Around the world and to Columbia: USC softball’s new two-way ace makes Gamecock debut
The Women’s College World Series has a tradition: A selected senior from each team reads a “Dear Softball” letter as a way to bid farewell to each team.
Alana Vawter sat in front of that iconic camera six months ago, holding her letter. Like other seniors chosen, Vawter shared her emotional goodbye to softball after Stanford was eliminated in the WCWS in June.
Vawter packed up and left for Africa not long afterward. She was taking part in a program with Ace Athletes, a study-abroad program for select student-athletes to help develop international communities.
The program is a fully funded, three-week experience and partners with Duke Athletics. Vawter spent her time in the Western Cape of South Africa, learning and working on “sustainable development projects.”
It was there that USC head coach Beverly Smith connected with Vawter over the summer.
Smith was looking for some maturity in the circle after the departure of veteran Donnie Gobourne. She knew she’d have returning power hitters and some freshman arms coming to Columbia, but Smith needed a new ace.
Picking up one of the best available pitchers in the transfer portal will do the trick every time.
“It’s a little bit of a weird, worldly story,” Vawter said, looking back on her recruitment, “but definitely so happy to be here and really thankful for the process.”
Vawter earned every title Smith could ever want a transfer to have: All-American, two-time national pitcher of the week, All-PAC-12 first-team honoree, USA Softball Player of the Year watch list honoree, just to name a few.
Add some Team USA experience, and the Gamecocks were set. Vawter traveled to Japan, where Team USA competed in the 2023 Japan All-Stars. The three-game event marked Vawter’s first international games of the year.
In between her two cross-globe adventures, Vawter had the opportunity to take her official visit at South Carolina. She committed to the Gamecocks as a grad transfer. .
“I had an awesome time in Columbia with the coaching staff,” Vawter said. “I really just love the environment, SEC community, the city. She had mentioned my grad program is there to be able to be offered and sent me forward, and was really just the right fit for me.”
She comes with experience against SEC teams. Vawter pitched in ranked wins over Missouri and Alabama, including two shutouts that eliminated the Crimson Tide in the NCAA tournament. Vawter checks every box.
Plus, Vawter is a two-way player. Though Stanford didn’t need her offensive capabilities too often last season, Vawter had six RBIs and a .200 batting average in her final year with the Card.
Smith added assistant and hitting coach Jake Epstein to the staff this year, something brand new for Vawter. Stanford didn’t have a designated hitting coach, so most of her previous batting practices weren’t as structured as they are now.
Vawter’s desire to be a true two-way player made it easier for Smith to persuade her new pitcher to join the Gamecocks.
“She has put in a lot of time with Coach Ep in the cages and has been looking really good on the offensive side,” Smith said. “So to me, I think it’s exciting when you have a pitcher who hits. It gives you some opportunity to do some different things in the lineup.”
Epstein’s experience working as a hitting coach in collegiate and professional baseball was an impressive addition to Smith’s coaching staff. Vawter noticed the difference in her at-bats almost instantly.
“I always joke but it’s so true,” Vawter said. “My first week at South Carolina, I learned more than I did in four years. It was crazy. Just the information that flows out of him, like he is so passionate about what he teaches, what he does. And I think that’s been really great, that he kind of meets each individual where they are, and gives them the helpful techniques that are necessary to be able to perform their best.”
Balancing Vawter’s starting pitching role with her increased at-bats this season is something Smith hasn’t had to experience too often. Vawter won’t be the team’s only two-way player. Freshman Reganne Bennett is another dual threat Smith added this year. Smith said she expects her freshman to pitch this year, but will manage Bennett’s offensive capabilities to avoid overworking them.
For now, Vawter and Bennett’s first priority will be in the circle.
South Carolina won all five of its games over the weekend. Vawter started the Gamecocks’ season opener Friday at Carolina Softball Stadium, striking out four in four innings of work and earning a win in an 8-4 victory over UNG Greensboro. She pitched nine innings across three games but didn’t register an at-bat.
“It’s tough to be able to pitch at this level and hit at this level,” Smith said. “So we talk about that when we’re scheduling practices, it’s very important that we give the right amount of times and the in the right places.”
The Gamecocks were named the No. 23 team in the NFCA/USA Today preseason poll, the No. 22 team in the D1Softball poll and reached as high as No. 17 in Softball America’s poll. Last season was South Carolina’s ninth regionals appearance in program history, eventually falling to No. 3 Florida State in a winner-take-all regional final.
Vawter is confident she’ll help lead the Gamecocks to another regionals appearance and beyond. She’s been given an opportunity to say goodbye to softball, again, and she wants this final season at a brand-new program to be her best season yet.
“It was an interesting process,” Smith said. “But it was I would say it was well-timed.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2024 at 8:00 AM.
