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What to know of Ashley Chastain, ex-South Carolina pitcher, reportedly next softball coach

lulu kesin , greenville news
·2 min read

COLUMBIA — South Carolina softball likely has landed its next coach.

Ashley Chastain is set to take over the program, according to reports Monday night, after Beverly Smith was fired on Saturday after 14 seasons. The BigSpur reported that athletic director Ray Tanner plans on hiring Chastain, pending approval from the board of trustees, which is expected to come Tuesday afternoon.

MORE: South Carolina softball expected to hire Charlotte's Ashley Chastain as next coach | Report

Chastain played at South Carolina from 2009 to 2011 and was a graduate assistant in 2012. Here is everything to know about the Gamecocks' likely new coach.

Ashley Chastain at Charlotte softball

Chastain just finished her fifth season with the 49ers, ending the season with a 39-18 overall record, 21-6 in the school's first year in the AAC after moving from Conference USA. The 49ers lost to Georgia in the NCAA regionals on May 18.

Since taking over at Charlotte, Chastain has a 154-96 overall record. The 49ers also made the NCAA tournament in 2023.

Ashley Chastain college softball coaching history

  • 2020-24: Coach at Charlotte

  • 2018-19: Pitching coach at Ole Miss, where she was named Pitching Coach of the Year in 2019

  • 2017: Pitching coach at Michigan State

  • 2014-16: Pitching coach at College of Charleston

  • 2012: Graduate assistant at South Carolina

Ashley Chastain at South Carolina

Chastain was a pitcher for the Gamecocks for three seasons and finished 11th in career relief appearances She led the team in starts, innings pitched, and ERA during her junior season. She played one season at Columbus State before transferring to South Carolina.

Chastain is originally from Georgia.

Have Charlotte and South Carolina played one another?

Chastain was hired in 2019 and began coaching in 2020 before COVID-19 shortened the season. Since 2021, the Gamecocks and 49ers have played each other twice despite being scheduled to play four times in four years.

  • 2024: South Carolina won 7-2

  • 2023: UNC Charlotte won 9-1

  • 2022: Canceled

  • 2021: Postponed (never played)

Softball coaching history at South Carolina

Chastain is only the third softball coach in the past 37 years at South Carolina. Smith was hired when Joyce Compton retired in 2010 after 24 years with the Gamecocks. Compton took them to the Women's College World Series twice and to the NCAA tournament 13 times. She is the program's all-time winningest coach with a 951-486 record.

South Carolina Coach Beverly Smith is ejected from the game by an umpire during the bottom of the second inning at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson Tuesday, March 28, 2023.
South Carolina Coach Beverly Smith is ejected from the game by an umpire during the bottom of the second inning at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

SMITH OUT: South Carolina softball fires coach Beverly Smith after 14 seasons

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What to know of Ashley Chastain, likely South Carolina softball coach