National seed! South Carolina softball learns NCAA path. Here are the details
South Carolina softball will be at home for the start of the NCAA Tournament. If all goes well, they’ll be playing in Columbia for two straight weekends.
The Gamecocks (40-15) earned a coveted national seed (No. 8 overall) and will host a postseason regional at Carolina Softball Stadium in Columbia, it was announced Sunday evening. If they win the regional, USC would host the super regional round as well.
South Carolina is having a memorable season under first-year head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard. The Gamecocks were predicted to finish last in the SEC in 2025 but ended up having one of the better seasons in program history. The reward is the chance to host two weekends of the NCAA Tournament.
The Gamecocks are the No. 1 seed in the Columbia regional and will first face No. 4 Elon (33-19) at 5 p.m. Friday, with North Florida (45-13) vs. Virginia (37-17) in the day’s other matchup at 3 p.m. Both games are being streamed on ESPN+, and the regional follows a double-elimination format.
“It’s just a moment that none of us will ever forget,” Chastain Woodard said after Sunday’s bracket reveal. “We set out to do something really special last summer with this roster and I could not be more proud of the program. ...
“It’s historic. It’s a day that the program will never forget.”
It’s the first time since the 2018 NCAA Tournament that South Carolina is hosting a regional.
South Carolina’s regional is paired with the regional hosted by No. 9 seed UCLA. The winner of the two regionals will play in the super regional round starting May 22.
Which team would be No. 8 and earn the final national seed was one of the more closely watched decisions Sunday.
“When you look at South Carolina, they have 17 top 25 wins and that was key in that area,” committee chair Kurt McGuffin said in an ESPN interview about picking South Carolina over UCLA for the final national seed. “They went and challenged themselves all year. Six of those top 25 wins were out of conference, so we like to see teams where the non-conference and conference schedule is really challenging.”
Chastain Woodard said South Carolina’s schedule this season and the talent it faced have prepared it to make a run in the postseason.
“If you look at our schedule, we know what a super regional weekend feels like,” Chastain Woodard said. “We played it against (No. 14 seed) Duke, and then we played it all conference and (against No. 12 seed) Texas Tech. So I think we’ve been in atmospheres, in venues and moments that it’s going to feel like a regional final, a super regional final, to get us to Oklahoma — which is ultimately what we’re trying to do now. We’re trying to make a run to get to Oklahoma City.”
It’s the third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the South Carolina softball program.
The Gamecocks are attempting to advance to the super regionals for the first time since 2018. A trip to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City this year would be the first since 1997.
The Gamecocks started the 2025 season 20-0, which tied the program record for wins to begin a season. South Carolina also recorded a winning SEC record for the second time in the last 22 years. USC finished seventh among the SEC’s 15 teams in the regular season.
They went 1-1 in the SEC Tournament. The Gamecocks were a No. 7 seed in the conference tournament and beat Alabama 6-2 in the second round before losing to Texas A&M 12-4 in the quarterfinals. The Aggies were eventually named SEC Tournament co-champions with Oklahoma after the championship game was canceled due to weather.
Chastain Woodard broke the program record for wins by a first-year head coach. The previous record of 39 wins was set by Judy Martino in 1979.
“You never know exactly what a season is going to turn out like,” Chastain Woodard said. “I think this is a magical one for us, but it is the foundation. That’s why I came here. (Former athletic director Ray Tanner) hired me to change the program, and that’s exactly what we set out to do. We’re just really blessed that we’re able to have this kind of impact in year one.”
South Carolina softball regional schedule
At Carolina Softball Stadium in Columbia
Friday’s schedule
- North Florida (45-13) vs. Virginia (37-17), 3 p.m. (ESPN+)
- South Carolina (40-15) vs. Elon (33-19), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday’s schedule
- Winners bracket game, 1 p.m.
- Elimination bracket games, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday’s schedule
- Championship game, 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
- If-necessary game, 3:30 p.m.
NCAA softball tournament key dates
- May 16-18: Regional round at campus sites
- May 22-25: Super regional round at campus sites
- May 29-June 5/6: Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City
This story was originally published May 11, 2025 at 7:19 PM.
