Transferring to South Carolina softball was a ‘no-brainer’ for Irmo’s Precious Bross
Back in March, South Carolina softball hosted rival Georgia for a home SEC series between two of the Top 25 teams in the country.
During game one of the series, freshman Precious Bross entered the game in the top of the fourth for the Bulldogs as a pinch runner and immediately stole second base. She checked in as pinch runner in each of the two remaining games in the series as well.
Bross was wearing a Georgia uniform at the time but the Irmo native couldn’t help but feel excited about playing in a game at Carolina Softball Stadium — a place she frequented growing up.
“I grew up watching Carolina games and just being around Carolina softball,” Bross said. “It was definitely exciting seeing how their program was taking off, even though I wasn’t a part of it…just being back was pretty surreal, honestly. Even though I wasn’t wearing the Carolina jersey at the time, I was still on the field that I grew up watching a lot of softball.”
After a year at Georgia, Bross announced she’d be entering the transfer portal on June 10. She made appearances in 32 games with the Bulldogs this past season, tallying two hits in five at bats and scoring nine runs.
Bross had conversations with the likes of Georgia Tech, Indiana and other schools while in the portal before honing in on Duke and South Carolina.
South Carolina ultimately won Bross over and she announced her commitment to play for the Gamecocks on June 23, landing another home grown talent on head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard’s roster for 2026.
“It’s truly home, like I grew up there,” Bross said. “The staff is awesome. I just feel like it’s a really great place for me to grow and not just as a softball player. The community and the culture that they’re building is very competitive, but also very genuine. They have very strong relationships with one another, so that really stuck out to me. I felt like being there would feel super exciting to go every day and just be around people that all want to get after it. The program’s on the rise.”
Bross was a star for the Irmo Yellow Jackets during her high school days. She earned first team all-state and all-region honors three times and was MVP of the North-South All-Star Games in 2024.
Coming out of high school Bross said there was “some” interest in going to South Carolina, but she ultimately felt it wouldn’t be the right fit.
Now though, she’s confident that South Carolina will be the best fit for her in the long-term thanks to Chastain Woodard.
Chastain Woodard was named the National Coach of the Year by D1Softball after turning around South Carolina’s program in her first year. A former Gamecock pitcher, Chastain Woodard returned to Columbia and helped guide her alma mater to a 44-17 record, its third-ever NCAA Tournament super regional and had South Carolina one out from a trip to the Women’s College World Series.
“You can just tell she has so much passion behind the program,” Bross said. “...Having a coach that was where I’m going to be, playing on the field and competing for Carolina, I think that’s just really special. It makes her extra passionate and extra fiery, which kind of lights a fire in her players as well. She’s just literally such a light and she’s just such a joy to be around.”
Chastain Woodard had five players hailing from the Palmetto State on the roster during her first season. Bross is one of three new players for the Gamecocks who is from South Carolina. She joins incoming freshman Ansley Bennett (Summerville) and Ole Miss transfer Tate Davis (Greer) who have both already signed.
Being able to play back in her home state with her family and the Midlands as a whole behind her was a big draw for Bross.
“Having that kind of support I really think changes things,” Bross said. “Sometimes it even can mean a little bit more because you’re at a spot that you grew up in, and you watched, and you looked up too…The connections that I’ve made growing up in the area, and the love I have for the Midlands, I just feel like that was kind of a big factor. With everything else falling in line as well, it was just kind of a no-brainer.”
Bross was mainly a middle infielder and utility player for Georgia and will likely playing in a similar role for South Carolina, she said. The soon-to-be sophomore has three years of eligibility remaining. There’s still plenty of time before Bross suits officially up for the Gamecocks, but her official visit photo shoot made her even more excited to wear a South Carolina uniform.
“I couldn’t even believe I was wearing it,” Bross said. “We were by Williams-Brice Stadium and just growing up around there, and being at so many games, and looking down and seeing Carolina on me, it was just crazy… It was just honestly surreal. It was a dream come true and I just can’t wait to be able to wear it every single day in the season.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 8:30 AM.
