How Ashley Chastain Woodard helped Sam Gress regain confidence, become USC softball’s ace
Sam Gress’ journey through college softball is winding, to say the least.
The sport took her from her hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Raleigh, North Carolina, and then Charlotte and finally to Columbia this year.
It hasn’t always been easy.
Gress started her college career at N.C. State. Her freshman year was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Then she earned a medical redshirt after missing substantial time with an ankle injury. By the time Gress had finished her junior season with the Wolfpack in 2022, she’d amassed a 2.67 ERA in 107.1 innings pitched over 37 career appearances.
Sure, the numbers were solid. But at the end of the day, Gress wasn’t happy.
Gress dealt with illness and personal loss during her final year at N.C. State and eventually questioned her fit on and off the field at N.C. State, especially in 2022.
“I spent three years at N.C. State and kind of just came to a point where I really didn’t like softball anymore,” Gress told The State. “I didn’t really like the person that I was. I just was going down a really dark path and just wasn’t happy. I remember thinking to myself, is this really what I want to finish softball to look like? So I ended up leaving N.C. State and putting my name in the portal, just to see what would come from it.”
Ashley Chastain Woodard, then the head coach at Charlotte, was one of the first to reach out once Gress hit the transfer portal. The two hit it off immediately.
During the recruiting process it seemed Gress had lost the trust in herself, which led to a loss of passion for the game and a decreasing trust of those around her, Chastain Woodard recalled.
Gress hit the ground running at Charlotte. She compiled a 23-14 record with a 1.91 ERA and was named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year in 2023. She also earned a C-USA First Team All-Conference nod. Gress did all that while slowly rediscovering what Chastain Woodard described as a “sense of peace and comfort.”
“I think she needed that Charlotte period to really fall back in love with the game and trust yourself and just kind of get back mentally in a really confident space,” Chastain Woodard said. “So I think you know now that her career is coming to an end here, and the success that she’s had here this year, I think that was a necessary step along the way.”
Gress continued to play well during her second year at Charlotte in 2024. She was named to the All-AAC Second Team after posting a 2.57 ERA and 14-10 record. Gress helped lead Charlotte to an AAC Tournament championship and NCAA appearance that year as well.
“The first time that I met them I knew that it was going to be something that was really good for me,” Gress said. “… It’s a decision that I’m so grateful for, because gosh, I wouldn’t be here either. The way things just happened over the years is really special. But those coaches, they have absolutely changed my life. They made me love softball again.”
She found a renewed confidence and love for the game thanks to Chastain Woodard and her staff while at Charlotte. So it made sense that when Chastain Woodard left Charlotte to take over at South Carolina, Gress followed to finish her career with the Gamecocks (thanks to a sixth year of eligibility via the COVID year and a redshirt).
“I knew all along that I wanted to take the sixth year,” Gress said. “So when Coach Ash took the job and they had the opportunity to come here, it was like, I can’t imagine playing my last year for anybody else, or finishing my career with anybody else.”
The success Gress has had in her lone year as a Gamecock has been instrumental in what has been a historic season for the program. South Carolina is the No. 8 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to just its third super regional in program history last weekend. The Gamecocks are hosting No. 9 UCLA this weekend at Carolina Softball Stadium, marking the program’s first time hosting a super.
Gress was South Carolina’s lone All-SEC honoree this season. She was named to the All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Defense Team after posting a 13-9 record and 2.93 ERA. During last weekend’s regional she pitched 8.2 innings across two games and gave up zero runs. Chastain Woodard said Gress evolved into the Gamecocks’ ace this season, alongside junior Jori Heard (who is ace material in her own right).
“If you really kind of get down into just the softball side of things, if you look at our team without Sam Gress and you take her out of the equation — much different year just from a win-loss perspective,” Chastain Woodard said. “… A South Carolina team without Sam Gress this year doesn’t see super regionals.”
Chastain Woodard has developed a genuine connection with Gress over the last three years. Just last week, USC’s coach said that “every pitch Sam throws, I throw it with her,” and “there’s just a part of our hearts that are connected together.”
The connection, like Rome, wasn’t built in a day. It was developed through countless honest, vulnerable conversations and plenty of winning, Chastain Woodard said. It helped Gress regain trust in those around her, which led to her regaining trust and confidence in herself, ultimately helping her dominate in the pitcher’s circle in recent years.
Regardless of how the Columbia Super Regional series against UCLA pans out this weekend, Gress’ time as a Gamecock has been special.
“It means everything. It’s really special. It’s where this program belongs, and it’s where this program deserves to be moving forward,” Gress said. “I think just to be a small part of that year one — I don’t think in the moment I really realized that we really realized, you know, how special this whole season has been.”
Her time as a player at South Carolina may be coming to a close, but her time around the program isn’t up. Gress, who was drafted by the Florida Vibe earlier this week, will play pro ball this summer and then return to finish school and join Chastain Woodard’s staff as a graduate student, the Gamecocks coach said.
