Summerville pitcher, future Gamecock earns state’s top softball award
After helping Summerville to its second straight high school softball state championship, Ansley Bennett repeated in winning the state’s top individual honor.
Bennett was named the S.C. Gatorade Softball Player of the Year for the second straight season on Friday. The junior pitcher is the fifth softball player in state history to win two straight Gatorade awards, joining Cayla Drotar (2014-16), Carley Hoover (2012-13), Leslie Jury (2009-11) and Kate Puliot (2003-04).
Bennett also joins classmate PJ Morlando as a Gatorade award winner this spring. Morlando won the S.C. Gatorade Baseball Player of Year honor Monday.
The South Carolina commitment went 16-0 with a 0.16 ERA and opponents hit just .079 against her in helping the Green Wave to their second straight Class 5A championship. In 89 innings pitched, Bennett struck out 189, walked just 11 and gave only 23 hits.
At the plate, she hit .533 with 13 home runs and had 43 RBIs. Summerville finished with a 30-0 record and is ranked No. 5 in the latest MaxPreps Top 25 national poll.
Bennett threw a no-hitter in the 4-0 win over Lexington in Game 1 of the 5A championship series.
“(Bennett) has been solid all year. She’s a gamer,” Summerville coach Heather Tucker said after the game. “She likes coming out and performing on the big stage and she stepped up big time. She did a fantastic job. She was going pretty well tonight.”
Bennett is ranked as the nation’s No. 8 prospect in the Class of 2025 by Extra Innings Softball. She committed to the Gamecocks in October.
Off the field, Bennett has a 3.68 GPA and has volunteered with Lowcountry Orphan Relief and Hearts For Summerville, a charity that works with local youth.
This story was originally published June 7, 2024 at 8:05 AM.
