and 14th in average attendance. They were 9th and 11th in 2023, 7th and 13th in 2022, 7th and 11th in 2020, 10th and 13th in 2019, 11th and 13th in 2018, 10th and 11th in 2017, 12th and 15th in 2016.

GAMECOCKS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

• South Carolina is 186-409-1 (.313) against opponents ranked in the NFCA top 25 since 1995.
• Broken down by site, the Gamecocks are 90-142 (.388) at home, 49-191 (.204) on the road and 48-75-1 (.391) in neutral-site outings.
• In 2025 the Gamecocks are 15-12 against ranked opponents.
• In 2024, the Gamecocks went 9-20 against ranked opponents. They earned victories over #21 Kentucky (twice), #10 Florida, #17 Arkansas, #16 Mississippi State (twice), #11 Clemson, #24 Boston U and #13 Utah.

SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL RECORD

• South Carolina has played 2,694 games in its softball history, going 1,737-951-7 (.646) in its 52 years of history.
• Carolina has posted 30 or more wins in 10 of the past 12 full seasons.
• Carolina has protected home well, also, with 17 or more victories coming in friendly confines each of the past 11 full years.

For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.