South Carolina softball lands the nation’s top Class of 2027 prospect
South Carolina softball has landed the nation’s top prospect for the Class of 2027.
Gray Collegiate’s Aspen Boulware announced Tuesday on social media that she committed to the Gamecocks. Boulware had an official visit to USC last month. Other schools she visited were Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Florida State.
“There isn’t just one reason why I picked USC,” Boulware told The State. “Overall, I felt like it was the best fit for me. I love that I am close to home and still get to see my friends and family while playing collegiate softball. The staff there is just amazing and I loved the atmosphere there not only when I took my visit, but when I was at camp, too.”
It’s one of the biggest commitments for second-year USC coach Ashley Chastain Woodard. Softball America and On3 rank Boulware as the No. 1 prospect for the Class of 2027. The Gamecocks went 42-15 in Chastain Woodard’s first season last year and hosted an NCAA Tournament regional and super regional.
“Coach Ash has done an incredible job with her program already,” Boulware said. “Lord willing, I will be able to learn a lot from her and the other coaches and be able to contribute to the team as much as I as can so that we can make it as far into the season as we can.”
Boulware is coming off her best season in which she helped Gray Collegiate to a state championship and was named the state of South Carolina’s 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year.
This season, Boulware hit .573 with 22 home runs, 44 RBIs, eight triples, 26 stolen bases and 67 runs scored in helping the War Eagles to a school-record 32 wins and the Class 4A state championship. It was Gray’s third state title in four seasons but first in Class 4A.
In nine playoff games, Boulware was 11 for 20 with six home runs and eight RBIs. Two of the home runs came in the state championship series against York.
Boulware’s 22 home runs broke her own school record of 19 set in 2024. She has been a starter on varsity since the seventh grade and has 52 homers and 126 RBIs during that span.
“She is a baller,” Gray coach Doug Frye said of Boulware after a playoff game this year. “She is special. I have been doing this a long time and I have never seen anything like her. She is a gamer and makes plays in the field that not many players can make.”
Boulware just played for Team USA’s U-18 squad that played in the World Softball Confederation Women’s World Cup Finals on Sept. 27-Oct. 2. She hit .588 (second highest on team) with seven RBIs in the tournament and earned All-World Team honors.
Boulware comes from an athletic lineage. Her mother, Jessica, was an All-American softball player at Florida State and is in the school’s athletic hall of fame. Her father, Michael, played at Spring Valley and then in college at Florida State and in the NFL for five seasons.
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 4:25 PM.
