How to watch, what’s at stake as Gamecock softball heads to LA for NCAA Tournament
.JPG "South Carolina players are seen before the Gamecocks’ game against Virginia Tech in Columbia on Thursday, February 5, 2026.")
Head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard and the South Carolina softball team are headed to the West Coast this weekend.
The Gamecocks are the No. 2 seed in the Los Angeles Regional of the NCAA Tournament hosted by UCLA. South Carolina will face Cal State Fullerton on Friday to start its postseason slate.
It’s the 26th all-time appearance for the Gamecocks in the NCAA Tournament. This is the second NCAA appearance in as many years at the helm of the program for Chastain Woodard. She’s the first in the program’s modern history to earn an NCAA Tournament spot in each of her first two years as head coach. Judy Martino achieved the feat in 1978-79 before women’s college sports were governed by the NCAA.
USC is looking to get back to the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 1997. In order to do that, the Gamecocks will have to win the Los Angeles Regional, then defeat the winner of the Tallahassee Regional in the super regional round.
Here’s a look at what’s at stake this weekend in Los Angeles:
How to watch South Carolina vs. Cal State Fullerton
- Who: South Carolina vs Cal State Fullerton
- When: Friday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m.
- TV: ESPN+
- Where: Los Angeles Regional (UCLA’S Easton Stadium)
- Link to full Los Angeles Regional schedule here
A quick look at the teams in the LA Regional
UCLA: The Bruins are hosting the Los Angeles Regional after putting together a 47-8 regular season in 2026. UCLA finished with a 20-4 mark in Big Ten play but lost in the conference tournament title game to Nebraska. UCLA is No. 7 in the RPI and leads the country in team on-base percentage, slugging percentage, scoring and home runners per game. UCLA is led by a dynamic duo of Big Ten Player of the Year Jordan Woolery and All-Big Ten first-team selection Megan Grant. The two have combined for 71 home runs this year, and Grant’s 38 homers are an NCAA single-season record.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks enter the NCAA Tournament after a 30-26 season that included a 7-17 record in SEC play. South Carolina was eliminated in the first round of the SEC Tournament last week. USC is No. 25 in the RPI rankings. The Gamecocks are led by first-team All-SEC pitcher Jordi Heard and have three players batting over .300 in Karley Shelton, Tori Ensley and Quincee Lilio.
Cal State Fullerton: The Titans finished the 2026 season with a 40-13 record and 24-3 mark in Big West play. CSF, ranked No. 55 in the RPI, clinched a postseason berth after defeating UC Santa Barbara in the Big West tournament championship game. The Titans are led by Big West Field Player of the Year Sarah Perez and Big West Defensive Player of the Year Sarah Coccillos. This is CSF’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2024.
Cal Baptist: The Lancers (No. 86 in RPI) finished the 2026 season with a 43-17 record and went 15-3 in the Western Athletic Conference. Cal Baptist defeated Tarleton State in the WAC Tournament championship game to secure its first NCAA Tournament trip. The Lancers are led by WAC Pitcher of the Year Miranda De Nava and WAC Freshman of the Year Kenzie Farrier-Pilon.
Ashley Chastain Woodard on Cal State Fullerton
The Gamecocks will start the NCAAs off against Cal State Fullerton on Friday.
The Gamecocks need to be ready for the “havoc” the Titans create on the base path. Chastain Woodard said. South Carolina’s experience this season in SEC play has prepared them for CSF’s stellar pitching, she said.
“Their offense is pretty fast,” Chastain Woodard said. “They try to create a lot of havoc, push the envelope on the bases. ... So we’ve had a lot of those conversations of just making sure our defense watches the ball all the way in. We make sure the runners are back at the bases, that we don’t allow them to take the next base, or an extra base, because we don’t have our eyes on them.”
A potential rematch with UCLA on the horizon
A rematch of the 2025 Columbia Super Regional could happen this weekend in Los Angeles.
Last year, South Carolina was one out away from sweeping UCLA in the super regionals and advancing to the Women’s College World Series. A walk-off homer in game two followed by a win in game three, however, sent UCLA to the WCWS instead.
The two teams will square off this weekend should the Gamecocks beat Cal St. Fullerton and the Bruins beat Cal Baptist. This time a spot in the super regionals would be on the line. Chastain Woodard said she’s been stressing to her team to not overlook their matchup with Fullerton in anticipation of a revenge game with UCLA .
“We don’t need to overlook Fullerton and already be thinking about UCLA, so we’re gonna have a lot of conversations about that,” Chastain Woodard said. “Have already told that to the team. We really need to take care of game one on Friday to have a shot at playing UCLA on Saturday. So I think a pitch at a time, a moment at a time, is kind of where we need to stay.”
South Carolina and UCLA played once during the regular season this year. The Gamecocks lost 5-4 in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic out in California. USC star first baseman Arianna Rodi said the focus for the Gamecocks right now is solely on Fullerton, although she added South Carolina will be prepared once it needs to shift gears to prepare for UCLA.
“It’s do or die at this point,” Rodi said. “So just take it one game at a time, one pitch at a time, even, and then move on to your next opponent. So the Fullerton game is definitely what our focus is on. We really haven’t even dove into the UCLA prep yet. Obviously we have the prior experience playing them last year and earlier in February, so right now all of our priority is on Fullerton.”
