In the world of college athletics, a lot can happen in 13 years. Even within the last two years, conference realignment, NIL and the transfer portal have radically changed the way college sports function.
South Carolin’s newly-hired head softball coach Ashley Chastain’s career has experienced an upward trajectory during that same time frame.
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She was hired to be a graduate assistant on Beverly Smith’s staff following her playing days at South Carolina in 2012. Chastain then served as a pitching coach at Ole Miss, Michigan State and the College of Charleston before taking on her first head coaching role at Charlotte.
Chastain said she has observed many softball-related changes at the University of South Carolina during that time. She detailed those changes in a Garnet Trust Interview on 107.5 The Game on Friday, June 28.
One of them took place shortly after Chastain’s lone season as a graduate assistant. Construction on Beckham Field began in June 2012 after the team’s previous stadium was bulldozed.
Chastain said she is very impressed with South Carolina’s stadium, even though she never got the chance to play there.
“I didn’t actually get to experience that – I had already left. Just coming back, I’ve played here several times over the course of my coaching career. I mean, it’s a beautiful venue. It’s beautiful,” Chastain said. “It’s one of the top facilities in the country.”
She added that work to make it an even better environment for South Carolina’s softball players is ongoing.
“We’re going to do some things to it, just to breathe life into it… (and) kind of come in and make it our own. We’re working on all those things. And most of that is for the players and the team,” Chastain said. “I want them to be really excited about walking in the door every day – that they have the same experience as any other SEC softball player.”
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College softball has also seen a meteoric rise in interest, from fans and the media, in recent seasons. The 2024 Women’s College World Series averaged two million viewers on ESPN, making it the most watched national softball championship on record.
Chastain said she has observed a similar uptick in interest amongst South Carolina sports fans since her hire. She hopes this fandom eventually translates to more filled seats at Beckham Field.
“We’re really excited about the interest. I would love for all those people to come to Beckham Field and know the players and know who they’re watching and feel like they know their stories,” Chastain said. “We’re going to give as much information as we can. We love the exposure.”
The most drastic change, though, has been the integration of NIL into the college sports landscape. Although its impact is more visible in football and basketball, NIL has begun trickling into women’s sports with greater frequency.
It is important for South Carolina to remain competitive with NIL to recruit the nation’s best players, Chastain said.
“We want to build a collective. We want to build support that people are really excited about – our players – and want to have that kind of involvement in the program,” Chastain said. “For me, it’s just getting out and telling my story and getting people interested in the program and interested in our players that people want to financially support them.”
Chastain said increased NIL investment will help South Carolina achieve its on-field success, including taking its own trips to the Women’s College World Series.
“I also want to give us a financial support to go get the best players so everything we’re talking about as far as getting to Oklahoma City,” Chastain said. “Those things become a reality for us because people backed the program.”
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