4-for-4: Full Gamecocks senior class set to return for another year
South Carolina’s softball program was sitting in the top 15 nationally when the coronavirus pandemic suddenly brought an end to the 2020 season.
But the four seniors on that team, the ones whose careers appeared to be ending early, will all be back in uniform next season.
The school announced with a social media video Wednesday that the group of Lauren Stewart, Kenzi Maguire, Mackenzie Boesel and Cayla Drotar will all be back for the 2021 season. They’re taking advantage of an NCAA waiver that allows spring sports athletes whose seasons were ended early to get another year.
Stewart, Maguire and Boesel all ranked among the team’s top five hitters last season and have been anchors of the lineup. Boesel has been one of the team’s top hitters since her freshman year, while Maguire got into the lineup as a sophomore.
Drotar had been a member of the rotation and the lineup in 2018 and 2019, but had been somewhat limited in the first 23 games this spring.
The four project to cost the athletic department $114,362, according to data provided by the school.
The Gamecocks will not be bringing back their entire lineup because of a pair of key departures. Longtime infield anchor Jana Johns, who hit 15 home runs in 2019, will transfer. She started 146 games across 2 1/2 seasons, every game the team played.
Earlier in the offseason, pitcher Karly Heath, who led the team in innings pitched this spring, announced she will transfer to Louisiana-Lafayette.
Senior stats:
(in a 23-game 2020 season)
▪ Kenzi Maguire: .328 batting average, two home runs, 9 RBI .512 on-base percentage
▪ Mackenzie Boesel: .317 batting average, two home runs, 11 RBI .475 on-base percentage
▪ Lauren Stewart: .315 batting average, one home run, 10 RBI .351 on-base percentage
▪ Cayla Drotar: 3.26 ERA, 1-1 record, 19.1 innings, eight strikeouts
This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 1:27 PM.
