No. 13 Gamecocks Open Kentucky Series Saturday Afternoon

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 13/12 South Carolina softball team returns to Carolina Softball Stadium to host Kentucky for its Saturday-Monday series April 19-21.

Saturday is Country Night where the first 300 fans will receive a Cocky Cowboy t-shirt. Sunday fans can find Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the stadium when gates open. Monday is Little League night, the first 500 fans will get a free rally towel, and the first 50 students will receive free pizza.

#13 South Carolina Gamecocks 32-11, 7-8 SEC
Coach: Ashley Chastain Woodard | 1st Season
AVG Leader: .400 | Quincee Lilio
RBI Leader: 40 | Arianna Rodi
Home Run Leader: 13 | Arianna Rodi
ERA Leader: 2.62 | Jori Heard
Strikeout Leader: 85 | Jori Heard
Wins Leader: 13 | Jori Heard

Kentucky Wildcats 27-17, 6-9 SEC
Coach: Rachel Lawson | 18th Season
AVG Leader: .356 | Peyton Plotts
RBI Leader: 42 | Peyton Plotts
Home Run Leader: 11 | Peyton Plotts
ERA Leader: 2.14 | Sarah Haendiges
Strikeout Leader: 79 | Sarah Haendiges
Wins Leader: 9 | Sarah Haendiges

Series Information
Series History: South Carolina leads 42-37
Trend: South Carolina won 1
Last Meeting: South Carolina 3, Kentucky 0 | April 28, 2024 | Lexington, Ky.

LEADING OFF

• The 2025 season is the 52nd season for the Carolina Softball team.
• This week in the NCAA RPI the Gamecocks are No. 3.
• South Carolina remained in the top-15 of all four polls this week.
  • The Gamecocks are No. 8 in the Softball America poll, No. 9 in the D1Softball, No. 12 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll, and No. 13 in the NFCA/USA Today poll.
• For the first time in program history every game will be televised on the ESPN family of networks and digital platforms.
  • South Carolina and Georgia are the only two Division I programs to have every game broadcast this season.
• This will be all-time meetings No. 80-81-82 between the Gamecocks and Wildcats. After this weekend, it will be tied for the most all-time meetings between Carolina and another school (Georgia).
• With the win over Ole Miss, the Gamecocks reached 30 wins for the 31st time in program history.
• With the win over Youngstown State, the Gamecocks tied the program record from 1976 for most consecutive wins to start a season (20).
• With the series win over #19 Ole Miss, the Gamecocks now have five series wins over top-20 opponents.
  • They also have four series wins over top-15 opponents.
• Carolina shutout Clemson for the first time in the series history and ending their program record streak of 54 consecutive games scoring a run.
• Brooke Blankenship ranks 2nd in the nation in sacrifice flies.
  • Her six sac flies are tied for 4th in a single season in program history.
• Quincee Lilio leads the team with 16 multi-hit games on the season.
  • Lilio is 18th in the nation in walks per game.
• Arianna Rodi is 3rd the nation in walks per game.
  • She has reached base in 35 straight games, three off the recorded record of 38.
  • Rodi hit a home run in five straight games (Feb. 25 – Mar. 5), which it tied for the 14th longest streak in NCAA Division I history.
  • Her 13 home runs on the season already rank 5th in program history.
• Karley Shelton ranks 9th in doubles and 20th in doubles per game.
  • She has 15 multi-hit games on the season.
• Nealy Lamb ranks 27th in the nation in strikeouts per game.
  • Lamb collected her 200th career strikeout Sunday against Arkansas.
• Jori Heard also earned her 200th career strikeout Tuesday against Clemson.
• Sam Gress ranks 12th nationally in saves.
• South Carolina has outscored their opponents 270-129 on the season, including 48-13 in the fourth inning and 28-6 in the seventh inning.
• As a team they rank 3rd in the nation in fielding percentage.
• They also rank 5th in doubles, 6th in doubles per game and walks, 7th in double plays and double plays per game, and 8th in sacrifice flies.
• They rank in the top-30 in three other categories: shutouts, on-base percentage, and winning percentage.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

• South Carolina is 268-107 (.715) at Carolina Softball Stadium since being built in 2013. That includes a 4-1 record at home while hosting an NCAA regional at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• Prior to 2021, South Carolina had not lost double digit games at home in seven years and has won 20 or more eight of the past nine seasons.
• Since 2016, South Carolina has consistently ranked among the nation’s leaders in attendance. Since that time, excluding the 2021 COVID season that limited attendance, they have never finished lower than 15th in average or cumulative attendance.
• In 2024, Carolina ranked 7th in the nation in total attendance and 14th in average attendance. They were 9th and 11th in 2023, 7th and 13th in 2022, 7th and 11th in 2020, 10th and 13th in 2019, 11th and 13th in 2018, 10th and 11th in 2017, 12th and 15th in 2016.

SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL RECORD

• South Carolina has played 2,679 games in its softball history, going 1,725-947-7 (.645) in its 52 years of history.
• Carolina has posted 30 or more wins in 10 of the past 12 full seasons.
• Carolina has protected home well, also, with 17 or more victories coming in friendly confines each of the past 11 full years.