Hometown Gamecock, USC softball starter among five who’ll enter transfer portal
A South Carolina softball starter and local standout is hitting the portal.
Karley Shelton, a Lexington High alum who started all 60 games at second base this season for the Gamecocks, announced Sunday she plans to transfer when the portal opens later this month.
Shelton finished second on the team in batting average among USC’s regular starters (.345) and led the team with 68 hits. The junior also ranked second on the team in RBIs (40) and doubles (16) and top five in runs scored and home runs.
“After many conversations with my family I have decided to enter the transfer portal,” Shelton wrote in a post on X. “I want to thank the South Carolina coaching staff and my teammates for the opportunity. Looking forward to the next phase of my collegiate athletic career!”
A team captain and rising senior, Shelton had started 121 consecutive games for her hometown school and was a key piece of coach Ashley Chastain Woodard’s first two USC teams. She’ll have one year of eligibility remaining.
Shelton picked the Gamecocks over Clemson, Ole Miss and Alabama.
Before graduating a year early to enroll South Carolina, Shelton was a standout Lexington High outside Columbia. She played one season for the Wildcats after moving from Florida and was an all-state player and region player of the year as a junior after hitting .456.
Shelton is the most notable South Carolina softball player to announce her plans to enter the portal. USC was the No. 2 seed in UCLA’s regional in this year’s NCAA Tournament and was eliminated by the Bruins on May 17.
Other Gamecocks who plan to enter the portal as of Tuesday include starting shortshop Shae Anderson, pitcher Nealy Lamb (a Charleston Southern transfer and 12-game starter), pitcher KG Favors and outfielder Nia McKnight.
The NCAA’s Division I transfer portal window for softball opens June 8 and runs through June 22. Players must enter the portal during that time, but once they’re in the portal they can commit to a school at any point.
USC has been active in the portal in recent years. Chastain Woodard said earlier this month she anticipates South Carolina using the portal to supplement its 2027 roster, which will include top in-state high school player Aspen Boulware of Gray Collegiate.
“We’ll go to work and make sure that we have the pieces and the tools that we need moving forward,” Chastain Woodard said May 17.
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 10:47 AM.
