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How to watch South Carolina softball in the NCAA Tournament

payton titus
·6 min read

South Carolina softball earned its 24th bid to the NCAA Tournament this week. It marks the ninth NCAA Tournament appearance under coach Beverly Smith.

The Gamecocks will travel to Duke for the Durham Regional, which begins Friday. They’ll join the Blue Devils, the Morgan State Bears and the Utah Utes in North Carolina.

Here’s everything you need to know about South Carolina’s path to the super regional round:

What channel is the South Carolina game on?

Who: South Carolina (34-22) vs. Utah (34-20)

When: Friday, Noon

Where: Duke Softball Stadium in Durham, North Carolina

TV Network: ESPNU

Stream: ESPN.com and the ESPN app

Series history: South Carolina and Utah met earlier this season at the Puerto Valletta College Challenge in Mexico. There the Gamecocks secured a 9-1 run-rule victory. USC leads the all-time series 6-4. Friday marks the first meeting between these two teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Top storylines for the NCAA Softball Tournament

  • How does the NCAA Softball Tournament work?: Similarly to basketball, the NCAA Softball Tournament features 64 teams (32 automatic bids and 32 at-large bids like South Carolina) vying for a national title. Regionals are held at 16 campus sites, where four-team, double-elimination tournaments are held to qualify for super regionals. Super regionals are held on eight campus sites, where two teams will play a best-of-three series to advance to the NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. There, the eight remaining teams will move through a double-elimination bracket with the last two standing completing a best-of-three series. South Carolina ended 2023 with a 1-0 loss to Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional final.

  • It just means more: All 13 teams in the SEC were selected to compete in the NCAA Softball Tournament for the fourth time in conference history (previously happening from 2017-19).

  • Gamecocks to watch: Pitcher Alana Vawter was named to the All-SEC Second Team, the conference announced last Friday. She compiled a 5-9 record with a save in conference play. In 89 and one-third innings, she had an ERA of 2.19 and threw seven complete games with 44 strikeouts. Riley Blampied is the only player to have played and started in all 56 games for USC this season. She leads the Gamecocks with six home runs and a .468 slugging percentage.

  • South Carolina-Utah rematch: These two teams last faced off in February, with then-No. 22 USC defeating then-No. 13 Utah 9-1 in six innings. While the victory gives the Gamecocks confidence heading into this weekend, they also acknowledge that neither team is the same now as they were three months ago. South Carolina also expects to face Utah’s ace Mariah Lopez in the circle, who did not pitch for the Utes last time these two teams met.

  • South Carolina-Duke history: Should the Gamecocks and Blue Devils match up this weekend, it’d be the first time USC played Duke on its home field. South Carolina leads the all-time series 2-1, but Duke won the last meeting 5-1 in 2021. The Blue Devils enter the NCAA Tournament fresh off winning the 2024 ACC championship.

  • South Carolina-Morgan State history: Should the Gamecocks and Bears match up this weekend, it would mark the first time the two teams have met in softball.

2024 NCAA Durham Regional schedule

Friday, May 17

  • Game 1: South Carolina vs. Utah, 12 p.m. (ESPNU)

  • Game 2: Morgan State vs. Duke, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Saturday, May 18

  • Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 11 a.m. (TBD)

  • Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 1:30 p.m. (TBD)

  • Game 5: Game 4 loser vs. Game 3 Loser, 4 p.m. (TBD)

Sunday, May 19

  • Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBD (TBD)

  • Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (if necessary), TBD (TBD)

South Carolina softball schedule, scores

  • Feb. 9: No. 23 South Carolina, 8, UNC Greensboro 4

  • Feb. 9: No. 23 4, Jacksonville State 3 (8)

  • Feb. 10: No. 23 South Carolina 6, Virginia 1

  • Feb. 10: No. 23 South Carolina 4, Jacksonville State 2

  • Feb. 11: No. 23 South Carolina 7, Virginia 1

  • Feb. 15: No. 20 South Carolina 9, No. 13 Utah 1 (6)

  • Feb. 15: Wichita State 6, No. 20 South Carolina 5

  • Feb. 17: No. 20 South Carolina 6, UC Davis 4 (8)

  • Feb. 17 No. 20 South Carolina 18, UC San Diego 1 (5)

  • Feb. 21: No. 17 South Carolina 8, Furman 0 (6)

  • Feb. 23: No. 17 South Carolina 9, UMass 0 (5)

  • Feb. 23: No. 17 South Carolina 3, James Madison 2

  • Feb. 24: South Alabama 5, No. 17 South Carolina 2

  • Feb. 24: No. 17 South Carolina 5, UMass 0

  • Feb. 25: No. 17 South carolina 7, Charlotte 2

  • Feb. 28: No. 22 South Carolina 4, College of Charleston 0 (5)

  • March 1: No. 22 South Carolina 4, Kennesaw State 3

  • March 1: No. 22 South Carolina 4, UCF 2

  • March 2: No. 22 South Carolina 4, Bethune-Cookman 0

  • March 3: No. 22 South Carolina 4, Princeton 1

  • March 6: No. 22 South Carolina vs. USC Upstate; POSTPONED

  • March 8: No. 17 Texas A&M 3, No. 22 South Carolina 0

  • March 9: No. 17 Texas A&M 2, No. 22 South Carolina 1

  • March 10: No. 17 Texas A&M 2, No. 22 South Carolina 1

  • March 14: No. 23 South Carolina 3, Boston U 0 (8)

  • March 15: No. 23 South Carolina 8, Michigan State 0 (5)

  • March 16: No. 23 South Carolina 4, Minnesota 0

  • March 17: NC State 4, No. 23 South Carolina 0

  • March 17: Northwestern 4, No. 23 South Carolina 3

  • March 20: No. 23 South Carolina 6, No. 11 Clemson 4 (12)

  • March 23: No. 7 Tennessee 2, No. 23 South Carolina 1 (10)

  • March 24: No. 7 Tennessee 7, No. 23 South Carolina 0

  • March 25: No. 7 Tennessee 8, No. 23 South Carolina 0 (6)

  • March 27: No. 22 South Carolina 6, Charleston Southern 0

  • March 27: No. 22 South Carolina vs. Charleston Southern; CANCELED

  • March 29: No. 22 South Carolina 2, Ole Miss 0 (9)

  • March 30: No. 22 South Carolina 8, Ole Miss 3

  • March 31: No. 22 South Carolina 4, Ole Miss 0

  • April 3: No. 22 South Carolina 2, Winthrop 1 (11)

  • April 5: No. 16 Mississippi State 6, No. 22 South Carolina 0

  • April 6: No. 16 Mississippi State 4, No. 22 South Carolina 0

  • April 7: No. 22 South Carolina 3, No. 16 Mississippi State 1

  • April 9: No. 19 Clemson 7, No. 23 South Carolina 0

  • April 12: No. 17 Arkansas 4, No. 23 South Carolina 3

  • April 13: No. 23 South Carolina 2, No. 17 Arkansas 1

  • April 14: No. 17 Arkansas 3, No. 23 South Carolina 0

  • April 19: No. 10 Florida 11, South Carolina 6

  • April 20: South Carolina 6, No. 10 Florida 2

  • April 21: No. 10 Florida 7, South Carolina 6

  • April 26: South Carolina 5, No. 21 Kentucky 2

  • April 27: No. 21 Kentucky 3, South Carolina 1

  • April 28: South Carolina 3, No. 21 Kentucky 0

  • May 1: South Carolina 5, USC Upstate 0

  • May 3: No. 13 Missouri 2, South Carolina 0

  • May 4: No. 13 Missouri 4, South Carolina 2

  • May 5: No. 13 Missouri 5, South Carolina 2 (10)

  • May 8: South Carolina 8, No. 17 Mississippi State 4

  • May 10: No. 9 Texas A&M 3, South Carolina 2

  • May 17: South Carolina vs. Utah

  • May 18: South Carolina vs. Duke OR Morgan State